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Micro Book Group Guide No. 5

Tailored to the time-starved readership. No need to organize a group. Pull in a companion only if you want to.


1) Read the passage below. 2) Resolve the subsequent problem. 3) Deal with the rest of your day.


A Boston dining room sitdown with the son of Marcella. Marcus resurrects his mother’s searing gaze but he transmits a different temper. At one point Inbal will reference the Israeli Black Panthers.

An Israeli-born speaker rewarded by an American listener’s demeanor. Marcus compelled by a fresh intel.

A son of the African diaspora born on this soil. A houseguest introducing to the breakfast convo the topic of castes. Recommending a book on the subject.

Passing through Boston on the heels of a New Hampshire reunion, Marcus is the high school alum whose participation in the yearly ritual highlights his identity as the only African-American student in his graduating class.

The sole African-American student in the whole school, in his day. A lad enrolled in a highly pedigreed boarding school of semi-rustic New Hampshire, an opportunity funded by an athletic scholarship.

As an alumnus of advanced middle age he functions in another singular capacity. He is the volunteer facilitator of a unique event on his reunion’s agenda. He leads the dialogue about race relations.

He is an accredited facilitator of the inclusive mode of engagement, which sustains the human connection with counterparts of every history. At the recent alumni gathering he volunteers the skill. A training in decency, one item in Marcus Rontegenner’s professional kit. Not his main gig, a sideline.

His first appearance in Joe’s married chapter, a chat with his hosts over breakfast.

A houseguest who speaks of his desire to shift the professional balance. He would like to invest his main effort in the aspirational role.

#

The athletic scholarship, an avenue to the bumped status. Inbal asks what sport and Marcus is stunned. Joe didn’t tell you?

Actually I don’t know, Joe says. I don’t recall us talking about it.

A semi-acquaintance. Sons linked by their mothers’ onetime friendship.

Well my apologies, Marcus says. Polo.

Inbal’s fork arrested before reaching her lips. What, with the horses? she says.

Yeah it’s a horseback sport, Marcus says.

Her fork set down.

Horses in high school. Amazing.

Lemme tell you, Marcus says. Yes. Certain aspects, absolutely. Yes.


(From Outpatient, a novel-in-the-works by Naama Goldstein)

——


Micro book group guide #5


Resolve the following problem:

This reading leaves me…


1) Intrigued by the breakfast conversation of fictional characters. Wondering where their discussion is going.

2) Sensing the parallels between my living pattern and that of human beings emerging from seemingly unalike backgrounds.

3) All of the above.

4) None of the above. I could not get past the strangeness of the AI generated image. I can’t stop wondering why the user prompting this image positioned the polo mallet under the poor animal’s chin. Wait maybe she didn’t. An AI decision?



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