Welcome and Introduction

[SCPL]

Hello and thank you for joining us for November’s book club! My name is Keely, and this month we’ll be reading Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler. Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School who studies the history of Christianity in North America. She authored a book on the history of the prosperity gospel in America, and her work on this topic has been featured in the New York Times, TIME Magazine, and The Atlantic, among others. Bowler was thriving professionally and personally when in 2015, at the age of 35, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. Everything Happens for a Reason is a memoir about Bowler’s diagnosis and treatment, and about faith in the face of illness. It’s a book about a difficult subject, but it is written with honesty, wit, and humour, and I hope you’ll find it an interesting book to read and discuss.

This book is available is from the library in multiple formats, which you can access here: https://bit.ly/2Pm3sXr

I look forward to our discussion and hearing your thoughts on the book. If you have any initial thoughts to share, please feel free to do so!
Keely

[Judee]

I am looking forward to reading people's comments and discussion of this book. I just finished reading it although I am usually a very slow reader. Something kept me wanting to read on while at the same time something kept pulling my attention away from it while reading. Never experienced that two-directional pull with a book before.
Judee

[SCPL]

Thank you for your comments, Judee! I first read the book earlier this year, and I think part of what appealed to me were Bowler's sense of humour, honesty, and insight. I look forward to further discussion about it!

Keely

[Katie]

I'm only a few pages in so far, but I'm already interested in this conversation with her doctor, who very clearly does not believe her pain. She's so lucky (and strong!) she pushed for that extra test.

I hope this is explored a more in the rest of the book-- there's a BIG discussion around this in the lit community right now, mostly headed by comics artist Kate Beaton. I'd recommend her article here, it provides a lot of context for this situation that is all too common.
https://www.thecut.com/2018/09/what-i...

Anyways, on to the rest of the book! :)

[Jules]

Thanks for sharing the article! I thought she was brave. :) it must have been so frustrating for her.

[Judee]

Katie, thank you for sharing the article.

With Kate Bowler, I found her openness in sharing her feelings and fears from the view of the actual cancer-victim to be an eye-opener for me. It has made me think beyond the cancer itself with friends and family I have suffering with this horrid invasive disease. For me, I think that's what I picked up most from Kate's book -- that I myself have seen the pain and suffering but I had not seen "beyond" the cancer itself for those dealing with it personally; how much more the cancer robs much further beyond the physical pain of it.

Also - her openness about the spiritual/church's views and how that part of our world sees the whole cancer victim. My gosh - there's a whole book in itself on that controversy. I myself am left uncertain in all that -- do the Bible quotes and encouragement that "everything happens for a reason" bring the cancer victim peace and encouragement or does it feel like some sort of mockery to them?

[SCPL]

Thank you all for your comments, and thank you for sharing the link to the article by Kate Beaton, Katie. I think it can be challenging to advocate for ourselves, especially in the face of barriers such as those that Becky Beaton encountered.I don't want to get too far ahead or give spoilers but Kate Bowler does further explore some of her experiences with healthcare.

I agree that it's difficult to know if certain sayings or quotes will bring comfort to people. One of the many things I appreciate about the book are the appendices the author includes suggesting things to say, or not to say, to people going through hard times.

Keely

[Tyler]

Katie wrote: "I'm only a few pages in so far, but I'm already interested in this conversation with her doctor, who very clearly does not believe her pain. She's so lucky (and strong!) she pushed for that extra t..."

That article has me tearing up. My mom is facing similar treatment in her fight with Lyme disease...

Thanks for sharing :)

[SCPL]

Tyler wrote: "Katie wrote: "I'm only a few pages in so far, but I'm already interested in this conversation with her doctor, who very clearly does not believe her pain. She's so lucky (and strong!) she pushed fo..."

Hi Tyler,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'm sorry to hear about what your mother is going through. I wish her well.
Keely