Meeting 7: American Pastoral

**A meeting for this book never occurred. The whos whats whens wheres and whys of the whole crazy thing can be saved for another day. Bottomline: It don't matter nohow, time to move on. The following is a transcript of the press release that wrapped up this book for the NMS:

(INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana) - March 16th, 2010 - New Midnight Society Member Adam Todd is initiating a voluntary recall of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, AMERICAN PASTORAL. Adam "Nature Boy" Todd is taking this action out of an abundance of caution after being notified that the New Midnight Society, together with the Indiana Book Club Counsel and, strangely, the FDA, are conducting an investigation into reported E. coli 0157:H7 illnesses that may be related to consumption of this supposedly wrenching and cathartic piece of work.A number of readers have reported illness after beginning even the earliest chapters of AMERICAN PASTORAL. While the E. coli strain implicated in this investigation has not been detected in this book as of yet, the health and safety of my fellow New Midnight Society Book Club members is paramount so I am initiating this voluntary recall. I have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the New Midnight Society, the Indiana Book Club Counsel, and FDA in this investigation. Providing safe, high quality books to my fellow club members is my number one priority.No other New Midnight Society Book Club selections have been implicated (but I have my suspicions, ONION JOHN). I want to strongly advise readers that, at this time, no Philip Roth novels should be read. Again, members who have purchased AMERICAN PASTORAL should not read it. Instead, I am asking that members return this product to their local bookseller for a full refund (good luck with that). I invite members with questions to contact Member Naitch Todd at 270-791-1349 or visit our web site at http://newmidnightsociety.blogspot.com/.