History+of+Book+Clubs

=** HISTORY **=

Contrary to popular belief, Oprah Winfrey was not the originator of the modern-day book club. In fact, according to Rachel Jacobsohn (1998), book clubs can be traced back as far as the 1720s.

Literacy was not always the domain of the “every man.” Historically, the gift of reading was reserved for those well-heeled enough to either receive the necessary education or to afford themselves the luxury of time to read. In the 1800s, men initially organized reading groups; however, women soon followed suit and organized their own groups that gave them an opportunity to discuss issues of importance often reserved for men and to socialize.

As time has marched on, reading has become more accessible to more people through mandatory public schooling and the operation of public libraries. No longer is reading the domain of the wealthy. This societal shift that sees more people reading means more people are talking about books and the ideas found in those books.

In today’s society, there is more access to the printed word than ever before and we have more leisure time than ever before, so it seems natural that book clubs are also more prevalent than ever before!

=** WHAT IS A BOOK CLUB? **=

A book club, simply put, is a group of people who gather together to discuss the book(s) they are reading.

In her book, //Reading for Themselves//, Deborah Appleman (2006) shares the research of Raphael and McMahon who recognize that there are a myriad of terms that refer to book clubs including: “…literature circles, book clubs, literature discussion groups, and conversational discussion groups” (p. 5). Each of these groups shares some common characteristics including that they are “…student centered, heterogeneous in makeup, and revolve around a literature selection chosen by the students” (Appleman, 2006, p. 5). The primary issue with most of these book clubs is that they ultimately are another way for teachers to teach literature and while students may drive some of the discussion, there is an assessment piece that is not present in out-of-school or adult book clubs. //For our purposes, when we refer to book clubs, we are referring to books clubs that are voluntary and do not include assessment//. We see these as different than literature circles which are required and do include assessment of student efforts.

Appleman, Deborah. (2006). //Reading for themselves: How to// // transform adolescents into lifelong readers through out-of-class // // book clubs. // Portsmouth: Heinemann.

Jacobsohn, Rachel W. (1998). //The reading group: Everything you// // need to know to start your own book club //. New York: Hyperion.