| Thank You for Smoking, a well-received satirical novel by Christoper Taylor Buckley that later became a highly rated film directed by Jason Reitman will be the next title discussed at Missouri Southern State University's summer session of the Literary Lions Book Club. Wendy McGrane, director of Southern's Spiva Library, will be the moderator.
A satirical comedy, the plot follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year-old son. In the movie version, Aaron Eckhart who portrayed Naylor was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Naylor's friends, the M.O.D. (Merchants of Death) meet weekly over lunch to lament the difficulty of representing Big Tobacco as well as the alcohol industry and the NRA. He is kidnapped by anti-tobacco terrorists who cover his body with nicotine patches and leave him for dead. However, the plot thickens when the FBI begins to suspect that Naylor kidnapped himself.
Buckley, 56, also authored The White House Mess after his experience as chief speech writer for George H.W. Bush. A graduate of Yale University, he is the son of William F Buckley Jr. and Patricia Buckley.
Meetings, consisting of an introduction of the novel, group discussion and viewing of the film, will be held at 10 a.m. on June 25, July 9, and July 16, 2008, near the Spiva Library University Java Coffee Shop. The cost to participate is $15 for Friends of the Spiva Library or $25 for the general public. Participants will be given copies of the book to be donated back to the library. The group is limited to the first 15 who respond no later than June 15.
To sign up or ask about the cost of membership and its benefits, phone the MSSU Alumni Office at (417) 625-9355. Leave a message, if necessary. Go Back |
