i have a tiny little life goal: wherever i go, i always volunteer to head up the relief society book group. (if you haven’t had the pleasure of being in a relief society book group–a decidely mormon institution, i’m probably not the one to give you a summary.) i volunteer because i think reading is so absolutely, unbelievably essential and i hate to see a group of intelligent, spiritual, and gifted women who don’t read. i make it something of a mission to get these women to read books that they would never pick off the shelf otherwise. however, and there is an “however,” this doesn’t always go without a hitch. usually, and inevitably, we pick a book that offends someone. so, in an effort to create an atmosphere where people can be in book club and act as their own censor without resorting to censoring others, i’ve been writing a little manifesto, as it were. it’s still rough. very rough. but book club is this week and i need to get it nailed down. i’m going to paste it below and i’d love any input, whether you’ve been a part of a relief society book group or not.
BOOK CLUB
“A book should serve as the ax for the frozen sea within us.” Franz Kafka
“We walk in twilight in a fallen world and that it is a ‘contradiction in terms,’ … ‘to attempt a sinless literature of sinful man.’” Richard Cracroft
Discover what the Lord needs us to learn and become in order to have eternal life. Julie B. Beck
By attending this book club you realize and accept the following:
1.There is a distinct possibility that we will read a book that offends you in some way, that challenges you or makes you uncomfortable. There are a variety of ways to respond: in this book club we expect that if any book is hurting you spiritually or emotionally or turns out to be more than you can handle, you will simply stop reading the book.
2.If you haven’t finished a book because it was offensive, it’s important to still attend the discussion and raise your concern; but it’s also important to keep your criticism to the novel itself and not to criticize those who chose and/or enjoyed the book.
3.It would be easy to judge each other for our varying tastes, reading levels, tolerance of certain scenes that offend others, etc, but let’s not. Book club should be a safe place. It should be a place where we can freely express opinions, but also freely listen and accept others’ opinions.
My mom’s ward’s book club got into a huge HUGE fight over Twilight. The woman in charge of book club thought it was inappropriate while a few other women in the book club thought it was the BESTEST BOOK EVER and how dare anyone imply that their favorite book is anthing but awesome.
I love your statement. I wish everyone had that attitude going in, but it seems (in my limited experience) that book clubs + church don’t mix very well.
Could I recommend an article that I like?
Cracroft, Richard. “On the way to becoming an Authentic Reader.” BYU Studies. 41:1, (2002): 51-63.
It’s an interesting exploration of the issues that face the would-be ‘Mormon humanist.’
. . . and yes, you do quote that article in your post. What I meant to say is that I would include more of his broad argument concerning the arts.
(we are operating on little sleep over here)
(And I would include more bombastic, revolutionary language in the manifesto because that’s what manifestos are for, right? Relief Society Book Groups of the World, Unite!)
good idea. that would have been useful in Cleveland 3.