Book Club Experience
Data Overview
Date: February 13, 2017
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm.
Place: Library Meeting Room.
Book: Everything
She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne.
Facilitator: The books are decided a few months ahead
of time. The facilitator of the month
picks the book to read. Each month is a
different facilitator. The order of facilitators
is chosen by people volunteering for certain months. The same person cannot be facilitator two
months in a row. The role of facilitator is optional and is not required to be
a member of the book club.
Number of Attendees: 14 plus me.
Gender: All female, except for me. There are 2 more regular members who could
not make it and they are also female.
Estimated age range: mid-40s to mid-60s.
Format: The group used 7 hard copies and 7 e-readers.
Before the meeting I was given a copy of the book club’s
rules:
“The Facilitator’s
Role:
-is expected to bring in several leading
questions to stimulate a discussion
-may supply
information about the subject matter or author before the discussion begins
-No one HAS to be
facilitator if she is uncomfortable in the role.
Members:
-are expected to bring
1-2 reactions/questions and/or talking points about what they read.
The Hostess:
-will provide an easy
snack.
Meeting time:
-2nd Monday
of each month.”
Before the book club meeting I contacted the leader of the
adult book club at the library. For the
sake of this paper let’s call her Katy. Katy
works the circulation desk at the library where the book club is held. She took over as the head of the book club
when the previous book club head, Barbara, retired from the library last
December. However, Barbara still attends
the book club as an active member.
Barbara also belongs to other book clubs. Katy gave me the previously mentioned book club's rules. I asked her a few questions in order to get a feel for the normal operations of the book club. These questions are covered above in the Data Overview section. An issue that Katy and before her Barbara have come up with is finding available popular titles that are the current rage. When a book is turned into a movie or has been mentioned a lot in social media it peaks the interest of readers. This makes getting multiple copies of the book harder through inter-library loan. While there are some book club editions available these are often requested by multiple books clubs around the same time.
Another issue the book club faces are those members who want to purchase the book as digital download. Even though the book club members are able to get a hard copy from inter-library loan some people would prefer to download it to their e-reader. If the book is newer it may cost more to download and this has caused the group to change book titles until the cost of the book goes down.
Another issue the book club faces are those members who want to purchase the book as digital download. Even though the book club members are able to get a hard copy from inter-library loan some people would prefer to download it to their e-reader. If the book is newer it may cost more to download and this has caused the group to change book titles until the cost of the book goes down.
Book Club
When I arrived to the library’s meeting room 12 ladies were
already there socially talking and eating.
They were discussing their husbands, children, grandchildren, television
shows, and other topical subjects. The atmosphere in the room was very jovial
and light. It felt like these people are
old friends who are catching up with each other.
Even though it is the job the current month’s hostess to
supply food other members brought additional food and desserts for the group. The food included cookies, cakes, brownies,
and veggie tray with dip. There were
also a few two liters of different kinds of pop and coffee. Small paper plates, napkins, and plastic
forks were provided.
As I sat down someone said “hey we have to behave the
observer is here.” In return another
lady said “this is us behaving.” A big
laugh was had by all in the room. A
couple minutes later two more people came in and the book club started. I was asked by Katy to introduce myself which
I did. I explained that I am just
observing for my MLS class and asked them to pretend that I am not even in the
room and act normally. Someone chimed
in by saying “this is us acting normal and if you had not noticed you stick out
like a sore thumb. You are the first
male we have had at our book club in a very long time,” and again more laughter. I felt that they the group is really friendly
and comfortable with each other. In
fact, some of the ladies are in different books clubs together.
The month’s facilitator, Leah, told the group that it is time
to start and began with a simple open ended question. Throughout the book club discussion there
were not any simple yes or no questions.
Leah asked, “What did you all think of this book?” This lead to several people taking turns expressing
their overall general opinions of the story.
After this Leah asked about the personalities of certain characters in
the book starting with her own interpretations.
After that others joined in with agreeing and disagreeing with each
other. Even when people disagreed with
each other there was mutual respect. From here the conversations was aimed
about different situations in the book.
This is where the tone in the room changed; it become more somber and
very serious. The ladies began talking
about their personal view points about murder and if someone should be allowed
to use insanity or post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) as an excuse. This was a drastic change in the aura surrounding
the room. They started giving examples of
murders they read in the newspapers or saw on the television news. Then they
started discussing if anyone of them knew anyone who committed murder. This being a small town the discussion of
actual names of local families involved in murders were discussed. There were several small conversations going
on at the same time.
The topic of murder, law, and personal experiences went on
for about 15 minutes until Katy encouraged Leah to draw the group back together
and asked if they wanted to know the psychology explanations for PSTD. The group agreed as Katy opened the book DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders. After Katy finished
reading a few passages from the book Leah urged the group to go back to
discussing the different scenes and character relationships from the book. At this
point the somber atmosphere returned to being more cheerful and chipper. This continued until the end of the book
club.
At the very end I was asked to take a couple of pictures of
the group. I happily agreed and took a
few photographs of the group.
Personal Observations:
I found the overall experience of this book club
enjoyable. The group works well together
and seems to really enjoy discussing books.
However, I also feel that the book club comes together to be social and
just catch up with each other. In short, the book club is the reason they come
together, but the social interaction is why they stay.
I have helped Leah many times at the reference desk. She is shy, soft spoken, and awkward around
other people. This shown through as her
role as facilitator in the book club. A
couple of times I saw Katy nudge her and motion for her to wrap up a discussion
topic or to start a new topic. Leah told
me after the book club that she was nervous, because this was her first time as
a facilitator.
I have worked with Katy before. She is ultra conservative and has very strong
viewpoints. However, when talking to her
about book titles that the group has chosen in the past her response surprised me. Katy said that the group has chosen a large
variety of topics, such as historical fiction, horror, comedy, romance,
mystery, and more. She admitted that she
likes to read things outside of her normal reading area. This totally surprised me, because Katy has
tried to get books banned from the library that she feels goes against her
family values. She freely has admitted in
the past of judging a book by its cover instead of actually reading it, however
during the book club she was open to discussing ideas different from her own
without judgement.
I was also surprised how personal the conversations were
about the topic of murder. Some book
club members felt strongly for or against mental disorders and capital
punishment. This seems like a touchy
subject to me. However, this could also
be a good sign about how close the book club members are with each other.
Hi Robert,
ReplyDeleteNice detail discussing your book club experience. I especially enjoyed how you broke up the crucial information into list form, prior to getting into your own personal experience that day. I had a similar experience with being the only male in attendance at my book club. I think it’s great the book club had you take a photograph of the experience, as that was one of the listed suggestions in the I Love Libraries, Starting, Facilitating, and Structuring a Book Club. It was also interesting to me, with your description of Katy, it always seems as though there is one somewhat outspoken or Alpha personality in a book club. There are definitely pros and cons to this and it sounds as though she definitely immersed herself in the experience and did not hijack or dictate her opinions at all.
I enjoyed reading about your book club experience as an observer. You seemed more analytical on your experience than someone who participated in the actual discussion. I would agree that the social aspect of the group is what make people continue to attend even when they are not interested in the book. I joined an online book discussion once and it was not as fun as meeting with a group. I dropped out of the e-book club after a few months.
ReplyDeleteI always have wondered how men felt about book clubs. They tend to appeal more to women than men. Do you think there is a way to shape a book discussion where men would participate more often?
Robert, I like the idea that the book club had of using a facilitator. I know there are some people who are born with leadership skills, so they have no problem leading. It sounds like a great way to get others comfortable in leading, but it is not mandatory so those who wouldn't want to lead also aren't made to feel uncomfortable and possibly abandon the book club.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that you were the only man. I had one man in my group and he actually shared that he originally joined the group three years ago hoping to meet a woman. The book club you observed seemed as chatty and friendly as mine.
The humor sounds amazing, and I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself in the meeting, even though you may have stuck out like a sore thumb. I really like the idea of a facilitator because they can serve as a guide to ensure that the discussion about the book is geared toward the patron's feelings and interpretations of the novel in question. It seems like Leah had a good hand in guiding this discussion, even though it was her first time and she seemed a bit nervous to your while she was facilitating the discussion for the participants. I like the way you formatted your analysis of the book club meeting, and how you also included the cover page of the novel that was read. It provided a nice visual, and I'm also interested in reading the book. I'll have to put it on my GoodReads list.
ReplyDeleteAnne, Cynthia, and Robert
ReplyDeleteGood questions: why are there not more men at book clubs? I do not have an answer, but I have been thinking about it. My assumptions are that the location and idea behind the book club. It sets a certain stereotype of women sitting around a table at a library or at someone's home eating finger sandwiches and discussing books in a prim and proper manner using highly thought out and intelligent coversation. This stereotype image may scare some men away.
The same way that I speak about going to comic book stores and comic cons with my non-comic book friends (some who are highly educated) and they imagine me hanging out with a bunch of nerdy single guys who are socially awkward. Then they see the photographs I take or watch coverage of large cons on the internet and realize that it is a large mixture of male and females of all ages who are stereotypical nerdy and not nerdy.
I do not currently belong to a book club. I would like to join a book club, but with work, homework, and life in general I do not have the time. However, I would need to find the book club that fits my mold. My current mold is every month or two I meet up with a certain group of friends (males and females) and their spouses that I used to work with. We met at a pub where we talk about our jobs, sports, cars, politics, family, entertainment, and even books. There is good nature teasing (I love Hawaiian shirts) and everyone is relaxed and non-judgmental. At the end of the evening I am filled with chili cheese burgers, laughter, and a good time catching up with good friends.
I also belong to a couple of art groups where we talk about art stuff and books are discussed.
Maybe that is the key to more men joining book clubs. Instead of having it only about books, start introducing book conversations into regular hang out gatherings and it could expand from there.
I think that's a good idea: make a more general discussion group and include books as one aspect of it. I also like the idea of meeting at a local pub or restaurant instead of at the library or someone's home. Less formal, more casual, like hangin' out. My husband would be more likely to attend something like that. Another issue, I think, is the book selection. Many clubs read woman-centered books. At my library they read stuff like The Red Tent by Anita Diamont which is about ancient women's lives, and She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel which is about a particular woman's life. Not typical man stuff. The book club I visited seems to go more with current events and classics, which might appeal across genders, and they told me about a new club that is Sci Fi oriented which is my husband's favorite genre. That might make a difference, but if he tries it and finds that he's the only guy, he won't feel comfortable and won't go back. Tricky, but I think your idea is the best one I've seen so far....
DeleteHi Robert,
ReplyDeleteYours is the first book club post that I read where the club had actual written rules. That's an interesting concept and I think that having written rules is a really great way to outline what's expected of everyone. You won't get punished for breaking a rule, per se, but it's more of a social contract. If I were a new member of the book club, I think I would have less anxiety going into the new situation because things are clearly spelled out.
As for gender -- it's funny that you mention that there's a "stereotype of women sitting around a table at a library or at someone's home eating finger sandwiches and discussing books in a prim and proper manner using highly thought out and intelligent coversation." The library where I work does something similar, only instead of books they watch and discuss British movies and TV shows. It is a literal tea party with cookies and fancy cups. I couldn't help but giggle when I read that part of your comment above because it's true -- stereotypes exist for a reason sometimes.
My dream book club that I may actually start one day will be held at a local brewery or taproom. Maybe even rotate them so we can all try different beers while we discuss the books we read. I think that's one option to attract more men to book clubs. Another would be to do as you said, and allow art into the mix. Specifically - a graphic novel book club is what I'm thinking.
Awesome job describing your experience!
I like that you included actual quotes from the book club in your description. They really helped me get a sense of the club! I also enjoyed your personal observations and the background context you had on the librarians present. I wonder if Leah will want to facilitate the book club again in the future? I don't know how I would have felt if I was her and I was being nudged by someone else to do something. It sounds like she may prefer to be in the discussion not as a leader and maybe that is just fine!
ReplyDeleteI am laughing out loud at the woman's comment to you about sticking out like a sore thumb. They sound like a fun group. Perhaps when you're a librarian you could create a book club and market it towards men.
ReplyDeleteI like the straight forward way that they set out their rules. I had never considered that as a typical thing to do with book clubs, but it definitely let's the participants know what is expected of them. It probably helps the book club be more productive.
ReplyDeleteWonderful observations! You included the whole experience down to every last detail and your analysis of it is great. I love that they include rules, sometimes it's nice to have those to refer to if you have a patron who consistently monopolizes conversation or is rude. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete