Book Club Experience

I attended a virtual discussion group that focuses on True Crime stories and during this meeting, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann was discussed. The timing of this particular book is interesting because Martin Scorsese is working on a film adaption of the book starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, to be released later this year.  

The facilitator began the discussion by asking what everyone thought of the book. The discussion formed organically and the participants responded to each other’s comments. The facilitator made sure that everyone had a chance to participate, and if someone in the group wasn’t commenting, the facilitator would ask them specifically if they had anything to add to the previous comments. The facilitator encouraged participation and kept the flow of conversation on topic for the most part. A few times, the discussion swayed off topic, but to the benefit of the group, and the facilitator was able to reign the conversation back in by tying the tangential conversation to something in the book. 

The facilitator participated in the discussion but was not the first to respond to a prompt. Sometimes she called on someone if she thought they might have thoughts to share, which may have been because almost everyone in the discussion seemed to know each other pretty well. 

The questions asked were open ended and they were built off the previous comments. Very few questions were needed to be asked to keep the discussion going. Almost everyone was eager to provide input and share their thoughts. There were many impromptu follow-up questions, and I could tell the other participants were very interested in the topic. Some of the other participants even chimed in with their own questions to the group. 

All attendees participated in the discussion. Some attendees had more input than others, but no one dominated the conversation.

This book discussion was held virtually. Some participants were at work and some at home. This was not a group of strangers. Even though the topic was a heavy one, the atmosphere of the group was light and fun. I especially enjoyed one participant’s mini tour of her library while she explained she jumped on right after her shift ended instead of going home so she wouldn’t miss the discussion group that night. 

This book group is focused on discussing True Crime stories. Books were the original format chosen but lately the group has expanded to include material that can be streamed or watched online. Since COVID-19 hit, the group has broadened discussion around podcasts, movies, and documentaries.