From my desk,
to yours.
How to Start a Book Club: 7 Rules You’ll Want to Follow
Book clubs have exploded online in recent years, providing community for those who love nothing better than sharing a good read with fellow readers. Not being tied to a location means that participants may come from near and far, east coast to west coast, and beyond to share their thoughts and opinions about the selected work. Prior to that, the old fashioned way of meeting at a members home to discuss the selection of the month while munching on crudites and sipping a nice glass of wine provided a great way to deepen friendships and have a night out away from the kids. I know of book clubs where the same group of readers have been meeting for over thirty years! A rich and diverse group who have survived opinionated sessions about a title where there was much to disagree about.
I started a book club many years (decades) ago. I was a newcomer to this small, tight community and I remember those who were invited to join eagerly accepted on the condition that the book club be considered not a social night out but rather strictly one for discussing the book. And rule #1 was that if you didn't read the book you had to quietly sip, munch, and listen only. Surprisingly, we had a robust group who participated over the course of the four years it existed. We discussed a variety of books - from mostly non-fiction to a few fiction titles for good measure - and we even loosened the reins a bit leaving time for socializing at the end of the evening. I have great memories of those times and although I remember only a few of the names of the members of that group, I do recall most of the titles we read with great appreciation not only for the work itself but for the fact that I probably would not have read most of them had it not been for the eclectic and interesting group of women whose tastes in subject matter were not always aligned with mine.
The other six "rules" we started with were:
2) You could not recommend a book unless you had already read it.
3) You facilitated the discussion if your title was selected. Only one book recommendation per person (we all had more than our fair share of favorites!)
4) No titles from the New York Best Sellers list. (Admittedly, we broke this rule once or twice.)
5) Everyone had to host at least once.
And my favorite,
6) What happens in book club, stays in book club.
Here's wishing you many years of gathering together with new or old friends to hear and share thoughts about a journey you've all taken together through the pages of a book. Cheers!
BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
- What are some themes that can be identified in the book?
- Define what you think success meant to each of the men individually?Corporately?
- The narrative gives an overview of history from 1930-1961. The successful partnership of these men occurred during the most transformative years of the sport. How did the times they live in shape their character? Why or why not do you think they were the product of their times? What opportunities/crisis can you point to that were influenced by their core values? How did their individual decisions throughout their lives reflect their core values?
- Compare those times with today. What are some of your character traits/values that can you attribute to the times you grew up in? What are some character traits/core values you project will be part of today's generation?
- How do the service college football teams (Army, Navy, Air Force) exemplify how we function as a nation? Why do sports games begin with the National Anthem? Do you see a link between team sports loyalty and patriot fervor? Why or why not?
- Coach Laslie's story was told in greater detail than the others. Why?
- How did football help win WWII?
- Can you identify some of the challenges these families in particular experienced that may be unique to them? Or do you think they are common within the college coaching world? Why or why not?
- What principles of the Navy's Pre-Flight Training were applied to post-WWII college football?
- Why do you think Coach Moseley left the University of Kentucky?
- Why do you think Coach Laslie left the University of Kentucky?
- Why do you think Coach Hank approached Coach Laslie to return to Alabama to coach?
- Big game rivalries were highlighted throughout the book and have always been a tradition of the game for the past one hundred years of the sport. This is the first year of the "overhaul" of the sport and many of those rival teams may not play each other on an annual basis. Why or why not do think it will matter to future college football fans?
- What was your favorite Part/Chapter/anecdote in the book? Why?
- What was the most surprising thing learned?
- Were you a football fan prior to reading A TIDE OF DREAMS? If not, are you now? Why or why not?
About Carey
Carey Henry Keefe grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, graduating with a B.S. in Business Management. She speaks regularly to groups about the remarkable group of men known as the "90-Day Wonders" and the history of the Navy's WWII Pre-flight Training program profiled in A TIDE OF DREAMS.
