---

Media Relations

By the books

Tips for the perfect book club

A book club is an excellent way for people to learn more about what they've read. Through discussions, each person can learn more about the text by listening to other people's opinions.

Several Indiana University campuses have formed book groups for faculty, staff, students and the community to engage in discussions. Jane Schultz, professor of English at IUPUI, is in a book group with several other IUPUI faculty members and people in the community. The group meets six times a year, and Schultz said the key to the group's success is that its group members are multidisciplinary.

Each book club is unique, and group members will need to determine what works for their situation. Indiana University experts who are involved with book groups and programs offer their advice to making your book club a success.

Keep the group small. To allow everyone to communicate their thoughts, it is best to keep book club groups small -- no more than a dozen people. "People begin to bond when you have a small group and form friendships that last beyond the duration of the group," said Joanne Passet at IU East. Also, a small group makes scheduling meeting times easier because there are fewer schedules to juggle.

Get a consensus. Before selecting a book for the group to read, ask everyone in the club to submit a book title and decide among the group which one will be selected. Nancy Totten, associate librarian and coordinator of reference at IU Southeast, said a library committee selects the books for the campus' book discussion group. The IU Southeast book club brings together the community, students, faculty and staff for a discussion. When the committee considers books for the group, they consider those that have a broad appeal so more than likely several people will find the book interesting.

Read reviews. Schultz suggested obtaining a copy of the book review, not the press releases, for the book the group is considering. The group can read the review together and decide if it is going to be something they are interested in reading. Schultz said if the group selects a book that's more than 300 pages long, break the discussion up over two or three sessions so people have time to read the text. "Your eyes are always bigger than your stomach when it gets down to it," Schultz said. "Sometimes a week before the date nobody has actually gotten the text."

Have book criteria and club rules. Schultz said her advice is to establish rules for the group at the first meeting. If the group wishes for children not to be present at the meetings, say that from the start. Julie Elliott, assistant librarian reference and coordinator of public relations and outreach at IU South Bend, said books selected for the campus book club, One Book, One Campus, have to meet certain criteria. They look for books under 350 pages so people feel they have time to read it. They look for books that are still in print and available in paperback, because they are easy to obtain and less expensive to purchase.

Create a thematic group. Some groups select books based upon a theme. Joanne Passet, assistant professor of history at IU East, said her group centered on the topic of women's history. "I really appreciated the opportunity to read with a mix of women because of all the different perspectives that came out," Passet said. Shultz is a member of a thematic book group also. The group she participates in is for reading in the medical humanities and its members includes doctors, medical researchers, bioethicists, chaplains, hospital public relations employees and humanities professors. "This group gives us all the chance to add to our base of knowledge in the field," Shultz said. "We can stay relatively current by reading new works."

Create a contact list. Passet said everyone in her group had an e-mail address, so an easy way to stay in touch was to create an e-mail distribution list. Whoever was leading the discussion would find articles about the author, book reviews and material about the book and send it to the rest of the group, which Passet said was helpful. A distribution list can also be handy for planning meeting times.

Plan ahead. Some book clubs rely on the host to research information and prepare discussion questions. Totten said the IU Southeast book discussion group plans a few questions ahead of time and a new person leads the discussion each time. If there is a lull in the discussion, they can refer to the prepared questions to generate additional discussion.

Use readers' guides. Some books come equipped with a readers' guide in the back of the book. Some publishing companies offer readers' guides on their Web sites. These guides include a variety of questions to ask during the discussion of the book and can provide a springboard for discussion in book clubs. At IU South Bend, students created a readers' guide for the book selected for One Book, One Campus. "The students came up with nearly 100 questions for this year's book," Elliott said. "When I would do book discussions, I would refer to that and ask various questions, and usually when you do one or two questions, then people who are at the discussion kind of take up their own questions about the book."

Listen to people who disagree. Sometimes really good discussions come from people who dislike the book, Elliott said. During one of IU South Bend's One Book, One Campus sessions, a group member had a dissenting opinion that livened up the discussion and led to more opinions from other group members.

Bring in experts. For book clubs reading challenging material or wanting to enhance the experience, invite speakers to address the group. Also, rely on book club members' expertise. One member of Totten's group is a former marine, and he will lead the group's discussion of Jarhead, which is the most recent book the club has read. Totten said faculty members in her group sometimes lead the discussion, especially when they have knowledge about a topic that is covered in a book. The goal of the book group at IU Southeast is to create interaction between the community and the campus through discussions.

Be creative. When Passet's group read The Triangle Fire by Leon Stein, the group watched a DVD that has a segment on the fire. "There was something about seeing the visual that makes it more of an emotional impact, and it also refreshes people's minds if they haven't taken notes or if they had read the books a few weeks earlier and it sparks a discussion," Passet said. At IU Northwest, Robin Hass Birky is overseeing the Reading and the Region: IU Northwest One Campus, One Book Initiative. Birky, interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at IU Northwest and associate professor of English, said the campus read The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell. When Vowell appeared in Chicago to do a reading, several people from the campus went to hear her read. "It adds to your sense of her intelligence and humor," Birky said. "She's a social commentator in one sense, and I think her social commentary works because of her blend of pop culture, history and theory. But it is especially compelling because of her sense of humor, and when you hear her read, her sense of humor and intellect are profoundly obvious. You didn't stop laughing the whole time."

Make meetings fun. At Passet's discussions, group members contributed snacks, and the meetings eventually evolved to include meals. Schultz said her book group organized discussions around meal times and the host prepared the meal. Sometimes the group went out to eat for a discussion. "I think book groups are best organized at meals," Schultz said. "On that day it's a lot of trouble for the person hosting, but it's their responsibility maybe once a year."

Don't lose hope. Every book club has its ups and downs. Passet organized a discussion group that read books that were authored by women or that centered around topics relating to women. The group met regularly for two years until December 2005, when it began to fall apart. Passet said some members needed time out so the club is on hold. One struggle of a book club is to find a time when everyone can meet, but also the members must find time to read the books.

---

---