If you missed the teleconference call last night with the Ten Boom Institute on how to lead a transformational book group discussion, you missed out! I took notes so you can read a recap here.

Audrey, the presenter, was so dynamic and informative. Audrey is a former mentor of George Wythe College. I met her years ago at a Veggie Gals outing and was delighted to find out she has this amazing organization, at http://tenboominstitute.com

(It is so ironic that Audrey’s organization is called the Ten Boom Institute and the book we are discussing in the pictures here is The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.)

Do you know just how powerful book discussions can be? Did you know that the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley came from a book group? So did Tolkien’s trilogy and C.S. Lewis’ science fiction series. What book is in you that will come forth from a book group? The quality of the discussions in group will determine if and what book comes out of you.

Why is discussion so important?

John Quincy Adams said that young people often boast of how many books they have read. Instead they should be boasting of the quality of the books they are reading. J.Q.A. also said that you should read books to make you wiser and more virtuous. Reading great books will help you be wiser and virtuous, but when you add discussion on top of that then then that helps you become even more wise and virtuous. Discussing books, in other words, answering questions about the book that you read, allows you to find the true  rules and principles the book is illustrating that you can use to govern your life.

Here’s Audrey with some reasons why you should discuss books.

What are the purposes of a book club?

1. To find truth so you can become wiser and more virtuous.

2. To increase relationship skills

3. To be inspired to learn and grow our whole lives.

Audrey said that when a book group fails, it’s because it is failing in these three purposes. The book group becomes a social club. People use it to talk about their sorrows and have a pity party or to go off on tangents that have nothing related to the book. The book group ceases to inspire so people stop coming.

So how do you avoid these traps?

1. Have rules, such as:

 -no interrupting other people (unless you are the moderator/facilitator and someone starts hogging the discussion)

 -each person may only comment for 3 to 5 minutes

 -no getting off-topic

(Note: A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion has a chapter on leading a book discussion as well as a section in the back of the book with a proposed constitution to help you set up rules for a book discussion club, p. 198. It also has discussion questions for at least a dozen classics in the back of the book.)

2. Remind people of the rules at the beginning of the discussion.

3.  If someone gets off-topic, say, “Hey that’s off-topic, so I’m sorry, I am going to have to cut you off.” Then ask a principle-based question to get them to get back to thinking about the book ahd the principles it illustrates..

4. As the facilitator of the book discussion, don’t lecture. Ask powerful questions to get people thinking about principles, or general truths that apply to everyone that lead to a virtuous life. Don’t be afraid of silence for several minutes. Just repeat the question and give people time to think.

5. Keep asking questions to get people to think so they get to a principle. Don’t lecture or do the thinking for them. Be careful about confusing applications of principles with principles themselves. For example, Audrey said, “Don’t state that homeschooling is for everyone or that everybody should homeschool.” That is not a principle. Homeschooling is an application of the principle that parents are responsible for their children’s education. Stick to questions that will lead people to have epiphanies about principles, not opinions.

In conclusion, Audrey shared the story of Ben Franklin from his autobiography. He shares in that book that he belonged to a book club, called The Junto, for 40 years. It succeeded because it had rules, a name, a purpose (to find truth), and a leader to facilitate the discussion. It also used study skills. Oh, another thing Audrey said, was that if your book discussion is not inspiring it is because the participants are not using study skills as they read the book. They don’t know how to mark the book as they read or ask themselves questions and write them down. Because of the study skills the members in Franklin’s group used, this book group was the best school of philosophy that anyone could attend, said Franklin. It benefited its members mentally, physically, socially, and financially. 

Wow! All that can come from a book club! Here is the link to the recording, on the left side of the page. http://tenboominstitute.com/events/

(To anyone who has participated in a book discussion I led that wasn’t up to snuff, I am sorry! Now that I know all of this they will be better!)

Would you like to join a book group but don’t know where to find one? Forgive the shameless plug, but If you are looking for an online book group, please consider joining our Zion Finishing School. We will be discussing the new book on the LDS Relief Society, Daughters in My Kingdom. Our first meeting is next week, Wed. Feb. 15 at 2 PM MST. We will discuss the first four chapters of the book. Go here to learn more and register http://treeoflifemothering.ning.com/page/an-online-finishing-school-for