"The new creature
names everything that comes along, before I can get in a protest. And always
that same pretext is offered--it looks like the thing. There is the dodo, for
instance. Says the moment one looks at it one sees at a glance that it 'looks
like a dodo.' It will have to keep that name, no doubt. It wearies me to fret
about it, and it does no good, anyway. Dodo! It looks no more like a dodo than
I do."
Mark Twain thus described about Adam's reaction to a new
creature in the Garden of Eden, namely Eve, in "The Diaries of Adam and
Eve," a tongue-in-cheek take on the first couple's discovery of the world
around them. Also, perhaps, an indicator of the future.
One would do well to remember Adam's dismay at Eve's
insistence on naming (or renaming) each and every plant, animal or aspect of
life she encounters to her own liking. She's certain about her choices; he's
bewildered. Sounds familiar.
In book clubs, we're all Adams and Eves, regardless of
gender. So when members believe their opinion of motivation, theme or
denouement is absolutely correct (just because it "looks like a dodo")
others may take offense. Strident arguments ensue, while other members, like
Adam, acquiesce; they're the ones taking it all in and thinking about another
aspect of the book—or what they'll eat when they go home.
If your group has mostly
Eves, you may be doomed to months of dispute, in which no one's opinion is
altered. But in fairness, opinion is up for grabs. Only the author knows what
he or she intended (maybe). While taking the discussion far afield of the
author's intentions may be amusing, or even instructive, it is also likely to
discourage conversation among those who think otherwise. Done with a sense of
fairness and humor, disagreement is pleasant. But I think out-of-control
disputes affect membership—negatively.
So how do you decide whether Adam or Eve's take is correct?
Sometimes, you don't. One person's guess is as good as the
next, so respect them all, basically, as legitimately formed and offered. Still,
a riot may ensue.
The Opinionated Ladies Book Club, a group of proudly outspoken
women in Gainesville, Fla., has been profiled in the Gainesville Sun. Early on, the group initiated some
loose rules to keep order. Members usually pick a printed question about the
book from a container passed around the room; that generally guides the
conversation around the book, rather than 500 other topics of interest to
members that day. The group also has a handy bell nearby, and when the
conversation gets out of control, and a self-selected Eve is holding forth in a
loud voice, that little bell rings—a signal to restore order.
I remember reading an essay by someone who quit her book
group after other members universally pronounced the selection despicable,
complaining loudly that Oprah could pick such a bad book! (Considering that the
book was "One Hundred Years of Solitude," she may have been in the
wrong group for her taste.)
You may have to search for the right group. If you utterly
hate chick lit, for instance, joining a group that's going to select one half
the time is a mistake. Keep looking. In the main, most clubs have a loyal base
of people who tend to like each other well enough to keep meeting. The reading
list may turn off some members, but there's always room to grow. I've generally
found that others' selections have brought me to titles I would not otherwise
have picked up, so I'm grateful for being introduced to them. When my own group,
the Off-Track Bookies, picks a book I don't have time to read, I'll sometimes
skip the meeting, or go there to see if the discussion interests me
sufficiently to check it out later. I've seen members ask others to warn them
when a plot spoiler is just ahead, so they can leave the room.
Adam and Eve never had a book club, or they might have
killed each other. But at least we can read Twain and find out how they learned
to get along, in his wry view.
B.J. Novak in
Hartford
Field trip time: Actor B.J. Novak, screenwriter, author, co-producer and a regular cast member of "The Office" will appear at a benefit for The Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford, Conn., at 7 p.m., Feb. 20, in the Aetna auditorium in Hartford. He'll talk about his life and career, and his recently published book, "One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories." There are different charges, so see the Mark Twain Museum website for details.
Field trip time: Actor B.J. Novak, screenwriter, author, co-producer and a regular cast member of "The Office" will appear at a benefit for The Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford, Conn., at 7 p.m., Feb. 20, in the Aetna auditorium in Hartford. He'll talk about his life and career, and his recently published book, "One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories." There are different charges, so see the Mark Twain Museum website for details.
Area book group
meetings
The book group at Worcester Public Library meets the second
Wednesday, 3-4 p.m. and the second Saturday of the month, 11:30-12:30 p.m. in
the third floor elipse. This month's selection is Anne Stuart's "Black
Ice." Interested members are invited to meet Stuart at the book club's
kickoff event, Feb. 14.
The next meeting of the Douglas Library Book Group will
focus on Kate Horsley’s "Confessions of a Pagan Nun" at 6:30 p.m.,
Tuesday, Feb. 10. A sixth-century cloistered Irish nun secretly records the
memories of her Pagan youth, rather than transcribing Augustine. Gwynneve
writes of her village's pigkeepers and fishermen, of her fiercely independent
mother, whose skill with healing plants and inner strength she inherited. She
writes of her druid teacher, who introduced her to the mysteries of written
language. But disturbing events at the cloister intervene and as the monastery
is rent by vague and fantastic accusations, Gwynneve's words become the one
force that can save her from annihilation. Call the library, 508-476-2695, for
a copy of the book. New members welcome. Homemade refreshments, inspired by the
title being discussed, will be served.
The NOW Women's Issues Book Group will meet at 7 p.m., Feb.
9 to discuss Karen Joy Fowler's "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves."
The group meets at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, 541 Lincoln St.,
Worcester. Members will also recap "From A to X" by John Berger, as
last month's meeting was cancelled due to weather. Meetings are free and open
to the public.
