My aunt insisted our club read 'Moby Dick' because it's 'a classic,' and we spent three months arguing over whether the whale is a metaphor.

She was right about the debate part, but half the group still hasn't forgiven her. Anyone else have a book pick that nearly tore their club apart?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wesley19d ago

We read "American Psycho" last year and it almost ended us. Three people walked out of the meeting over the graphic scenes, two said it was brilliant satire, and the rest just sat there looking sick. The key is setting ground rules before you pick a book that's known to be divisive. Like, agree that personal attacks are off limits and everyone gets to state their piece without interruption. It saved what was left of our group.

willow_ellis19d ago

What's wrong with a book causing a real argument? That sounds like the club actually worked. If everyone just nods and says "nice book," you might as well just read alone. A good book club needs some fights to stay interesting. Your aunt picked something that made people care enough to fight for three months. That's a win, not something to forgive. The goal is to talk about books, not to make everyone get along.