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Patricia Dominguez
Professor Ditch
English 113B
29 March 2015
Happiness Through Books
In the epistolary novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society written by
Authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows found a way to discuss the hardships on Guernsey
Island in post World War II, where a group of individuals exchanged stories through a series of
letters. These individuals are also known as the founders of the Potato Peel Pie Society who all
wrote to a woman named Juliet discussing the books theyve read and how the club was formed.
During the World War II, these citizens werent treated with respect and even had little to no
freedom. Because of these conditions, club members discuss in their letter to Juliet how books
eventually became the foundations of their meetings. Although some may say the friendship of
the club itself made them happy, with out books the Potato Peel Pie Society would not have been
able to mentally create a fictional lifestyle that helps them forget the tragedy of war. Members of
the group each found ways to adapt, find comfort and overcome trauma during the War by the
power of literature in the books that allowed them to escape mentally making that their source
for happiness.
In the book, a letter addressed from Juliet to a club member named Dawsey, Juliet
expresses how much she loved reading. She specifically says Thats what I love about reading,
one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book,
and another but there will lead you onto a third book. Its geometrically progressive-all with no
end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment(Shaffer & Barrows 11). This shows

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how books had more meaning to it that just the words but, it created never ending stories, and
because of the German Occupation, these characters needed something to hold on to and help
them adapt to this harsh lifestyle by simply being able to read their time away. The more they
read also meant that the more they had to share with others in the Society, therefore encouraging
and influencing them to pass on these books and keep reading, being later to share the enjoyment
of them.
In the article Culture and Communications, author Anastacia Kurylo shares how People
use symbols to represent meanings that are relevant to their experiences. She then adds on to
explain how one person could not be able to explain the love, freedom, or justice without using
these symbols (Kurylo 5). The significance found in Anastasias quote in relation to the book is
that these members used the books, as a sort of symbol because it was a sign of happiness,
helping them get through the tragic experience of war. Having to adapt to a new lifestyle where
human rights were restricted, these characters had no choice to adapt to those new circumstances.
Although these members having to adapt to the restriction of the war, a second letter from
another club member named Amelia addressed to Juliet explained how she was able to seek
comfort by reading books. Amelia then expresses how the books would help her mentally escape
and forget the tragedies. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer to
one another, Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively
tomes we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside (Shaffer & Barrows 51).
Through the hardships of the War, the Potato Peel Pie Society found that these books helped
expand their imagination, to create a diverse world in their minds. Being able to picture what
they were reading created a sense of comfort and hope, influencing them to read more. If these

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members did not have books to help them escape mentally they would not be able to find many
other distractions available away from the harsh reality of the war.
In the article Conflicting Community Commitments, Novelists Alex Gillespie, Flora
Cornish, Emma-Louise Aveling, and Tania Zittoun, explain a theory called dialogical self, in
which a conflict can arise between a persons commitments and communities (1). The direction
they choose to explain this is by telling a story about a British woman who uses literature and her
diaries to get through the World War II. They quote how These developments in the content of
her diary coincide with the mounting changes and challenges she confronts as the war begins to
affect more directly (39). The significance found in this quote relating to the comfort of the
Potato Peel Society is that this woman in the same time period also uses the sense of literature
and writing as a sense of relief for her. She uses writing in her diary as a place where she can
write all the changes of the war and how it affects her. Whether its talking to someone about
books, reading or writing books even dairies, this is one of the key tools the club members had
that helped them find comfort eventually leading them to find happiness in this source.
Not only were these books a huge help to comfort they also helped these individuals to
mentally escape and overcome the trauma of the war. Eventually finding them selves to be
somewhat happy again because of the mental impact of these books had on some characters. In
another letter written by another Potato Peel Society member and founder named John Booker
addressed to Juliet, he expresses how before books he wasnt himself and going to the meetings
where he had a chance to talk about a book he loved because it made him feel happy. Booker
says then how I came to love our book meetings, they helped to make the occupation
bearable(Shaffer & Barrows 92). He then goes on to tell Juliet how he came upon one book
written by certain author named Seneca, in which he would not let go and eventually read over

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and over again because it made him laugh, feel alive, and it made himself once again (92).
Living through a war, where people are being brutally killed in concentration camps, losing
loved ones and not knowing you future is a traumatic experience, where most times you dont
know where to turn for help. In this case the book by Seneca was the source of help for John that
created a bit of happiness.
In the article The Secondhand Bookseller, written by Marina Nemat, she explains her life
raised in Iran where as a child she enjoyed reading. But because of her culture and community a
girl reading was not a part of the culture norm. Despite the criticism she choose to read books at
a young age and found the love and comfort in them. Nemat then goes on to say how a couple
of times every night, her mother opened the door of her bedroom to see what she was doing and
smiled when she found her reading and how In a way, books had saved us both (1). The
significance found in this quote is that although her situation was different, she when through the
traumatic cultural experience where she victimized for being a smart individual, but because her
community felt threatened by the idea of woman being smart, she read even more. By being able
to embrace the literature since she was a child, it enabled her to grow stronger helping her get
passed her traumatic experiences. This is where the idea of John Booker using the book to get
passed his drunken passed and depression of the war relates because literature was the source to
overcome their trauma enhancing them to find happiness.
Despite my argument being that books created the source for happiness for the Potato
Peel Pie Society book club, others may argue that friendship was the source for happiness. The
reason for this disagreement would be that certain examples found in the book The Guernsey
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society could imply that friendship played a huge part in these
citizens lives during and after the war. A letter written by characters Juliet addressed to Sophie

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and writes Guernsey is beautiful and my new friends have welcomed me so generously, so
warmly, that u havent doubted Ive done right to come here (Shaffer & Barrows 164). This
statement expresses how Juliet enjoys the company of her friends and she is more than happy to
come to the island where she feels comfortable. Despite being feeling welcomed by her friends, I
still choose disagree because the Society was created to read and share the thoughts of books
despite the current War circumstances. Not only that, during the German Occupation, gatherings
were only acceptable if it was a known book club, and with out the emphasis on the book, the
friendship could not have been created, therefore unable to enable their source for happiness. In
an article titled Reading for Pleasure, author Elizabeth Weed argue how reading enables the
reader to have a critical thinking skills and the pleasure to individuality (1). She goes on to say
how Language becomes direct, unhindered, and authoritative (3). When language and
literature have this kind of influence on people, it can help them overcome any trauma, and
possibly inspire them by also giving them hope. Such as the characters from the book, who
needed happiness, something to give them hope, which is what the books gave them.
Authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows, wrote an epistolary novel based during the
German Occupation on Guernsey Island explaining in their book The Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society a group of indivuals formed a book club, where they discussed about
books they found appealing helping them find happiness through the hardship of the war. After
post World War II, the Potato Peel Society book club wrote letters to Juliet discussing how they
founded the book club and how the books theyve read have helped them adapt, find comfort and
overcome trauma during the war. Although some may argue that friendship in the Society was
their source for happiness, the Potato Peel Society created a foundation with books to help other
members escape from the reality of war. Despite this, I agree the books were a huge impact to the

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Potato Peel Society, because they discuss how reading was a sense of an escape for them
mentally. Helping them adapt to strict living, give them a comfort with influential words by
authors, and hope to overcome trauma. All factors leading to happiness.

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Work Cited Page
Gillespie, Alex. Cornish, Flora. Aveling, Emma-Louise, Zittoun, Tania,. Conflicting Community
Commitments.Vol 36 p35-52. Journal of Community Psychology. University of Cambridge.
January 2008, Article
Kurylo, Anastacia. Culture and Communication. Marymount Manhattan College. 2010. Book.
Nemat, Marina. The Secondhand Bookseller. Prisoner of Tehran. 2007. Book
Weed, Elizabeth. Reading for Pleasure. Vol.21 p209-217. Differences: A journal of Feminist
Cultural Studies. Brown University, Pembroke Center. 2010. Article.