I came to work early to attend
my coworker’s book club. They were discussing The Light in the Ruins by
Chris Bohjalian, and my answers might have some spoilers for the book itself
(fair warning). Aside from the leader (my coworker), Linda (who was also
observing), and myself, four other people attended the group. ILoveLibraries estimated
about 8-16 people for book clubs, but this size group worked much better than that
size would, since it gave everyone ample time to bond and share their thoughts.
Who is asking the
questions, is there a leader or do people take turns?
My coworker was the
conversation leader and asked most of the questions in order to get a discussion
going. Some of the other attendees asked questions as they came up, but they
were mostly for clarification.
If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first?
The discussion was very open,
so my coworker would mostly pose questions to the group and share her
impressions once the other attendees had shared theirs. It was very conversational,
and she mostly let attendees get their share in. Her style reminded me of
Hoffert’s discussion of the leader as a facilitator, as she guided the
conversation when needed but could also step back and be a neutral presence too
(which allowed the attendees to speak up).
What type of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers?
Most of my coworker’s questions
centered around the attendees’ perceptions of the book (i.e. “What did you
think of this book?”, “Did anyone try to figure out who did it? Was anyone
right?”, “This character said they had to do this, but do you think they really
had to?”, etc.). A few questions (like the last two examples) were yes or no questions,
but they invited elaboration. None of the questions were closed to just a yes
or no answer. She also shared a few of her own perceptions of the book, which
were phrased as non-question questions (i.e. “I had thought this character was
going to have a bigger role in the book…” which allowed attendees to weigh in
on the character).
Most of the attendees’
questions were to clarify or ask the others’ opinions (i.e. “Was the murderer
demented? Why did they do it?”, “This event was during the wartime, right?”, “Why
did the murderer remove their hearts?”, “Was this character the one whose
father was a surgeon or was that someone else?”, etc.).
Do all attendees actively participate? Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight?
All of the attendees had a
good rapport already, so they were all very enthusiastic in sharing their
thoughts about the book. They also jumped to connect the book to their own
experiences and really seemed to bond over that personal discussion. No one “swept
in” or “stole all the spotlight”- it was a very egalitarian conversation.
What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at?
The discussion was held in my
library’s meeting room, and everyone sat in chairs around pushed-together
tables. It was a very friendly and informal atmosphere, with a smaller group
than usual (four people). Everyone seemed to already know each other (although
name tags were still provided), so it felt like a lot like a social meeting
even though the discussion was about the book.
Are snacks or drinks provided?
The book group was called the
“Coffee Talk” book discussion, so there were snacks and coffee available. My
coworker said she tries to go to local businesses for snacks- today was
different kinds of candies (truffles, marshmallows, etc.).
What types of books does this book club normally discuss?
This group apparently
discusses a variety of books, but mostly historical fiction. They discussed
trying more nonfiction at the end of the meeting, offering histories or
biographies as options. The books they listed for previous meetings appear to
be close to literary or relationship fiction as well (but primarily
historical). It reminded me of the Vienna Court Book Club in Goldstein’s
article, since everyone’s encouraged to recommend books that align with their
personal preferences (33).
Since this was at your workplace, did anyone recognize you as a librarian and look to you to guide the group?
ReplyDeleteDid your coworkers and the attendees know your were observing for a class? Did you participate in the discussion or did you strictly observe?
My coworker let everyone know I was observing at the beginning of the meeting, and I mostly stayed out of it. I tried to treat it like the secret shopper and not interfere (although this was a much better experience)!
DeleteI like that they use local sources to outsource snacks. Gosh, I need to move to a real town.
ReplyDeleteIs there more than one book club offered? I only ask because you said it's usually historical fiction and wondered if there were other niches people could hop into as well.
Yes! Our library has eight locations so there's different book clubs throughout the system.
DeleteSo if your co-worker was observing as well- do you think having 2 additional non participants changed the flow of the book club? Do they choose the books as a group or does your other co-worker that leads the book club make the decision?
ReplyDeleteThe coworker who leads the group decides the titles but asks members of the group for suggestions (and I think she tries to use the suggestions as much as possible). I'm not sure how the book club normally goes, but everyone seemed to get along normally even though Linda and I were there.
DeleteThe book club I attended had nine people including the librarian. I think I would prefer a book club that had fewer people, especially if it was a book with weighty topics. It would be easier to have more intimate conversations with fewer people that is for sure. I agree with you that it can be better (up to personal preference of course) to have fewer than the normal 8 to 16 people in attendance as estimated by ILoveLibraries.
ReplyDeleteI love that name tags were provided even though it seems like this club has a lot of regulars. I'm not great at names, and if I've only met someone a few times for an hour or so with large spans of time in between meetings, there's no hope for me haha. I think this is a great idea for those of us with a spottier memory :)
ReplyDeletecomments noted - see canvas for grade
ReplyDelete