What makes for a good book discussion?

Here's some sample questions and suggestions,courtesy of the New York Public library's book discussion program:

*What makes the book distinctive?

*Is the period in which the book is set important to the theme? Why? Are the values presented dated? How?

*Is the setting of the book important to the theme? Why? How realistic is the setting?

*Does the theme of the book relate to the protagonist's gender? How?

*What did the author attempt to do in the book? Was it successful?

There are many more starter questions but you get the idea.

Books of fiction and non-fiction certainly can tell it like it was; they can also help us understand facets of our African-American genealogy.

Here's to good discussions!

Book Club manager