New Book for March

Maisie Dobbs

by Jacqueline Winspear

March's book is a light mystery book where you will be introduced to the fabulous Maisie Dobbs. The first book in a series by Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs was published in 2003 and won several awards. The latest book in the series was just released, Among the Mad and there are four other great stories about British private investigator Dobbs set in the late 1920's: Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies, Messenger of Truth, and An Incomplete Revenge which is a bestseller. We will discuss the first novel, but please feel free to read as many of these great stories as you wish.

The book is rich in history and in relevance to women:
"The period of time from the mid-1900’s until the 1930’s was a time of unprecedented change in Britain. The devastation of The Great War, mass emigration to America and Canada, rapid social changes – not least votes for women –- to be followed by the Roaring Twenties, the General Strike and the Depression. It was a time of burgeoning artistic expression, with the movements that we now know as Art Noveau and Art Deco demonstrating a dramatic departure from the Victorian age.

The Great War demanded that there was hardly a field of endeavor that women did not move into to release the men for the battlefield. The first women joined the police force, and it was also during these first decades of the century that scientific methods of detection were being rapidly developed. From medicine to international travel to the study of the human mind, all benefited from a time that was both terrifyingly painful in terms of the cost to human life, and yet demonstrated a hunger for innovation and a fascination with the avant-garde. It is in this world that Maisie Dobbs came of age." ~ www.jacquelinewinspear.com

More information about the author and the Maisie Dobbs books can be found at http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com.

Awards

• One of Publishers’ Weekly’s Best Mysteries of 2003
• Booksense 76 Top Ten pick
• Starred reviews in both Publishers’ Weekly and the Library Journal
• New York Times Notable Book of the Year 2003
• Edgar Award nominee for Best Novel 2003
• Agatha Award winner for Best First Novel 2003

February Redeeming Love Luncheon

Thank you, Marie, for hosting such a lovely lunch!

We talked about helping local organizations with their efforts to rescue and rehabilitate the children victimized by child prostitution. Please go online to register to receive updates about what is happening in Atlanta at: http://www.afuturenotapast.org

Wellington Lake will be starting a collection drive to provide items for Angela's House
more details to come!



Additional Book Titles

Choice Theory by William Glasser
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick

Would you be interested in reading the classics? Post a comment with your suggestions!

Business is Booming in Atlanta

We learned in Redeeming Love that the effects of childhood prostitution can leave scars that have lasting consequences. This sickening crime is thriving in Atlanta even today. Just this past weekend, the AJC reports that the FBI launched a nationwide operation to round up juvenile prostitutes, their pimps and the disgusting johns who continue to support this gross injustice against children. In Atlanta, they rescued 45 teenage prostitutes ages 13 and up and 50 pimps. The children are in foster care or state homes since they have no one who will take responsibility for them. Who knows how long it will be before they are back on the streets surviving the only way they know how. We can relate to Angel's story when her mother died and she was sold to Duke; left alone in the world to suffer the abuse of a child prostitute.

How can we help?

The following links are websites of the organizations here in Atlanta that are dedicated to giving these young people a chance at having a future. Let's discuss what we can do to support these efforts:






http://www.afuturenotapast.org
Please register to receive email updates
http://www.juvenilejusticefund.org
http://www.atlantawomen.org
http://www.covenanthousega.org

February's Book is

Redeeming Love

by Francine Rivers

The setting of this wonderful novel is
the 1850's Gold Rush
and tells the story of Angel, a prostitute
and Michael Hosea the virtuous farmer
who is called by God to love her.

For more info on the author:
http://www.francinerivers.com


Praise for Redeeming Love

From Library Journal
Rivers has rewritten a secular historical romance of the same name (Bantam, 1991) for the Christian market, and it is a splendid piece of work exploring both physical love and a love of God. Angel, a young, hardened prostitute sold into "the life" as a child, has no interest in God or religion. Then she meets Michael Hosea, a devout Christian who tells her it is his mission to save her. After being badly beaten, Angel decides to take Michael up on his offer of marriage. Eventually, she learns not only to love Michael but to love God as well. There is not one false note in this wonderful novel. The publisher's foreword rates the book "PG" for its adult themes and subplots of rape and incest. However, these are handled with great sensitivity and are very much a part of the story's development. Very highly recommended for most libraries.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.