Reading guide for calling me home by julie kibler discussion guide for book clubs. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Whats the story set in present day and the 1930s, 89yearold woman isabelle mcallister enlists her hairdresser, a black single mother named dorrie curtis, to help drive her from her home in arlington, texas, to a funeral in cincinnati. Calling me home book vancouver island regional library. A person gets up in years and she forgets to use her filters. Kibler was on hand to discuss her debut novel calling me home, which the rights have been acquired by warner bros.
Book summary calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship. Calling me home is a story about love in its many incarnationsin romance, friendships, and families. Its a journey that changes both their lives, as she learns isabelles tale of a forbidden relationship and its tragic. Calling me home book johnson county library bibliocommons. Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our pro connect email alert. Im thrilled to feature calling me home by julie kibler on story matters today. For an avid reader, little can match the thrill of a character pulling you into her world the second she arrives on the page as isabelle does in the opening page of calling me home. Calling me home by julie kibler discussion questions. Alternating between the present and 193040s, the author draws you into the lives and conversations between an elderly white woman and a young black hairdresser as they drive from texas to ohio.
Isabelle, a 90yearold white woman from kentucky, asks dorrie, a 40something black woman from texas, to bring her from where they live, arlington, texas, up to cincinnati, ohio. Calling me home book jackson county library services. Fleeing problems of her own and curious about isabelles guarded past, dorrie. Calling me home by julie kibler is asoaring debut interweavingthe story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship. Aug 20, 2012 calling me home was a beautiful, emotionally charged, allconsuming story of love and loss. I suggest this book for a road trip because you wont want to turn it off. Curious whether she can unlock the secrets of isabelles. Calling me home was a hard read for me, but so wellwritten that i could barely put the book down. Calling me home is a 20 novel by julie kibler that follows the lives of an elderly white woman and a middleaged africanamerican woman as they share a journey. Calling me home is a beautiful story that successfully deals with many topics.
Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties. Jun 20, 20 before i started reading calling me home, i knew that this was pan macmillans lead fiction debut of 20, and that warner bros had snapped up the film rights, but nothing prepared me for the overwhelming roller coaster of emotions induced by the astonishingly talented julie kiblers debut novel. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendshipeightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. A soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship eightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser, dorrie curtis. I just couldnt wait to keep reading, avoiding the things that needed to be done just to get a few more pages read. Fleeing problems of her own and curious about isabelles guarded. Julie kibler has written an original and moving debut novel that will linger with you for a long, long time. The novel tells the story of elderly isabelle, on a road trip with her younger hairdresser dorrie, to attend a funeral in another state. Its a historical fiction read that deals with interracial marriage, civil rights, parenting and womens rights. Calling me home is a story about love in its many incarnationsin romance, friendships.
Debut novelist julie kibler began writing calling me home after learning a bit of family history. If you were a fan of calling me home dont miss out. In calling me home by julie kibler, eightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. Not only is this the she reads bookofthemonth pick, but its my favorite she reads selection to date. Book club discussion for calling me home she reads. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her 30s, to drop everything to drive isabelle from her home in arlington, texas, to a funeral in cincinnati. Julie kibler began writing calling me home after learning a bit of family lore as a teen, her white paternal grandmother fell in love with a young black man, but their families tore them apart. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Calling me home tells two stories, that of isabelle mcallister and of dorrie curtis. Eightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser, dorrie curtis. The readers of this book made me feel like they were sitting on my sofa talking to me.
Calling me home book hennepin county library bibliocommons. Everything you need to know about calling me home movie. But its a much more human and personal booka sad but lifeaffirming book bella magazine comparisons to the help are inevitable, and though there are echoes of kathryn stocketts popular bestseller to be found in calling me home, kibler has crafted a wholly original debut booklist. Isabelle slowly reveals her life in her teen years in kentucky and her deep secreta forbidden interracial love. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in. I acted hateful to dorrie the first time we met, a decade or so ago. Calling me home, which is kiblers debut novel and inspired by events in her family, revolves around the relationship between an 89yearold woman named isabelle mcallister and her hairdresser, a. Eightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. Its a journey that changes both their lives, as she learns isabelles tale of a forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences.
Calling me home goodreads meet your next favorite book. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive isabelle from her home in arlington, texas, to a funeral in cincinnati. Kibler illuminates racial tensions many of us dont realize still exist in this country, and shows how small acts of faith can make big inroads to acceptance. Calling me home book omaha public library bibliocommons. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her. Feb 12, 20 calling me home is a tenderly wrought story of love and secrets, heartbreak and healing, and the remarkable power of friendship to heal two women who find each other across the lines of time, generation, and race. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship. Calling me home by julie kibler reading guidebook club.
While i stood there blinking my eyes, fit to be tied, she studied the appointment book. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mother in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in arlington, texas, to a funeral in ohio. Calling me home julie kibler 9781250014528 netgalley. Listen to kibler talk about the inspiration for this amazing novel, and then.
Chosen by my book club, calling me home was based on a true story. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything and drive her from texas to a funeral in cincinnati. But its a much more human and personal booka sad but lifeaffirming book bella magazine comparisons to the help are inevitable, and though there are echoes of kathryn stocketts popular bestseller to be found in calling me home, kibler has crafted a. Julie kibler is the bestselling author of home for erring and outcast girls and calling me home, which was an indienext list pick, target club pick, and ladies home journal book club pick, published in fifteen languages. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modern. Calling me home was a beautiful, emotionally charged, allconsuming story of love and loss. Clear your schedule before you open up this thoroughly engaging book. She has a bachelors degree in english and journalism and a masters degree in library science and lives with her. Eightynineyearold isabelle mcallisterhas a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. I experienced nervous anticipation nearly the entire read, yet i kept turning pages. Calling me home book chicago public library bibliocommons. She has a bachelors degree in english and journalism and a masters degree in library science and lives with her family, including four rescued dogs and. Calling me home is a tenderly wrought story of love and secrets, heartbreak and healing, and the remarkable power of friendship to heal two women who find each other across the lines of time, generation, and race. I thought miya angelous biography and witney houstons mother reading her book were my two most favorite books on tape.
Ive already posted the first set of questionsthoughts and will continue to update all week. A debut novel interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship. Calling me home is a 20 novel by julie kibler that follows the lives of an elderly white woman and a middleaged africanamerican woman as they share a. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday. Calling me home is right up there, perhaps in the lead now.
In calling me home by julie kibler, 89yearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. With a funny smile, she said, dorrie has an opening. Calling me home by julie kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s kentucky with an unlikely modernday friendship eightynineyearold isabelle mcallister has a favor to ask her hairdresser dorrie curtis. Book club discussion for calling me home by julie kibler is happening now. I live in south texas where racists definitely still exist, this book just brought it. While there are only two narrators, at times calling me home reads as if there are three distinct voicesbecause isabelles younger voice recounting her forbidden love with a black man in the racially tense 1940s, is often measured, lacking the present day cantankerous verve promised in her selfintroduction. But mostly its about forbidden love and a friendship that, sadly, society still doesnt wholeheartedly support. Calling me home book central rappahannock regional. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may. What i particularly liked was the lack of mawkishness in the book. Isabelle wants dorrie, a black single mother in her thirties, to drop everything and drive her from her home in arlington, texas, to a funeral in.