Monday, March 3, 2008
2:27 PM
Back in 1972, flush from having received a BA in English from Maryland, I wanted to share all my wonderful knowledge with the rest of the world. So I tried to get a job teaching. Unfortunately, I didn't have a certificate or a Masters degree, so I ran into a huge wall. However, I had one more ace up my sleeve. I went to the Montgomery County Adult Education program people with an offer to teach a non-credit literature course that I called Contemporary American Fiction. Reluctantly, the folks at the program agreed to let me try it out. Unbelievably, I actually got enough students to teach the course. This was in September, 1973. My syllabus was: The Catcher in the Rye, On the Road, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Invisible Man, Deliverance, and The Garden of Earthly Delights. My students and I had so much fun that, at the end of the course, they asked me to come up with a new syllabus and continue into the spring semester. I said I really wasn't prepared to do that, and so they proposed that we form a book club instead.
So, in December 1973 we began our club. The spring 1974 semester was equally successful, and at the end of the course, I invited the students from that class to consider joining the club. Several did, and we were off and running. Unfortunately, the county lost interest in my course, and I wasn't able to get another class going. But, so what? We had the book club and we were having a ball. We have been meeting continuously since then, and, although we are now down to a hardy five of us (with two other, semi-retired members), we are still as enthusiastic about getting together to talk about books as we were when we began thirty-four years ago.
At our last meeting we had a lot of fun trying to remember which book resulted in our liveliest discussion. With so many years behind us, and so many lively discussions as well, it was really hard to decide.
Here were some of the books we remembered having really lively discussions about: Angle of Repose; Sometimes a Great Notion (we liked this one so much we re-read it a decade later to see if we still loved it; we did.); Love in the Time of Cholera; Bel Canto; Year of Wonders, The Kite Runner, The Sea and Atonement. But the books we agreed we enjoyed discussing the most had to do with the theme of immigrant struggles: T.C. Boyle's Tortilla Curtain and Andre Dubus's House of Sand and Fog. The eventual victor was House of Sand and Fog. For some reason, the discussion of that book really stands out as a night of wonderful conversation.
I hope I haven't taken too much of your time with this rambling reminiscence. After all those years, however, the memories just tumble out.
Thanks for recognizing the importance of book clubs.
Respectfully, Mike Abell
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I am from Mason, Ohio (outside of Cincinnati) and my book club has been meeting for about 7 years. Our meetings are one of the things I most look forward to in life.
The most interesting book club discussion that comes to mind was fairly recent (only recent ideas are ever recalled these days). We read the book The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. The member who selected it was drawn by the writer's previous book, Thread of Grace, and by the writer's description of the book as "Jesuits in Space". Although few of us read science fiction, this book was the type that left each of us feeling "I have to discuss this book with someone!" the very moment the book was closed. Many members claimed they wanted husbands or other friends to read The Sparrow in order to stimulate further discussion. Russell is a brilliant writer¿both intellectual and likeable. I plan to read the sequel, Children of God, but I need time to give my mind and my heart a rest.
Rita Cevasco
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The Wednesday Morning Book Club, made up of members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax.VA. has been meeting for 10 years. We recently enjoyed Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Kappy Vorona, member
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The Vegetarian Society of DC Book Club - 16 years Best discussion: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time The Vegetarian Society of DC (VSDC) Book Club has read an outstanding variety of fiction and nonfiction in our 16 years, making choosing one "best discussion" nearly impossible. Curious Incident sparked the discussion where people were most revealing about themselves. We also had lots to say about Fast Food Nation, which we read alongside The Jungle; so little has changed in 100 years. Animal-themed fiction with multiple layers to talk about has ranged from the light-hearted Animal Husbandry to the dark Disgrace. We've had success reading classics such as Animal Farm and Black Beauty. Nonfiction that made a lasting impression includes Cradle to Cradle, Red Tails in Love, and Silent Spring. We rarely repeat authors but made an exception for Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and Ethics into Action. All the books we have read and whether we would recommend them are posted at www.vsdc.org/book.html.
Beth Preiss
Washington, DC
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TGIF Book Club: The Gourmet Inspired Friday Book Club (we always meet on Fridays and enjoy scrumptious dinners prepared by the host before we start our book discussion) We have been meeting over 10 years. (started in 1997) (total 8 couples, 2 joined in last year)
Area: Annapolis, Bowie, Laurel, Potomac, Bethesda, Germantown, Alexandria The best discussed book - "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid We are all from India and familiar with Pakistani culture and cities. We discussed the conflict between East and West and our transition from an immigrant to becoming a citizen of U.S.A. We discussed the unique style of writing, the bitterness and identity crisis of the main character and our expectations from the title of the book.
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Our ladies book club has met monthly in Alexandria for the past 2 years. Last fall we read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. A lively discussion ensued about the benefits of organic vegetables, fruit, meat and poultry, and whether it is more important to eat organic or buy locally grown. While we didn't ever reach consensus, the discussion had a real impact on how we shop for food.
Several of us bought shares in the summer harvest of a local farm (Community Supported Agriculture) and we all are thinking a bit more about what we are buying at the grocery store and how it got there.
Suzanne Odom
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Our book club wanted to add our info to the list and let you know a little bit about us.
We are located in Manassas, Virginia and have been active for 14 years.
We've tried to name ourselves, but invariably refer to the group as "Book Club" Not very creative, but it does the job. We've had ladies come and go, have invited men to join (which they've declined), and currently sit at
6 regular members. For years we met in homes, once a month, with each hostess responsible for food, games, questions, etc., but now we meet consistently at Panera Bread, because they don't get upset if there's a virus and everyone's kids are sick and all the work put into making a great book club is wasted.
Some of our best books were:
1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
2. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
3. The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan
4. The Color of Water by James McBride
5. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
6. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
8. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Least favorites
1. The English Patient
2. Beloved (I loved it but everyone else HATED it)
3. I Know This Much is True
4. A Map of the World
5. The Time Traveler's Wife We now run from Oprah books and will have nothing to do with them. In the summer we lighten up a little and read more lighthearted things. This summer we're scheduled for 2 Nicholas Sparks books, making me wonder how he'd feel knowing we describe his work as "fluff".
One more thing that is a strong tradition is our Christmas cookie swap/book exchange. That one is held at someone's home, the fire is going, we eat great food and bring a book we've read and loved, for someone else to read and love.
Thanks for your time,
Paula Keller, Cathy Hammerstrom, Linda Cutillo, Meghan Heaton, Sherri Koch, Kim Shaver
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Our book club hails from Olney, Maryland and we've been meeting for close to five years. Ours is a neighborhood club. We took an informal vote and identified as the book that sparked our group's best discussion The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. This was one of our first "serious" books and almost everyone liked it a lot. However, it had a lot of competition for top spot including from I am Charlotte Simmons (although some of our members really didn't like this book) and My Sister's Keeper, which incited a hearty ethical discussion.
Thank you.
Andrea Glaser
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Hi, I sent your editorial to our book club and asked them which book had sparked our best discussion EVER? By popular vote, our members chose: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Our book club has been meeting since 1999 and our first book was "The Reader" - we are the "Norbeck Grove Book Club"
in Olney, Maryland, and we have grown to almost 18 members (all ladies from the same neighborhood) - we look forward to our monthly book club discussions, the laughter, the friendships, the memories, and even the occasional field trips. Thanks for your great articles from: Linda-Jo Block, Norbeck Grove Book Club Member, Olney, Maryland
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