Book Club Experience

            I chose to go to a book club at a small local library. I also told them that I was there as part of my class since they were asking if I had read the book or not. The moderator was actually the branch manager of this local library. (It seemed to only have about three people there at a time; it is also a small two-room library with one room being a meeting room where the book club meets.) This book club meets every Wednesday morning. They decide how much of the book they want to read for the next week depending on the size of the book and the schedules of the members. I was not the only new person there either, there were two new members, one who had read the book and his wife who had not read it.

            For this meeting there were seven people there including the moderator and myself, though they did say that there were a few others who could not make it that week. The moderator did lead the meeting, asking the first few questions but everyone contributed, not only to answering the questions but also for asking follow-up questions. The leader also let the others answer before she contributed her own thoughts on the book.

            The questions were not ones that could be answered with a yes or a no but that required an in depth answer. One such question was when they were asked what they thought of a character’s wife and her actions and responses to what her husband was being accused of. (The book was an historical fiction book set during the Holocaust.) One thing that I was really happy to see was that everyone answered and engaged, even the new members. There were not one or two people who either spoke too much or too little.

            The book club meets in the small meeting room of the library and it is a very friendly, lively atmosphere. Those of us that were new, whether we’d read the book or not, we were instantly welcomed and they encouraged us to contribute as well. There were drinks provided as well. This book club seems to read a variety of books but ones that they hope will encourage an engaging discussion. This current book covered the Holocaust and it looked like the next book or two would be similar. I was told that a book they had read earlier was Follow the River by James Alexander Thom, which is about the Native American captive, Mary Ingles, who escaped and walked all the way home by following the river. After speaking with the moderator after the meeting she said that she was also considering the book, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys. I loved that book so I thought it would be a great one for that book club to read.

            Overall, I thought this book club was very successful. It was engaging and everyone participated and they seemed to really have an insightful and thorough discussion over the book and the topics it brought up.