Our book club in Austin used to argue about the ending of 'The Road' for hours back in 2021.

Last month, we read a new bestseller and the whole chat was just people posting heart emojis and saying 'loved it'. I miss when we actually dug into the tough parts of a story. Does your group still have real fights about what a book means?

5 comments

5 Comments

leewalker2mo ago

We started picking books with clear moral problems, like "Lolita". The rule is you have to defend the worst character's choices for a bit. It forces you to dig into the ugly parts and people get real fired up.

xena_bailey181mo ago

One friend tried that Lolita thing and her group never spoke again.

daniel_gonzalez2mo ago

Switched our group to reading older, tougher books that don't have easy answers. Last month we picked "Blood Meridian" and it got so heated about the judge that two people almost quit. Now we make a rule that you have to argue a point you disagree with for five minutes. What book could bring back that fire for your club?

lewis.mila1mo ago

Patricia262 has a point that forcing fights can feel like homework for sure. @daniel_gonzalez I get wanting that fire but the "argue a point you disagree with" rule sounds like it puts people on the spot. In my experience the best talks come from a book that leaves you unsettled in a quiet way, not one that makes you defend a monster for five minutes. Something like "The Remains of the Day" where the sadness creeps up on you and people start arguing about what the main character even wanted in life.

patricia2622mo ago

Honestly that whole "pick the hardest book" method sounds exhausting after a while. Forcing fights can make the club feel like homework. Daniel_gonzalez's Blood Meridian story is exactly what I mean, that sounds miserable. Maybe the issue isn't the book but that people just want a chill space now. My group got better talks when we stopped trying to force deep cuts and just let people talk about what actually stuck with them, good or bad.