Tuesday Tea and Tomes: We give plenty of stars to "The Giver of Stars" (and, perhaps, a gold one to a remarkable First Lady)

The Giver of Stars, like the horseback librarians, covers a lot of ground

The Giver of Stars, like the horseback librarians in the small town of Baileyville, covers a lot of ground. A fictionalized tale based on actual events, the most recent book by author Jo Jo Moyes, weaves the stories of five women who find support for themselves and their community as part of the  Depression era traveling librarians initiative. From diverse backgrounds, they battle their struggles, (abuse, sexism, racism and poverty) finding courage in service and friendship. 

The strength these women find in purpose may take its cue from a "silent partner", Eleanor Roosevelt. Although  the First Lady is not central to the story,  she was instrumental in supporting the mobile library, bringing books to rural areas scarce in reading material, as well as a trail blazer in coal miners' rights, another struggle in areas like The Giver of Star's Baileyville, Kentucky.

The Roosevelt home in Hyde Park, NY

At the FDR library with the Roosevelts

In fact, like the traveling librarians, Eleanor Roosevelt faced criticism for taking on issues as a woman. She was attacked for visiting coal mines and highlighting safety issues. Her response, "In Defense of Curiosity" was  published in the Saturday Evening Post (August, 1935). The following is a most moving excerpt from the article:

"Somehow or other, most of the people who spoke to me, or wrote to me about it, seemed to feel that it was unbecoming in a woman to have a variety of interests. Perhaps that arose from the old inherent theory that woman's interests must lie only in her home. This is a kind of blindness which seems to make people feel that interest in the home stops within the four walls of the house in which you live. Few seem capable of realizing that the real reason that home is important is that it is so closely tied, by a million strings, to the rest of the world. That is what makes it an important factor in the life of every nation."

In that spirit, the Baileyville librarians, who brought books - and, with that, possibilities - to the most remote areas of their community, made their own homes better in the process. 

Eleanor Roosevelt Tea Talk at The Townsend

As great fans of Eleanor Roosevelt, having traveled to the FDR library and the Roosevelt home in Hyde Park, New York and presenting Eleanor Roosevelt tea talks at such notable venues as The Townsend Hotel, we were immediatly drawn to this storyline. 

Our monthly chats:  books, friendship and challenges, the latter mostly in video technology 

I must give stars and, much gratitude, to my long time friend and recent book club cohort, Loretta, for not only putting this book on my radar, but supporting a monthly book discussion as well. And further kudos to Loretta's sister for her list of amazing reading recommendations. This was the first, and we heed all your future suggestions!

For our book club de deux, over coffee and tea -  and, without giving away too much of the novel -  we discussed the characters we were drawn to, the grocery store tip-off/redemption and the likelihood of the librarians' epilogue. 

Overall, a very readable book that covers challenges, perseverance, friendship and purpose (much like Loretta's and my monthly chats!). Also, it highlights a time in our country's history where equal and civil rights along with fair labor practices were coming to the surface and championed by some unlikely, but remarkable, ladies. They all deserved stars, whether they lived in the White House or a mountain cabin in rural Kentucky.