Do the Books You Enjoy Reading the Most Make for the Best Discussion?
Anita Diamant's The Red Tent has long been a reading group favorite. BookClubGirl.com's Jennifer Hart shares why, years after reading it, she still vividly recalls her group's discussion of the Biblical-themed novel.
I've found out something in my book group --- the books I often most enjoy reading don't necessarily engender the greatest discussion. And books that on an initial reading I might not love can sometimes generate the most enlightening and engaging discussions. The biggest example of this phenomenon as I've experienced it was reading Anita Diamant's The Red Tent.
Don't get me wrong --- I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the history of Dinah and her story as told by Diamant. But as I was reading it, I remember thinking, I'm not sure if we'll have enough to talk about here. How wrong I was. Our group quickly got into talking about the rites of passage that young women in that time experienced. While obviously the lives of women are better now, many of us mourned that in our time (excepting bat mitzvahs and quincineras) there really isn't a universal cultural celebration of a girl's passage into adulthood. (I don't count the overly commercialized "sweet sixteen").
Diamant admits that what went on in the red tent is her invention, and while we definitely balked at the idea of being removed from the community on a monthly basis, we found ourselves imagining the luxury that this could afford and we appreciated the time that women were allotted to be on their own just in the company of other women. This led to discussing our roles as daughters and our (at that time) eventual roles as mothers of daughters and how we might approach celebrating our own daughters' growing up, as opposed to what we may have experienced.
I have never forgotten that discussion, though it took place probably more than ten years ago, and I've applied things we discussed that night in my relationship with my daughters. It's made me recommend The Red Tent over and over again --- something I would not have done if I'd just read the book on my own. And isn't that what book groups are meant to do in the first place --- help us gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the books we read and by extension, ourselves?
---Jennifer Hart
Don't get me wrong --- I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the history of Dinah and her story as told by Diamant. But as I was reading it, I remember thinking, I'm not sure if we'll have enough to talk about here. How wrong I was. Our group quickly got into talking about the rites of passage that young women in that time experienced. While obviously the lives of women are better now, many of us mourned that in our time (excepting bat mitzvahs and quincineras) there really isn't a universal cultural celebration of a girl's passage into adulthood. (I don't count the overly commercialized "sweet sixteen").
Diamant admits that what went on in the red tent is her invention, and while we definitely balked at the idea of being removed from the community on a monthly basis, we found ourselves imagining the luxury that this could afford and we appreciated the time that women were allotted to be on their own just in the company of other women. This led to discussing our roles as daughters and our (at that time) eventual roles as mothers of daughters and how we might approach celebrating our own daughters' growing up, as opposed to what we may have experienced.
I have never forgotten that discussion, though it took place probably more than ten years ago, and I've applied things we discussed that night in my relationship with my daughters. It's made me recommend The Red Tent over and over again --- something I would not have done if I'd just read the book on my own. And isn't that what book groups are meant to do in the first place --- help us gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the books we read and by extension, ourselves?
---Jennifer Hart
posted by Carol Fitzgerald at
7:10 AM
5 Comments:
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I so completely agree!!! There's just something about discussing a book with other people, pulling out passages or ideas that you might have overlooked had you read it alone that changes the whole reading experience. Thanks for putting into words for me. :)
- Heather
Same thing here - we read "Abundance" by Sena Jeter Naslund and though we all enjoyed it individually, the discussion ran a little flat at first because we were trying to use the reading guide - when we changed the approach and asked members how they would have written it, or would write a sequel - a light went on and 4 hours later we were begging for a break to enjoy the (now cold) food...
Reading groups are important for this very reason - a commonality that brings you together. For those of us who are passionate about our reading...we allow ourselves to be drawn into the story, hence we feel the impact more so. Think back to when you read Yahn Martel's "Life of Pi" or Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" - the need to discuss, to interact and to share were very strong.
The best book we have ever read in our 7 years of existance has to be Summerhouse by Jude Deveroux. The book was incredible - the theme right on and the discussion on what we would do if we had taken the other road in our lives was outstanding!
I see this book that we read in 2001, is now out again in paperback - HIGHLY reccoemnd for all groups!
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lOST iN bETWEEN DIMENSIONS BY JORGE SCERBA IS A GREAT THRILLER.
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