The Wednesday Letters
by Jason Wright
I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed how realistic the relationships were. Even though Jack had some flaws, I thought he was a great example of a wonderful husband and father.
Here are some questions to ponder/answer. Hope you enjoyed the book too!
1. A&P adopts the nickname that others had given to mock her, telling herself, “nicknames mean you matter” (p. 5). Have you ever had a nickname you didn’t like? How might you have turned it around to give it a positive meaning?
2. Joe is finally able to give up alcohol because the girl he nearly killed forgave him—even visiting him and frequently writing him letters while he was in prison. What is the novel saying about the relationship between forgiveness and self-acceptance? Where else are these themes worked through the novel?
3. Does The Wednesday Letters inspire you to start any traditions of your own?
3 comments:
First of all, I really enjoyed this book. I loved its positive message and that it left me with a good feeling.
1. I don't think I've had any really negative nicknames, but my brother-in-law has always called me "Mari-can." I have no idea why. It doesn't bother me really bad, but every time he says it It think "Why do you call me that?" According to A&P he calls me that because I matter to him. That's a pretty good reason, so I guess I shouldn't let it bug me anymore.
2. I was blown away by the ability of the characters to forgive. This book would be great for someone needing to forgive someone for something. Anyway, there is a definite relationship between forgiveness and selft-acceptance. I hadn't thought of it quite so deeply. You see that with the Pastor that raped Laurel. After he was forgiven by Jack and Laurel he was able to become a pastor of all things. But even still, I don't think he was able to fully move on until he told Malcom the truth. Now Malcom, even before he new about his history, seemed lost and didn't know who he was. When he learned the truth (not just his mother's rape, but also his parent's relationships and how his father felt about him) and was able to forgive as his parents did, he was able to move on and discover who he was: Jack and Laurel's son. The biological stuff didn't matter to him.
3. A little over a year ago I started two journals, one for my son and one for my daughter. I decided I'd write in them every month or so and record things about each child- developmental things, feelings I have for them, funny stories, etc. Well, I haven't been very consistent in writing. So, this book has inspired me to try harder and write in them once a week, even if it's just a small paragraph. I could probably do something similar for Joel. Get a journal just for Joel and record things once a week like Jack did. I like the fact that a lot of his letters were really short and on whatever he had- a napkin or something. It made the goal more achievable and realistic.
What a great idea to invite people to answer questions inspired by the book. Great questions and a great idea. I work with Jason and thought you’d like knowing he has a new contest on his web site where you can win a free trip-for-two to his hometown in VA, the Shenandoah Valley. All you have to do is mail him a Christmas card! All the details are here:
http://www.jasonfwright.com/triptosvalley.php
Thanks Marianne for your comments. Here are my thoughts.
1. I have had many nicknames over the years. The one that has stuck with me the most is "Ruthie." I have gone back and forth between liking and disliking it. I think I'm finally to the point where I don't care who calls me Ruthie and who doesn't. In fact, when someone just starts to call me Ruthie out of the blue, it makes me feel special. So I agree with A&P.
2. I can't decide if it's harder to forgive myself than it is for me to forgive others when it comes to something very important. I was very impressed with Jack's and Laurel's ability to forgive. It inspired me to show love more freely.
3. After reading this book I really wanted to start writing letters to my dh (dear husband). But of course I haven't started yet . . . But I do think it's a cute idea to write letters/notes to your children as they grow up.
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