Pulitzer Book Club Inclusion Guide
"Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout
INCLUSION MILESTONES
2009
• Stephen Hawking throws party for time travelers
• Hate Crime Prevention Act
• Rosa's Law replaces term “mental retardation" with “intellectual disability”
AUTHOR INSPIRATIONS
Elizabeth Strout grew up in small town Maine and was a college English teacher. She earned a certificate in Gerontology and was age 56 when Olive Kitteridge was published.
GET THE BOOK
Featured Reader Wanted!
Featured Reader
– Share your key take-away about inclusion in this book in a sentence or two.
– Write a paragraph or two (up to 250 words) to describe your thoughts on exclusion/inclusion in the book, why you related or did not connect with the book, and why you think reading, inclusion and dialog about inclusion matter.
– Identify the name and website address of a cause you support with an inclusive mission.
Crotchety, big, old lady interacts with small town Maine neighbors
Daughter-in-law Dr. Sue trash-talks her mother-of-the-bride dress, so Olive trashes Sue’s sweater with a marker, steals one shoe and snags a piece of jewelry.
Short stories with reoccurring characters connected via relationships with an older person, Olive Kitteridge.
Quick read at 320 or 12 audio hours
Persevere. You’re never too old to get better.
Olive is an atypical central character:an older, vibrant female who happens to be big.Community where the novel is set is very much White and interconnected.
Share some donuts. And get sloppy with some ice cream.
“You just don’t like rich white men.”
Stage the meeting in more than one person's home. Or in a hospital lobby.
What kind of people are you drawn to now, that you didn’t have time for earlier in your life?
How can diversity be fostered in a small town?
How can neighbors and teachers support people and their family members who are experiencing depression, infidelity, anorexia, dementia, and substance abuse.
How can a community help to prevent and support the families affected by suicide?
Stay in a town that feels like fictional Crosby, in Maine if that’s possible. Find a diner with a view of water and wildflowers; watch to make sure no one nearly drowns or uses a shotgun. Talk to the nice people in the pharmacy. Do not steal anything from the hardware store. Have a few in the cocktail lounge; tip and complement the pianist. Hang out in an ER waiting room and count your blessings. Brighten someone’s day in a nursing home. If you visit a family member in NYC on the way home, be nice.
2014 HBO mini series Olive Kitteridge
2019 novel: Olive, Again