Book Club Experience: Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov
(Kurkov, 2018).
Naperville Public Library held Readers’ Choice Book Club at
the 95th Street library location on February 21 at 10:30 a.m. with
librarian, Christy Palangattil (Naperville Public Library, n.d.-a). This book
club meets every third Wednesday to “explore and discuss quality,
thought-provoking fiction and non-fiction titles” (Naperville Public Library,
n.d.-b, para. 5). When asked, book club members said that they really choose
the books by nominating about 20 and then voting in person. They only read one
non-fiction book per year.
Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov
was the book discussed. It is a book about a Ukrainian bee keeper living in the
“grey zone”, which is the land where Ukrainians and Russians are actively
fighting. The electricity has been out for weeks. Food is getting low, but it
seems that there is enough tea and honey. The main character, Sergey, is a disabled
mine safety inspector who has been retired since he was 42. He is divorced and
has flashbacks about his wife and daughter that left him.
There
is a subtle theme of irony that Sergey’s bees cannot be kept to only harvest
pollen from Ukraine’s flowers, but there is a war raging around them with well determined sides.
Sixteen
ladies, all over 40, packed around the table to discuss the book. They were opinionated,
and they cracked jokes often. Some were dirty jokes. For example, one lady
talked about how the main character slept on a bed of bee hives, and another
lady responded with a short tangent about sitting on an unbalanced washing
machine being "just as relaxing". Each book club member propped up a small name
card in front of her at the table.
The
book discussion had more of a natural conversation flow. The librarian led the
discussion, but everyone was encouraged to bring up parts that resonated with
them or talk about parts they were unsure about. The librarian held back to
answer questions unless no one else had the answer. The discussion took over an
hour.
I felt respected
as a member of the book discussion. The librarian stopped twice to ask me if I
had anything to add, making sure I felt welcome. I had read the book and did
want to talk about the Russian propaganda part of it, which spurred on further
conversation about the types of propaganda that Americans might see.
The
librarian offered questions from a reading guide. The questions were mainly
open-ended to keep the discussion going. Some attendees actively participated.
Some attendees were happier to listen. Some attendees just listened until the
group got to a part they had something to say about.
I
expected disagreement to make members upset, but that was not the case. Some
members thought that the bees turned, or seemed to turn gray due to disease, and
others interpreted it as the bees being sad. This disagreement did not hinder
the conversation.
The
thing that seemed to really make everyone upset was when the subject was
changed before they were ready. The librarian helped re-center the
conversation. As the book discussion went on, it was harder for certain
attendees to keep their attention spans.
The
book discussion is held in the Lookout Room. There are some windows, but there
is not much to see. This library is surrounded by businesses and a high school.
Coffee
and tea were provided, and one book club member brought and passed around a Tupperware
full of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
This
book club generally reads books that make you think. These books force them out
of their comfort zones. Some other books that have been read recently by this
book discussion group were Sorry I'm
Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan, If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura, and Five Little Indians by Michelle Good.
This book
club was not what I expected. These women were fierce, confident, and real. They spoke
quickly with their hands and regarded even new members as friends. I received a
very nice email after the session from the librarian thanking me for attending
and inviting me back next month.
References
Kurkov, A., & Dralyuk, B. (2022). Grey bees. Deep Vellum Publishing.
Naperville Public Library.
(n.d.-a). Readers’ choice book club. https://napervillepl.librarycalendar.com/event/readers-choice-book-club-47288
Naperville Public Library. (n.d.-b).
Book discussion groups. https://www.naperville-lib.org/185/Book-Discussion-Groups
Wow, 16 is a big group! I'm impressed that the leader was able to include everyone and circle back around to subjects that participants weren't ready to move on from. Do you know how long this group has been active? My book club pre-dates my position by several years, so the respectful discussion was already part of the culture. It sounds like most of your group's members already knew each other and were comfortable sharing.
ReplyDeleteJenni, I think this book discussion group has been together several years at least. Some of the members even go out to lunch together after!
DeleteJackie, this is so thorough and well-written! I think I would have liked this book club session, and the book sounds interesting. I like how you described the role of the facilitator. Sounds like this person did a good job moving the discussion forward and including everyone! I'm glad they were so welcoming to you!
ReplyDeleteJackie, thanks for writing about this experience. I am enjoying learning about book clubs this way because I haven't been in any or led any. Attending one for this class was a first for me! I always wonder about the questions - some of those questions that are supplied by the publishers seem so "lame" to me. But clearly whatever was being asked by the leader was not "lame"! I love how you describe the attendee as "fierce" - people can get pretty passionate about their books, and I suppose those attending book clubs are going to be passionate. I do love the idea of the community that develops in a book club. This group meets only once a year? And yet they are comfortable talking with each other? Or did I misunderstand that?
ReplyDeleteHi Janna, This book club meets once per month. They vote on the books they'll read once per year. I agree about the publisher-suggested book discussion questions.
DeleteI really would like to return to this group. I feel like they could solve the world's problems if they had enough time and chocolate chip cookies!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of nominating 20 or so book titles and then the members get to vote on them. The restriction of book clubs has always been what turns me away from them. It might sound stubborn or childish, but when I'm told I have to read something, especially if it's something out of my normal comfort zone, my interest level tanks. However, this is a great way to keep members of the book club interested and active in the reading choice.
ReplyDelete