Talk about what you read with others
By Laura Dokis
One good way to promote the importance of literacy is to create book clubs.
Simply put, a book club can be formed by two or more people with an interest in reading and participating in a discussion about a selected book on a regular basis. From my experience, it’s a great way to motivate you to read different titles, enjoy social time with friends and meet new ones.
All that’s necessary to get started is a book, a pot of coffee and a kitchen table. You can be as creative as you want, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
How does it work? A book is selected by the club and everyone reads it within an agreed upon time frame. When the club meets the book is discussed in terms of each person’s experience reading it — their likes and dislikes or perhaps different aspects of the book that inspired them. It’s interesting to hear others’ perspectives and insights about the characters, plot or theme of the book.
At the end of the meeting, the members choose the next book they will read. At one meeting I attended a member expressed how much they had enjoyed reading Harry Potter and others said that they had no interest in it. After a chuckle, there was no doubt that this would be the book for next month’s meeting. It was inspiring to find that after reading it their ideas had changed.
How about forming a themed book club? For example, your club may decide to read Aboriginal authored or titled books, drama, science fiction, politics, sports, best-sellers or any topic that they find particularly motivational. Club members may even decide to give themselves a name!
Books are not always readily available and can be expensive, depending on your budget. There are ways to address this issue.
On a recent trip to the Maritimes, I was at a small seaside restaurant where local residents had formed a small lending library. We also drove past a number of roadside book exchanges. Online lending libraries are another resource available to you at no cost.
In my group we shared one or two copies for those who didn’t wish to buy the title or borrowed the book from the library. Be creative!
If you have an established book club please e-mail your ideas to the Anishinabek News at news@anishinabek.ca. These suggestions may help others get started. Don’t forget to check the book review section available online each month at www.anishinabeknews.ca for peer-reviewed books that may be of interest to your club.