You, who are on the road must have a code that you can live by. And so, become yourself because the past is just a goodbye.
A Handy Guide for Book Clubs
Posted by: Susan Marshall | Posted in: Personal resources, Susan's MusingsMonday, February 25, 2008
Friends broaden our horizons. They serve as new models with whom we can identify. They allow us to be ourselves—and accept us that way.
This list of questions will help guide any book club in their discussion of "Changing Lanes: Road Maps to Midlife Renewal"
Last week I found myself in the wonderful predicament of facilitating my own book for a book club discussion. My book club, now in our third year, is a collection of women in their fifties and sixties. We make it a point to cover a wide range of categories, including ficition, non-fiction, biographies and memoirs, spiritual and nature writings, foreign authors, and even collections of works from a specific author, country, or continent (the last being the impetus for our name, Opus.)
Often the selected facilitator will start the discussion with a straw poll: who liked the book? who didn’t? Well, I didn’t want to put myself (or my friends) in that position! I realized that what would really help was a Book Club Readers’ Guide. And since one didn’t exist, I thought I’d create one.
Such guides are mostly used by, as the title suggests, book clubs! But what I realized was that these questions (again, our book is about knowing which questions to ask) might just help one to reflect back on the book. Afterall, how often do you select and read a book, close it pleased with yourself that you’ve just finished an entertaining, thought-provoking, amusing, or compelling tome (or not so pleased because it was boring or too difficult to slog through)--only to move on to the next reading project with little reflection of what you’ve just read?
I’ve gained, through all my book club experiences, the appreciation that reading is like eating....best enjoyed when you chew slowly, do it in the company of friends, and savored as long as possible. Bon appetit!
- Do you have a favorite story in the book?
- Do you have a reinvention story that’s not in the book?
- Did you have any “clouds in your coffee” when you approached midlife and wanted a change (or one was thrust upon you). You could have wanted to retire or just start a new career/job. What got in the way?
- Do you agree with the book’s premise that you don’t need to have a passion to have a fulfilling life? Are you passionate about something?
- Do you feel that “being on autopilot” is a typical response to life? Is this a uniquely American trait? Is it possible to “live intentionally” throughout all phases of your life?
- Do other generations think about “duty to others” more than or less than baby boomers do?
- What emotions do money issues stir up for you? Do—or did—you have your “number?”
- If you’ve ended your career or stopped working, do or did you feel a loss of status? What is your interpretation of the phrase: “I’m not doing, I am being?”
- Do you need to live in a small community to lead a simpler life? What are the challenges to leading a simpler life?
- Do you have a particular life experience that motivates you to help others? What causes you to want to give back—or prevents you from being engaged in activities that benefit others? What activities do you particularly gain joy from?
- Do you agree that “renewal” is an ongoing process? How would you describe your life: have you focused on certain goals and deadlines throughout your life, have you always (or never) embraced change, have you found time for all your interests?
- Do the song lyrics and quotes add positively to the book?
- Was the book’s organization helpful to you?
