The Book Group Book: A Thoughtful Guide to Forming and Enjoying a Stimulating Book Discussion Group

On any given afternoon or evening, hundreds of book groups are meeting in living rooms, libraries, coffee houses, and kitchens to share their love--or hate--of a book. Interests and reading lists vary tremendously, but in each successful group, members are linked by a passion for books and a fierce loyalty to each other. "The Book Group Book" contains essays from special-interest groups, groups with professional leaders or sponsors, new groups, and groups that have been meeting for decades. Book lovers will learn how groups are organized and find inspiration and insight from the strengths, weaknesses, and special qualities that make book groups a treasured part of their members' lives.

Reading, like writing, is a solitary occupation, and many readers yearn for a venue in which to discuss problems with and responses to a book. Slezak, a freelance writer and editor, addresses that need by offering a representative sampling of 25 book discussion groups across the country: a club originally organized 76 years ago, a poetry-reading group, a group that flourished after nearly floundering, and an African American sisterhood. The first part of the book details these groups in essays written by group members, covering issues such as book selection, discussion initiation, reasons for meeting, group "rules," and membership. The second part consists of reading lists, some annotated, used by book groups. This original, readable text should prove useful to book lovers in general and to public libraries in particular.
- Cathy Sabol, Northern Virginia Community Coll., Manassas
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Slezak assembles more than 25 essays on a fast-growing cultural activity, the book-discussion group. Since reading is such a solitary act, many individuals enjoy the opportunity to discuss with others their thoughts on a particular book. Visiting book groups around the country, Slezak collected essays covering such topics as how book groups are formed, the book-selection process, the dynamics within a group, the role of leadership, and other relevant issues. A large number of the groups represented here consist entirely of women and emphasize books by and about women. Many women find that the absence of men allows them to speak more freely. The point of view of a man in a book group is represented in an essay entitled "Beers and Drum Beating in the Kitchen." Some groups are very structured, while others tend to be more casual and social in nature. While the main thrust of all these groups is literary, it seems that many participants find the friendships developed in these groups to be quite special. Includes reading lists. Benjamin Segedin