On the Same Page: Book Club Observation

I attended a meeting of the On the Same Page book discussion group from my library.  This is a fiction book club for all adults, and it is led by one of the Adult Services librarians.  On the Same Page is a brand new book club for the library that discusses a variety of fiction.  Its very first meeting was held last month, where attendees discussed The Snow Child, a work of magical realism.  Next month they will be discussing Finding Nouf, a mystery set in Saudi Arabia.  On the Same Page is held at a local coffee shop, and the library has a tab open for attendees to get a free drink during the book club’s meetings. 

The book that was discussed at the meeting I attended was Alice I Have Been.  This novel is a biographical/historical fiction (mixed with actual truths) about Alice Lidell, who served as the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.  There were ten women who attended, ranging in age from mid-20’s to 80’s; most attendees were between 40 and 60 years old.  The meeting was held in a large back room of the coffee shop, where two or three other groups of people were gathered and chatting during the book club meeting.  The book club attendees were sitting closely around some tables they had pushed together.  The librarian (a female in her early 30’s) asked guiding questions throughout the meeting and gave attendees the opportunity to share their thoughts before she shared her own.  Many of the questions she asked naturally flowed into discussions about related elements of the book.  Sometimes attendees asked their own questions about plot points, and the rest of the group readily answered with their thoughts.

The librarian began the meeting by asking attendees what they thought of the book in general, and if they had ever read Alice in Wonderland.  She wanted to know if attendees had a frame of reference going into Alice I Have Been, having read Carroll’s children’s book, and if they previously knew very much about Carroll or Alice.  Attendees gave their overall opinions of the book, comparing it to what they already knew, or did not know, about Alice in Wonderland and Lewis Carroll.  This led to a recurring discussion of the photographs in Alice I Have Been, prompting the librarian to ask what attendees thought of the fact that the real Alice was a brunette but that the book character Alice was blonde.  Attendees discussed Alice Lidell’s traits with the book character’s traits, as well as how Lidell’s life influenced or was influenced by Caroll’s book.  The librarian then went on to ask for attendees’ thoughts on the relationships between some of the characters.  These questions sparked lively banter between attendees about the characters’ thoughts and intentions.

The conversation moved on to explore the connection between Alice and Peter Pan and what these stories tell us about fame and childhood.  The librarian also asked how the characters in Alice I Have Been relate to attendees own lives or people they know.  This was followed by a short debate about whether or not attendees liked Alice herself.  In the final part of the discussion, attendees talked about their opinions of historical fiction and of fictionalizing a real person; they also launched into a discussion of why Alice in Wonderland is still popular today.  The discussion concluded with the librarian asking attendees to give their ratings of the book out of 5 and their final thoughts.  She gave her rating and thoughts last, so as not to influence others’ opinions.  Finally, she handed out copies of Finding Nouf (next month’s selection) and gave a short description of it.  As attendees were getting ready to leave, they talked about the possibility of either reserving the smaller back room on the other side of the coffee shop for their next meeting or meeting in the library.  At times it was difficult to hear what each other was saying because of the extraneous conversations happening around them in the big room, and they wondered about the possibility of finding a quieter place to meet.

This was the first time I had ever attended a book club, but I have heard many stories of negative or uncomfortable experiences that others have had at book club meetings.  This meeting of On the Same Page was an excellent experience: all of the attendees actively participated; they were all respectful of each other’s opinions, even when they disagreed; and everyone was engaged and interested in the discussion, even though some of them did not even like the book very much.  There were two women who answered nearly every question, but they did not overpower the conversation or steal the spotlight.  Two attendees did not speak much, but they seemed content to listen to the rest of the group’s thoughts and to share their thoughts when they felt compelled.  The librarian did not have to prompt the group to talk, as they took control of the conversation and kept it going amongst them.  Even though she asked a couple of yes-or-no questions, the attendees did not just give yes-or-no answers—they always followed up their answers with an explanation without any prompting.  There was not a single moment of silence or awkwardness during the entire meeting.  Everyone, myself included, was genuinely interested in the discussion and in each other’s thoughts about the book.  The librarian had told me prior to the meeting that this was only her second time leading this group, but one would think, by sitting in on this discussion, that these women have been meeting together for a very long time.  It was a superb example to me of what a productive book club should be.