The Book Club Dilemma

In the past few weeks I’ve watched with interest the online discussion of a group of women about their concerns over starting a book club. “What kinds of books should we read? What if club members are offended by the books we choose? Are there books that are more in line with the beliefs of our particular group of members? Must every book be religious in nature if our group starts as an outreach program of our church?”

How can you tell what book is appropriate for your book group to read? The same way you select a book for yourself. Is the book entertaining and the subject interesting? Are there characters the club members can identify or sympathize with? Are the language and situations appropriate to your values? Can readers make connections to the book and themselves, another text, or the world?

When choosing a book for your club, where is the line between censorship and individual choice? If a book club attempts to select books based only on clean content and language, then the club will likely fail. Stories without conflict are boring, if they can be classified as a story at all. Looking only for books that are wholesome in content might leave readers bored and dropping out of the group. Unfortunately, all literature might have some element that someone will find controversial.

When selecting a book, whether it be for a book club, family, or to read on your own, we should always remember that each of us has our own level of comfort. We need to respect the rights of others to choose to read along with us, or to elect not to join. If we find a book to be out of our own personal comfort zone, then skip the discussion. Don’t rely on the comments others make about the book as your sole reason to join or skip a conversation.

Novels allow us a safe place to discuss values, choices, and character motivation. When we have the safety net of discussing fictional characters rather than actual life situations, we discover those universal themes that allow us to grow in character and provide an impetus for discussion.

Books clubs have been around almost as long as books themselves. Find the one that best fits your schedule and taste, and enjoy the friendships that develop though discussing a good book.