Open by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi retired after the US Open in 2006 after a career that spanned some 20 years. He is only one of 3 players with a Career Grand Slam in the Open era and is best known for his return of serve. This is Agassi's story of his childhood under a domineering father, his trials and tribulations in his tennis career as well as his relationships with the people he loves and the charitable foundation he started.

Our group felt that this is a compelling story which gives an insight into the world of professional tennis in an era where the large amounts of prize money have encouraged players to start training at an ever younger age. Many of us who had watched some of the tight matches he described appreciated his description of the mental side of competition. We felt particularly disturbed by the behaviour of his father with regards to giving his own children speed in his ambitions for winning and the fact that Agassi was sent away to Nick Bollettieri's Tennis Academy for much longer than he wanted to when he was 13 and how that affected his attitude to education. It is admirable that his philanthropy focuses on education for disadvantaged youths. Some of us felt he had not been completely honest and open about his later drug use nor some of his relationships. The recurring claim that he hates tennis throughout the book is also borderline annoying. We found the scene describing the meeting of his father and Steffi Graf's father both amusing and telling of just how domineering these two parents were.

We suggest that it might be interesting to read Pete Sampras's book "A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis" as a comparison because Agassi and Sampras were rivals with such different personalities. Coincidentally, Yannick Noah's autobiography "Secrets etc" also revealed his use of marijuana and demonstrated how completely divorced from reality some of these tennis players can be during the tour.

Photos by Prue Platt-Hepworth

Our next book is The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

We have given Open 6.5/7 out of 10

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A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Our second book of 2010

A Thousand Splendid Suns

by Khaled Hosseini (2007)

Brief synopsis

This is a story of the lives of 2 women, born some 20 years apart, who live through the tumultuous times of the last 30 years in Afghanistan. It portrays their strength in the face of adversity and the development of a friendship which grew out of animosity.

Our discussion

We began with discussing the main characters in the book and the scenes in the story which most moved/impressed us. It then led to a discussion of the the value of education and condition of women in general in the Arab world.

• Is Rasheed a truly evil man or is he a victim of circumstances as well?
• The quest for happiness for both women in an environment of abuse, betrayal and hardship
• The beautiful relationships between the two women at the end, between Laila and Tariq, Mariam and Mullah Faizullah, Laila and her father, Mariam and Aziza
• This book shows that even in a cultured society, women are taken advantage of in times of war and religious extremism
• Although the story is about the oppression of women, it is also one of hope. You also see the beauty of the Afghan society and culture through the eyes of Laila's educated father, the celebration of the Muslim faith through the Mullahs and Mariam's teaching of the Koran to Aziza

For those of us who have read the previous book The Kite Runner, this second novel is just as satisfying. We like Hosseini's writing style and to learn more about his background, his character choices and conditions in Afghanistan, there are interesting discussion videos on his website : http://www.khaledhosseini.com/index.htm

Our next book is The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Burrow

We have given A Thousand Splendid Suns 9 out of 10

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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

People of the Book

Geraldine Brooks

Brief synopsis

This is the story of discoveries made by a young Australian woman while restoring an ancient Hebrew book, The Sarajevo Haggadah.

Our discussion

Only one person out of our group of 11 found the book an easy read. Others found the nature of the book to be fragmented and that it jumps around a bit too much. We found that the passages describing the past journey and the people who saved the book were the more enjoyable and illuminating as they were well researched.

A few found the "Australian" voice of Hanna to be annoying and not a true representation of Australians today. Many felt the book's ending was also disappointing.

Some interesting facts emerged during our discussion about the author : Geraldine is a converted Jew herself and that she is paying for the education of a Muslim doctor.

In conclusion, this book juxtaposes the stories of hope and tolerance against the sometimes violent events that happened in history but as a novel, falls short of its promise. It was suggested that her book "Year of Wonders" was much more successful.

Our next book is "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

We have given People of the Book a rating of 7 out of 10

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The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

The Slap

This book was the most interesting and controversial of our selections from last year's 8 books. Reactions were divided as to whether we love it or hate it! Upon seeing one of our members reading the book on the plane, the flight attendant commented "I can't go past the first chapter of this book...you are finishing it?!?"

We do recommend this book as it does give the reader a glimpse into Australia's multicultural society of today.

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Our other 2009 books