How to set up a book discussion group
Preplanning and organizing the first meeting
- Make clear what is expected of participants.
Careful reading, active participation in selecting and discussing books, and having fun.
- Decide what types of books your group wants to read.
Only fiction? Prize winners? Classics? Anything and everything? Does the book have to be available in paperback?
- Figure out the logistics.
How long should the meetings be? (We find that the best discussions last between 45 and 90 minutes.) Will you meet at a library? Coffee shop? Private homes? Do reminder messages need to be sent out by mail or phone?
- Decide how the book club will be run.
Will you have a leader? Will the same person be in charge for each meeting, or will you rotate leaders? Some groups bring in an outside "expert" (who may need to be paid). Do you want the leader to give a brief biography of the author and a selection of reviews of the book under discussion?
- Choosing the books to discuss.
Choosing what books to read is one of the hardest, most enjoyable, frustrating, and important activities the group will undertake. Members of the group should be prepared to compromise and to read outside their regular areas of interest. (Some people will drop out if the books chosen are not what they want to read; don't worry, this is a normal occurrence.) Go with the majority opinion, but remind people that there can be a big difference between "a good read" and "a good book for a discussion." (See next section.) Choose books well in advance (at least three months). People need to know what's coming up so they can read ahead. In addition, you don't want to have to spend time at each meeting deciding what to read next.
What makes a good book for discussion
People often ask what qualities make a book a good candidate for book discussion. Probably the most important criteria are that the book be well written, have an interesting plot and three-dimensional characters. Good book-discussion books present the author's view of an important truth and sometimes send a message to the reader. A good book-discussion book often stays in the reader's mind long after the book is finished and the discussion is over. These books can be read more than once, and each time the reader learns something new. During a book discussion, what you're really talking about is everything that the author hasn't said--all those white spaces on the printed page. For this reason, books that are plot driven (most mysteries, westerns, romances, and science fiction/fantasy) don't lend themselves to book discussions. In genre novels and some mainstream fiction, the author spells out everything for the reader, so that there is little to say except, "Gee, I never knew that" or "Isn't that interesting." Librarians, booksellers, and friends can often supply you with suggestions of good books to discuss. (Incidentally, this "everything that the author hasn't said" idea is why poetry makes such a rich topic for discussion.)
Reading critically
The very best books are those that insinuate themselves into your experience: They reveal an important truth or provide a profound sense of kinship between reader and writer. Searching for, identifying, and discussing these truths deepen the reader's appreciation of the book. Asking questions, reading carefully, imagining yourself in the story, analyzing style and structure, and searching for personal meaning in a work of literature all enhance the work's value and the discussion potential for your group.
- Make notes and mark pages as you go.
Reading for a book discussion -- whether you are the leader or simply a participant -- differs somewhat from reading purely for pleasure. As you read a book in preparation for a discussion, ask questions of yourself and mark down pages you might want to refer back to. Make notes like, "Is this significant?" or "Why does the author include this?" Making notes as you go slows down your reading but saves you the time of searching out important passages later.
- Ask tough questions of yourself and the book.
Obviously, asking questions of yourself as you read means you don't know the answer yet, and sometimes you never will discover the answers. Don't be afraid to ask hard questions because often the author is presenting difficult issues for that very purpose. Look for questions that may lead to in-depth conversations with your group and make the book more meaningful.
- Pay attention to the author's message.
As with any skill, critical reading improves with practice. Remember that a good author uses every word in a text deliberately. Try to be aware of what the author is revealing about himself and what he wants you to learn about life from his perspective.
- Analyze themes.
Try to analyze the important themes of a book and to consider what premise the author started with. Imagine an author mulling over the beginnings of the story, asking herself, "what if ... " questions.
- Get to know the characters.
When you meet the characters in the book, place yourself at the scene. Think of them as you do the people around you. Judge them. Think about their faults and their motives. What would it be like to interact with them? Are the tone and style of their dialogue authentic? Read portions aloud to get to know the voices of the characters.
- Notice the structure of the book.
Sometimes an author uses the structure of the book to illustrate an important concept or to create a mood. Notice how the author structured the book. Are chapters prefaced by quotes? If so, how do they apply to the content of the chapters? How many narrators tell the story? Who are they? How does the sequence of events unfold to create the mood of the story? Is it written in flashbacks? Does the order the author chose make sense to you?
- Make comparisons to other books and authors.
Compare the book to others by the same author or to books by other authors that have a similar theme or style. Often, themes run through an author's works that are more fully realized by comparison. Comparing one author's work with another's can help you solidify your opinions, as well as define for you qualities you may otherwise miss.
Leading the discussion
Research the author using resources such as Current Biography, Contemporary Authors, Something About the Author. Find book reviews in Book Review Digest and Book Review Index. The Dictionary of Literary Biography gives biographical and critical material. These resources are probably available at your local library. The Internet is often another good source for reviews of the book and biographical information about the author.
- Come prepared with 10 to 15 open-ended questions. Remember, questions that can be answered yes or no tend to cut off discussion quickly.
- Questions should be used to guide the discussion and keep it on track, but be ready to let the discussion flow naturally. You'll often find that the questions you've prepared will come up naturally as part of the discussion.
- Remind participants that there are not necessarily any right answers to the questions posed.
- Don't be afraid to criticize a book, but try to get the group to go beyond the "I just didn't like it" statement. What was it about the book that made it unappealing? The style? The pacing? The characters? Has the author written other books that were better? Did it remind you of another book that you liked or disliked? Remember that many of the best book discussions center on books that many group members disliked.
- Try to keep a balance in the discussion between personal revelations and reactions and a response to the book itself. Of course, every reader responds to a book in ways that are intimately tied to his or her background, upbringing, experiences, and view of the world. A book about a senseless murder will naturally strike some sort of chord in a reader whose mother was killed. That's interesting, but what's more interesting is how the author chose to present the murder, or the author's attitude toward the murderer and victim. It's often too easy to let a group drown in reminiscences É if that's what the whole group wants to do, that's fine, but keep in mind that it's not a book discussion.
Some suggestions for participants
- SPEAK UP! Group discussion is like a conversation; everyone takes part in it. Each speaker responds to what the person before him said. Nobody prepares speeches; there should be a spontaneous exchange of ideas and opinions. The discussion is your chance to say what you think.
- LISTEN thoughtfully to others! Try to understand the other person's point of view. Don't accept ideas that don't have a sound basis. Remember, there are several points of view possible on every question.
- BE BRIEF! Share the discussion with others. Speak for only a few minutes at a time. Make your point in as a few words as possible. Be ready to let someone else speak. A good discussion keeps everyone in the conversation.
- SHARE YOUR VIEWPOINT AND EXPERIENCE! Don't expect to be called on to speak; enter into the discussion with your comments of agreement or disagreement. When you find yourself disagreeing with other people's interpretations or opinions, say so and tell why, in a friendly way. Considering all points of view is important to group discussions.
- COME WITH YOUR OWN QUESTIONS IN MIND! As you read the selection, make note of the points on which you'd like to hear the comments of group members.
Sample questions
- What makes the book distinctive? Is the period in which the book is set important to the theme? Why? oAre the values presented dated? How? Is the setting of the book important to the theme? Why? How realistic is the setting? Does the theme of the book relate to the protagonist's gender? How? What did the author attempt to do in the book? Was it successful? Would it make a good movie? Why? What is the author's worldview? Were the plot and subplots believable? Were they interesting? Did the author leave loose ends? What were they? How understandable were the motivations of the characters? What motivated the behavior of the characters? How is the book structured? Flashbacks? From one point of view? oWhy do you think the author chose to write the book this way? How does the language of the book help convey the theme?
- Does the author rely heavily on imagery and symbolism?
This guide was developed by the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library. It was made possible through a grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. The Washington Center for the Book is one of eight member organizations of the Audiences for Literature Network, a national network of literary centers made possible by the Fund.