So, ever finish a book club meeting and think…  we really didn’t discuss the book that much?  There could be many reasons for this, but I think the first thing to consider is the nature of the work chosen. 

What was the focus of the book:  Characters?  Theme?  Plot?  If your club chose a book who’s strength was its plot, your group may have had a hard time getting past “Did you like it?” 

My book club recently read and (sort of) discussed Basket Case by Carl Hiassen.  If you remember from an earlier post, I guiltily did not finish this one.  This really is unusual for me, but it did provide a certain distance from the discussion that allowed me to examine the dynamics rather than than the content of what was said.  The first half of Basket Case was funny — that was its strength, in my opinion — but I think the reasons why Hiassen has a loyal following are his rollicking plot-lines and the comfort we gain in following a familiar protagonist. 

(Personally, I thought the main character was a bit static and stereotypical — but I have a hard time believing many of the “heroes” of popular male fiction anyway.  A little too “jaded, but not really”…  “sexually adventurous, but still secretly yearning for a companion” etc…). 

I noticed after everyone had voiced their opinions on whether or not they enjoyed the book (Men = yes, Women = not so much), the discussion stymied and eventually dissolved into socializing.  When a novel’s focus is plot-based, it can be difficult to get beyond, “Remember when this happened?”  “Wasn’t it funny when…?” into more interesting questions of theme or psychology.

The best books for discussion confront themes and conflicts that are more universal and also more challenging. 

For example, in A Thousand Splendid Suns, a central irony in the story is that ousting the Soviet occupation from Afghanistan resulted in much worse oppression for the women, who had experienced many freedoms under the communist philosophy.  So, a book club could discuss the U.S.’s involvement in the Cold War and whether routing communism was really for the best for that country.  Is it better for a group of people to have the freedom to rule independently, even if half the population therefore loses their independence?  There are many answers to that complex question…

If your club has decided on a theme(link to pt 1), this can also guide your choice of what to read — how well the specific theme is portrayed in each work, etc.  I think the ability to engender great discussion is why I love the classics for book clubs, too — there are very good reasons why a classic endures, beyond a mastery of the language.  The challenge is confronting the syntax and diction of a previous time, and unlocking the secrets within, but universal themes are universally interesting!  And fodder for great discussion, usually. 

Sorry for the earlier mix-up with this post!  Just when I think I have technology all figured out, a glitch pops on while I’m on vacation!!  Thank you for your patience…

The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision
and strengthens our most fatal tendency–
the belief that the here and now is all there is.
~ Allan Bloom ~