Had a book club debate nearly derail our whole meeting last night

We were arguing about whether the main character in our latest read was justified in her choices, and things got so heated that two members almost walked out. I just said 'let's pause and write down our thoughts on sticky notes for 5 minutes,' and it totally calmed everyone down. Has anyone else had to referee a book club fight?

3 comments

3 Comments

west.casey11d ago

Have you ever noticed how book club debates get personal way too fast? I've seen folks project their own life experiences onto characters and forget it's just a story. The sticky note trick works in my experience because it forces everyone to cool off and actually think before speaking.

ivan77411d ago

Things got so heated that two members almost walked out" over a book? I gotta be real with you, that sounds a bit dramatic for a book club. I mean, it's fiction, not a real life argument over whose turn it is to pick the restaurant. Unless the main character killed someone close to you, I just don't see how you get that worked up about a story. I feel like some people treat book discussions like they're debating politics or something. It's a character in a book, not your neighbor who parks in your spot. The sticky note idea is fine but I think the real issue is folks taking it way too personally. Maybe next time just agree to disagree and move on to the snacks.

amy_craig2811d ago

Wait, wait, wait. Two people actually almost walked out? That's insane. I've been in a book club for three years and the worst thing that happened was someone brought the wrong dip. Was it over a romance novel or something? Like did one person ship the wrong couple? I need to know what book could possibly make someone get up and leave. That's wild to me.