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 5th 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 2nd
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 2nd
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
5th 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.
