Book Club Observation

            Book clubs are a great way to externally engage readers in a book. When a person reads a book alone, they have a very personal experience with the narrative. The reader takes in thoughts, concepts, emotions, and events from the book, and from there the reader may think about the story more, and form further thoughts and opinions. While this is good, it can be taken further when two or more people read the same book. Each person will read the same material, but they may feel different feelings, think different thoughts, and form differing opinions. People can then share these thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and form a greater experience as a result.

            I observed a book club meeting for the book In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. This book club was held at the Tippecanoe County Public Library, and was led by one of the librarians there. I chose to simply observe, and not participate, as I have not actually read the book. I did know the premise of the book before observing, but not much else beyond that. About fifteen people were in attendance, excluding myself. This book club selects a variety of books, however they are usually “safe” picks that most people would be interested in, they avoid picking books that appeal to a niche audience. Light snacks and beverages were provided as well.

            The book club started with a brief introduction, and then the leader started by asking if anyone was surprised by the events of what they read. The format of the meeting would be that the leader would ask a question to set the discussion on a certain track, and members would talk the discussion where they wanted. It seemed to be fairly relaxed, as the discussion did not have to stay on the same topic the whole time. The librarian would gauge when the discussion had pursued a topic to its full extent, or however far the group wanted to take the topic. The librarian would then ask a new question to start further discussion. The librarian herself did not put in too much of their own thoughts, but she did once or twice throughout the meeting. I believe that the librarian refrained from providing their input, unless no one else touched on a matter that they felt was important.

            The questions asked included “Were you surprised by the events of this section?”, “What did you think of their decision to avoid seeking shelter on one of the islands?” and “What are you expecting to happen next?” The last question was also accompanied with a polite request for those who may have read ahead to avoid answering the question. While some questions may have been yes or no questions, such as “Were you surprised by the events of this section?”, they encouraged people to answer further, such as “Yes, I was surprised that only one person thought to grab navigational equipment with them when they escaped the sinking ship”. Every attendee spoke at least once, though some did speak much more than others. Even so, no one stole the spotlight for too long, and the librarian tried to give people who hadn’t spoken much a good chance to talk. Overall I felt that it was a very well-executed book club, and the attendees seemed to enjoy it.