Bookstore Hero

Two weeks ago, I received an invitation to join the “2020 Quarantine Book Club” on Facebook from my grad school friend Pamela Skjolsvik. I often complain that between teaching and parenting I don’t have time to read much more than a blog post, but with after-school activities cancelled along with everything else, I figured I could use the time I normally spent rushing around Harford County sitting comfortably in my office or on my patio, drinking in some well-penned words on real paper. This, I decided, was the perfect time to join a book club. So I did. I just had no idea how hard it would be.Pam, a librarian and an author, herself, established the group as a place for debut authors to share their work at a time when they would normally be going on interviews and tours. Now limited to online promotions, book clubs like Pam’s are one way they can attract readers and increase sales. The first book Pam selected is “The Mountains Sing” by Vietnamese poet, Nguyen Phan Que Mai. It tells of intergenerational love shared by Vietnamese women who are fighting for survival in the 20th Century. Though we are not in the kind of war with bombs and guns like the one that grips you from the first pages of this lyrically rich and exquisitely woven book, we are in some ways facing the ultimate battle for our lives.

I tried to order The Mountains Sing on Amazon, but it was backordered. I was eager to get started, so I decided to buy it at Barnes and Noble before Governor Hogan shut down retail stores. Only 10 people were allowed in the store at a time. I was #9. Finding the book was easy, with that gorgeous cover, but when I went to check out, there was an error with my card. I rushed out to call the bank, only to run into my very own mother, waiting outside the door in queue for someone to leave so she could procure a new cable for her Nook. For the umpteenth millionth time, my mom saved the day. She paid for my transaction! I am blessed that she instilled a profound love of the written word in me in my earliest days and look forward to sharing this tale of courageous mothers and daughters with her.

My mom is a nurse and her commitment to caring for the sick and injured is her contribution to making the world a better place in a big way. And in a small way, buying me this book, a device that will transport me away from my own worries a few hours at a time, she made my world better, too.

I shared this story in the book club group, and it caught the eye of author Nguyen Phan Que Mai. She was touched by our story and has expressed tremendous gratitude to the group members, who began as a group of 50 and are nearly 900 strong!

Please consider joining the 2020 Quarantine Book Club on Facebook as we will be reading the books of up-and-coming authors, many of whom will be a part of the group.

(And, by the way, thanks, Mom!)

 

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