Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry

My interest in Michael Perry is not my fault. In fact, I blame outgoing Governor Jim Doyle's wife, Jessica. But more on that in a minute. 

We gathered today for our first discussion of Truck: A Love Story, Michael Perry's fifth book. With me were Arlen, David, Bill, Dog, Tom, Alice, Roman, Linda, RJ, Don, Mark, Phyllis, and Thomas. More than half of us had done the assigned reading. Has to be a record.  

Also joining us was Jeremy. Jeremy used to be a book club regular, but then he moved to Austin, Texas, and started his own book club. Now he's moved back to Madison to be closer to his family. (His book club in Austin is still turning pages.) And we win because he's back with us. Welcome home, Jeremy!

  

Which reminds me, one of our homeless members suffered a heart-attack last week. He landed in the hospital over Christmas. He smiles as he recounts the kindly treatment he received from his doctors. His smile widens further when he recalls how, just before kick-off on Sunday afternoon, a handful of his homeless friends came to watch the football game with him at the hospital. These guys sure know how to cheer a fellow up.  We also heard stories from several of our homeless members who were reunited, albeit temporarily, with family and friends over the holidays. Shining eyes. Heartfelt thanks. It was a special Christmas. 

But the first thing that happened today--I mean the first thing that really had anything at all to do with book club--is that folks started chatting animatedly about the book before book club started. The nerve. So I told them to STOP talking about the book, to save all their comments for the meeting! But they didn't listen. 

Turns out, folks genuinely enjoy reading this book. Not one gripe yet. I can't blame them.  Wait, actually, there was one gripe about Michael Perry, a gripe Michael Perry also has about Michael Perry. It's that Michael Perry's mind does not always track linearly. Consequently, he does not tell his story in  strict chronological order. One or two of us thought that makes things a tad confusing in places, but at least he warned us--his  mind would stray and, if we're along for the ride, we'd find ourselves in some pretty unexpected places.

Unexpected places...

That brings me back to the thing for which I blame Jessica Doyle. The first time I laid hands on a Michael Perry book was at the Governor's Mansion. My husband and I, along with two other couples, gathered to celebrate the Governor's birthday. No fancy gold-plated invitations. Just a simple phone call. "Hey, Suzanne! It's Jessica." That about bowled me over. Having never been to a private affair at the Governor's Mansion before, I inquired as to the proper attire, and was told to dress casually. Folks, when Jessica says casual, she means caaaasual. This was not your typical khakis and loafers casual. This was blue jeans and tennis shoes casual. In retrospect, it's easy to see that I should not have been surprised to find a Michael Perry book at my place-setting at the table. Mind you, this is the book that starts like this. 

"The story begins on a pile of sheep manure the size of a yurt. Dad stacked it alongside the barn one winter, and I climbed it, a fact documented in a thirty-something -year-old photograph of a miniature me waving from the rounded peak, clearly thrilled to have summited the dung." 

At the time, I'll admit, I knew nothing about  Michael Perry. And so I asked. "Who is he?" Jessica gushed. "He's a wonderful Wisconsin author."

And so he is. 

Club News: 

So we made the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal yesterday. Here's the link to the online story: Book club for the homeless offers respite from life's worries. Group consensus? Nice article. Nice photo of Chris and Thomas. Lousy photo of me. Oh, well. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Dean, with his MBA and years of experience working for a New York advertising firm, offered to take up a collection to help me obtain a suitable 'file' photo to avoid future insults. (That's how it's normally done, he explained.) I might take him up on it.  

We'll meet next week to discuss the first seven chapters of Michael Perry's Truck. The group is very excited to chat with the author, and they want me to amp up my efforts to persuade Mr. Perry to drive down to Madison. "Have him drive that '51 truck on down." They suggested ways to tempt him. Let him park for free in Bethel's lot. Throw in a breakfast sandwich or two. And coffee. Maybe one of us, one with a working truck, like Mark, could run up and get him, bring him down and bring him back up again. 

I'll see what I can do. 

See you next week! 

Wishing all of you health and happiness in 2011,  

~Suzanne

Books from 2010: