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I keep seeing book clubs skip the hardest part of a book
Our club read 'The Overstory' last month, and everyone just talked about the trees. But the real debate was about the character who gives up everything for the cause. We spent 20 minutes on the easy stuff before someone finally said, 'But was he right to do that?' That's when the good talk started. I think groups avoid the tough moral questions because they're scared of arguing. But that's the whole point. How do you get your club to dive into the messy parts first?
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river_allen26d ago
Scared of arguing is right. My old club fell apart because we kept picking safe books. The messy parts are why you read a book with other people. Try this: next meeting, start with the hardest question. Like in that book, don't ask "what did you think of the trees." Ask "would you burn down a lab to save a forest." Makes people pick a side right away.
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milesbailey26d ago
Scared of arguing" is a bit much. It's a book club, not a court room. Sometimes people just want to talk about the trees because they liked the trees. Not every meeting needs to be a huge moral fight.
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janarivera25d ago
Totally get that. My club once spent an hour on the food descriptions in a book about war. @river_allen has the right idea, start with the hard question. Maybe I'll just blurt out the messy one next time and see who flinches.
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