Pulitzer Book Club Inclusion Guide
"Tinkers" by Paul Harding
INCLUSION MILESTONES
2010
• Kathryn Bigelow first woman Best Director Oscar winner
• Legislation for Indians and Black farmer reparation
• 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act
AUTHOR INSPIRATIONS
Harding grew up on Boston’s north shore and spent a lot of time “knocking about in the woods” and years reading theology. His grandfather taught him to fix clocks. Harding’s teacher and mentor is Marilynne Robinson, author of Gilead, another Pulitzer winner revolving around memories of a dying old man.
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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.
Dying old clock-fixer remembers his life, his epileptic dad's
Howard has a seizure at the dinner table; nearly bites off son George’s fingers
Small-press first novel with limited sales and buzz prior to its Pulitzer win. Indie bookstore events manager recommended Tinkers to a woman who turned out to be the 2010 Pulitzer fiction jury chairwoman.
Watch the clock and see how long you savor the 191 pages or enjoy 5 hours of listening time.
Understand. Lack of knowledge can be a trigger for shame, resentment, fear and bad decisions.
The characters are a White family.A doctor suggests an asylum for a man who has epileptic fits. One Native American repairs a canoe; another is a guide who dresses the part of a stereotypical Native American.
Cook a nice dinner; eat when the food is cold and coagulated and that person you’ve been waiting on is still not there.
“The man would take that as true and base his ideas of the world on that mistake.”
Room filled with wind-up clocks that are not wound. Hospital bed in a nearby room.
Which memories will pop when you are on your deathbed? Which memories will you want to alter?
How/why does death bring people together or polarize?
How does level of understanding and acceptance of a medical condition challenge or change relationships?
Describe the stereotyping of native Americans in this novel.
What were the gender roles during the lifetimes of the father (1800s) and son (70 years later)?
Throwback backwoods experience, ideally in Maine. Fly fish, canoe, and cook on a woodstove. Reenter society and visit an antique shop in a small town and check out the clocks.
“Tinkers” adapted as a play in 2016. No screen adaptation.
2013 “Enon” by Harding.