"Eat, Pray, Love" - Book Three

And so we arrive in Bali to find balance…

When Liz finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her (pg. 220). Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding by reminding him that she is the “book writer from New York” (pg. 222). How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence alone?

I also wanted to see what your thoughts were on the more complicated, studied approach to meditation Liz studied in India vs. the Ketut approach to just “sit and smile” (pg. 231).  Do what degree do you think simplicity matters in meditation?  Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel?  If so, why?

I found Liz’s discussion of Bali’s history to be really fascinating (Ch. 80).  It kind of becomes a story of how appearances can be deceiving because you have this island that looks like paradise, but such a bloody, violent history.  What Liz determines from this realization is that balance is relative (pg. 239).  What are your thoughts on that?  Do you think it’s possible to reach equilibrium in your life when the person you show to the outside world doesn’t necessarily reflect the battles you’ve gone or are going through?  What does it take to reach that balance in life?  I’m not sure I know the answers, but I’m sure a trip to Bali wouldn’t hurt.

As we read on, Liz comes to this discussion of happiness.  She says that, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort” and that you have to “participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings” (pg. 260).  Do you agree with these statements?  This reminded me of the old adage, “Live the life you want to live.”  I think so many times, we sit and dream or compare our lives to others, forgetting that we actually have power to take action.  This is something I remind myself of many times: only I can live my life; am I living the life want to live?

In the end, I think that’s what this book is all about for Liz.  It was a journey of personal discovery. She says on page 329 in the last chapter, “I think about the woman I have become lately, about the life that I am now living, and about how much I always wanted to be this person and live this life, liberated from the farce of pretending to be anyone other than myself.” Could you see any of yourself in this statement?

Though we may not all be able to travel the world for a year of self discovery, I think the things Liz experienced and the people she met are manifested in different ways for each of us as we go through life.  She asked herself some hard questions and she found ways of answering them.  Don’t we all do that at some point (or continually) in life…even if it is from metro Atlanta?

I hope you all enjoyed this last book club read of the semester.  If you have suggestions for books you would like to discuss next year, please post them on this blog or send Dr. Teresa Raetz an email at traetz@uga.edu.

"Eat, Pray, Love" - Book Two

For me, Liz’s time in India took on a much more personal tone.  I don’t think it’s coincidence that this was in conjunction with her pursuit of devotion, as spirituality and religion are very personal aspects of one’s self.  She speaks about her feelings of helplessness and about how she feels as though she has split herself into many different versions of Liz Gilbert (p. 153). Can't we all relate to that in some way?  

She is upfront with her feelings of inadequacy as she cannot seem to still her mind into a meditative state, even in this remote ashram in India (p. 172).When speaking with Richard from Texas, she embraces this concept of controlling her thoughts (p. 178) and in turn, her attitude.  It is after this that she starts to really embark on her pursuit of devotion and finds success in her meditations.  Success seems like a strange word to use, but let’s think about it for a minute.  In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success?  How is it different?  Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable?

Just as in Italy, Liz continues to find and accept herself in India. In Italy, Liz mentioned her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple (p. 190). It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess, which I found to be humorous. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed?

Along this same vane of accepting herself for who she is, Liz later stumbles upon her own “word”, taking us back to the conversation had with Giulio in Rome.  She determines her word is antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border” (p. 203).  In what ways do you think this word was an accurate depiction of what we know of Liz? Or was it? In thinking deeper about this concept of everyone and everything having a “word,” what is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime? I think I will be pondering this question as we head into Bali with Liz...

"Eat, Pray, Love"" Introduction and Book 1

I have to admit that this is actually the second time I am reading this book, and I like it even more this time around.  I had forgotten how humorous Liz can be, and I found the Introduction to really provide her sense of humor and sarcasm right away.  For me, this sense of quirkiness and quick-wittedness are part of what makes this book so enjoyable.  I love how she will refer back to things already mentioned - it makes me feel like I'm in on an inside joke or something. 

I think her whole concept of seeking pleasure, seeking devotion and then seeking a balance of the two (p. 30) is a very interesting basis for her travels and this book.  I found myself thinking about how often I seek balance without ever giving thought to what complete devotion to the individual components would look like. Do you think it is important to completely understand the components before coming to a point of balance?  Can you come to a point of balance without having understood the individual components?

We see Liz dealing with the fallout of her divorce and break up with David in the first part of this book as well as her journey to find pleasure in Italy.  On page 22, Liz says that "God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of Girl Scout cookies."  I see Italy as being her "Girl Scout cookies" to the closed door of her divorce and break up.  If you agree, in what ways do we see Italy as that new opportunity?  Where else do we see Girl Scout cookies in Liz's journey so far?  What effect do you think traveling had on these revelations for her?

In many ways, Liz's time in Italy can be seen as a time of self-discovery and self-reflection, along with her pursuit to find pleasure.  One way she comes to this realization is while she's at the Augusteum, of which she says, "I look at the Augusteum, and I think that maybe my life is not so chaotic after all. It is merely this world that is chaotic, bringing changes to us all that nobody could have anticipated," (p. 75).  I know in my own life, I have felt this way as well.  We often jump to conclusions that we are somehow causing some things in our life to happen which bring chaos and craziness to our lives, when really, the actual circumstances are the sources of chaos.  The only thing we have control over is how we cope and deal with these sources of chaos.  Did this passage about the Augusteum resonate with anyone else?

We also see Liz's pleasure-seeking as a time of self-reflection when she is discussing Rome's "word" with Giulio (p. 104).  He asks what her "word" is and she cannot pinpoint it.  At the end of the chapter, Liz also realizes that she has been on a journey to re-discover herself, when she acknowledges she "needed to come to Italy to understand [her]self," (p. 115).  While we may not all have the luxury of taking a hiatus from our lives for 4 months to understand ourselves, how do we come to these realizations?  What does it take for us to take a step back to self-reflect and center ourselves?  Personal tragedy?  Amazing success?  A really good meal?

I found this first book to be so personally written that I feel like I know Liz.  I can see certain aspects of myself in what she says.  I had some of those "I have been there" moments through these readings.  What were your general thoughts about this book so far?  How are you reacting to Liz's sometimes blunt honesty?  How is this book what you expected and how is it surprising you so far?

Time to "Eat, Pray, Love" with Elizabeth Gilbert!

Hello Gwinnett Campus Readers!

Our Women’s History Month read will be Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love”.  Because this book is divided into three very distinct parts (see the title), we will read this book over the next three weeks of March.  We will be following Elizabeth through her journeys of self discovery in Italy, India, and Indonesia.

Our very own bookstore will be selling this book at a 30% discount, so please use this week to purchase a copy and make sure to thank Vicky, our bookstore manager, for arranging such a generous offer.

Our reading schedule will be as follows:

March 12-18 – Introduction and the “Eat” (Italy) section.

March 19-25 – The “Pray” (India) section

March 26-April 1 – The “Love” (Indonesia) section

Just a few questions to get the juices flowing:

Have you read this book before?  Have you seen the movie?  If so, what are you looking to get out of re-reading this book?

For those of you who have not read the book or seen the movie, what preconceived notions do you have regarding this book?  What kinds of adventures are you expecting to encounter?

Happy Reading!

"In My Place" - Chapter 16 - Chapter 20

For me, these last chapters represented a move forward and more hopeful outlook for the future. We see this in more student support for Charlayne and Hamp (pg. 194) as well as Charlayne's feelings of being more a part of UGA (pg. 199).  But I think the larger representation of hope and moving forward is in the more self-reflective passages Charlayne provides.

I thought the idea of the greater Civil Rights movement having a sort of ripple effect on Charlayne (pg. 212) was very poignant.  I think it's safe to say we have all been expected to be a representation of an entire population due to one of our forms of identity before, and nobody really appreciates that.  No one wants to represent an entire people group just because they may identify with them.  We all want to be representatives of ourselves; listened to for what we have to say; appreciated for what we have to offer.

Charlyane spoke of this idea several times in the last few chapters; she phrased it as not wanting to be a symbol (pg. 238). Though Charlayne's connection with the University of Georgia will forever be a symbol of desegregation at our institution, she doesn't want her self to be a symbol.  She wants to be known for who she is and what she's accomplished in her personal and professional life, aside from helping to desegregate UGA.  She stated, "If I were going to be known in the world, I wanted it to be through the efforts of my ability, rather than through something that but for the time and place should have been an ordinary, routine occurrence.  I wanted to be famous one day, but not simply for going to college" (pg. 240).  In another passage, she speaks of wanting to establish an "identity of anything other than a symbol" (Pg. 242).

I think Charlayne has a very valid desire in not wanting to be a symbol; in having the ability to become someone other that the girl-who-desegregated-UGA.  For me then, the larger question is how do we celebrate someone's courage and bravery without turning them into a symbol?  How can we more appropriately associate events with symbols rather than the people who lived them?

It gave me a sense of great pride to read Charlyane's commencement address at the end of the book.  Did anyone else et that same feeling of look how far we've come?  Her address was 25 years after her own graduation, but we are now at 48 years past her graduation.  In many ways, we still have miles to go, but in others, we have come so far.  What are your thoughts as you reflect on the past 25 or 48 years of race relations in the South?  In what ways do you see progress and in what areas do we still need to work?

I hope you have enjoyed reading about one of UGA's own pioneers.  I know this book has given me new insight into our institution's past as well as food for thought and self-reflection in what it means to find my own place. What do you take away from this book?

Please take a minute to read over the synopses for the March book choices and cast your vote for our Women's History Month read.

"In My Place" - Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

And so we have entered the desegregation era at UGA.  We get a much greater glimpse of Charlayne as a student and as an individual in these chapters.  For example, after her high school counselor discourages her from pursuing a career in journalism, Charlayne decides to venture on despite warnings that she could face oppression in doing so (pg. 109).

We also read more description about Hamilton Holmes, whom we now know went on to become the first African American male enrolled at UGA.  Hamp (as Charlayne referred to him) was a fellow high achieving student.

Charlayne also introduces the notion that school (at least Turner High School) was a place of protection for her and her friends (pg. 114).  The segregation they experienced served as a way of shielding them from many societal wrongs, though Charlayne and her mother did experience some oppression in some of the most every day occurrences, like shopping at Rich’s (pg. 114).  The Emmett Till murder was another reminder that segregated safety was only relative (pg. 115).

As Charlayne goes on to college at Wayne State, we see her first experience with desegregation in the form of her residence hall living experience (pg. 133).  However, a “racial divide” was still present in the form of dining hall patterns and Greek life (pg. 138).  The Black students at Wayne State found community in their shared racial identity within a desegregated environment.  What impact do you think this concept of self-segregation (through dining hall patterns and Greek life) rather than forced segregation had on Charlayne?  

Another important aspect of these chapters is the student movement (pg. 139).  This was a time in history when we saw students starting to take more responsibility for self-advocacy; they had reached a point where they “Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me roun’” (pg. 144).  That motto obviously came to be something Charlayne enacted through her involvement  with UGA.  What are some other aspects of the student movement that could have contributed to Charlayne’s perspectives and future decisions?

We later read that Charlayne’s involvement in her sorority further served as inspiration.  Ceremonies “validated and affirmed the history and struggle of Black women to take their rightful place in the leadership ranks of the campus, the community, the nation, and the world” (pg. 151).  For Charlayne, the recognition and honoring of these women served as a “stiffening [of her] backbone and adding yet another coat of armor for what lay ahead” (pg. 151).  This was a very powerful passage for me – to see inspiration igniting action.  Have any of you ever experience this type of inspiration?  

Finally, in the last chapter of this week, we see the title of this book taking form in the shape of UGA.  Charlayne says of her first morning at UGA, “this was the morning when I thought about how I was going to take my first steps onto the campus as if I knew my place, only this time, for the first time, it would be I who would be defining my place on my terms, on territory that was their pride but was now mine, too” (pg. 172).  Charlayne is no longer letting other people define her place, but rather defining it for herself.  Has anyone else had an experience in which someone else tried to define your place?

I apologize for getting off of our reading schedule a bit.  Next week will be our last installment of In My Place, but I hope we are all taking the time to reflect on the story Charlayne has shared so far.  I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to seeing how she wraps it all up.

Please cast your vote for our March read, which will be in honor of Women’s History Month.  I think we have three really great choices, so I hope you can all find one that resonates with you.

Ellen