Our book club banned celebrity memoirs and it saved our discussions

I think celebrity memoirs are a waste of time for book clubs because they don't leave much to debate. Last month, we read a famous actor's book and everyone just agreed it was okay. Then we switched to a classic novel, and suddenly we were arguing for hours about the main character's choices. I learned that picking books with moral gray areas makes for better talks. Now, I always push for fiction that makes people uncomfortable or think twice. It's made me better at seeing what makes a story worth fighting over. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather clash over a book than nod along to a boring bio.

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinc781d ago

Totally get this. My old club had the same issue with memoirs feeling too surface level. We started picking novels where the characters make truly messed up choices, like "The Secret History" or "Gone Girl." Forces everyone to pick a side and defend it. Even a simple question like "was this character right to do that?" can split the room for a full hour. Makes the meeting way more fun when people are actually debating instead of just saying they liked the writing style.

rose2221d ago

Our book club read 'The Secret History' last fall, and we argued for ages about Richard just watching everything happen (like, was he guilty too?). @gavinc78, you're onto something with those debates, because it makes you judge your own friends differently, you know?