Book Club Experience

Wednesday AM Book Club

Introduction

I observed the Wednesday AM Book Club in February.  I was at the library selecting books for the Senior Outreach program and stumbled upon the book club meeting.  Although I had not read the book discussed, Swans of 5^th Ave by Melanie Benjamin, I was instantly drawn to this casual, informal book discussion and sat as an observer for the duration of the two hour meeting.

Atmosphere

The Wednesday AM Book Club is one of four book clubs offered for adults at the Zionsville Public Library and meets once a month in the 2^nd floor Conversation Corner; the southeast corner of the fiction section, a secluded corner of the second floor providing comfortable chairs, side tables and natural light resonating from a wall of large windows, and warm light from additional table lamps.  The friendly, welcoming conversation and occasional chuckles among the seven participants attracted my interest immediately.  An adult services librarian selects the books and leads the discussion.  The book selections are listed for the next month on the Book Club Bulletin Board located in between the teen and adult departments, and noted in the library’s Featured Events monthly brochure.  All participants attending the book club had read the book and were eager to meet and discuss.  Refreshments were not provided at this book club, although two other library adult book clubs do offer coffee, desserts and/ or light refreshments.  Some participants did bring their own beverages to enjoy during the discussion, however. 

Discussion

The Wednesday AM Book Club meets the 2^nd Wednesday of every month from 10:00am until 12 noon, “meeting format should allow two to two and one half hours,” (ilovelibraries.org).  The adult services librarian facilitates the book discussion.  The facilitator for this group did not use a prop to spur conversation, engage in a literary game to energize the group, or write questions on notecards asking the members to take turns answering as noted in suggested discussion techniques, (ilovelibraries.org).  Instead, the facilitator posed one open ended question after another, ranging from plot discussion to character development.   Contrary to book club trends requesting “reading group guides and other supplementary material both by and about the author, and…direct access to writers…” the Wednesday AM Book Club did not use supplementary materials and offered only a simple,  relaxed atmosphere and an effective facilitator in which to explore Swans of 5^th Ave, (Goldstein 32). 

Much of the conversation centered on the complex character of Babe Paley and her relationship with Truman Capote, “Choose a primary character and ask participants to comment on him or her,” (ilovelibraries.org).  Participants discussed at length, Paley’s perfectionist persona and her underlying identity as well as Capote’s attraction to Paley and his self-destructive behavior.  The character traits of Paley and Capote were thoroughly considered, participants introducing various traits to discuss.  Paley emits an aura of perfection, providing a meticulous home and physical appearance for her husband, Bill, while sharing deep secrets and perhaps her true identity with Capote.   Book club participants eagerly offered insight into Paley’s complicated character.

When the discussion slowed, the facilitator introduced an open ended question to the group and waited a moment for someone to begin the conversation.  About half of the time, participants would offer insight.  If nobody responded immediately to the open ended question, the facilitator would rephrase the question and then invite a participant by name to offer insight.  No single participant dominated the conversation at any point, although a few were more outspoken than others.  The facilitator was able to engage each participant throughout the duration of the club meeting and conversation seemed to flow smoothly.

Ending the book club meeting, the facilitator asked the group how they felt about the book; were they immediately captivated?  Did it take a while to settle into the storyline?  Was there a character or character(s) that bothered them?  All participants easily responded with their personal reflections about the book’s appeal.  Ending the discussion with participants’ considering their individual reactions to the novel provides a moment of reflection and may assist the facilitator in choosing subsequent books for the group.

Conclusion

Although just a distant observer, I appreciated the dignity and respect the facilitator provided throughout the discussion.  Avoiding ice-breaker games and imaginary scenarios, “If you were one character in this book, which one would you be?” the conversation was always relevant and comfortable.  As an observer, I did not notice or feel a sense of “collective bargaining” or the  “rise of the book clubs’ influence…to a new era in publishing” or even that the group was, in fact, a “potent network” (Goldstein 30,32).  The tone of the discussion group was welcoming, patient and genuine.  Perhaps the attendees are regulars, but the participants never strayed far from the topic of discussion and created an open environment to engage and discuss.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Bill. “Reads well With Others,” Publishers Weekly, 23 May 2005, pp. 30-34.

Litlovers.com. “Starting a Book Club.” American Library Association,        www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub/org, 2009-2015. Accessed 2 March 2018.