Book Clubs

HELP BUILD KINGDOM RELATIONSHIPS

BETWEEN FATHERS AND SONS (and daughters!)

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SEE POSTINGS (and pictures) OF BBC AND RRC INAUGURAL DISCUSSIONS

April 2, 2008 author met with book club members and their families in Cambridge, England at The County Arms. We spent a delightful hour and a half discussing favorite parts of books they'd read, answering questions about writing books, discussing what makes books worth reading, where to get ideas for writing, motives for writing, etc. One of the students had recently gone to Hadrian's Wall and Vindolanda, and they had all gone on a field trip to Mr. Pipes' country in Olney not long before this meeting. Though it was not clearly unanimous, Hostage Lands seemed to rank pretty high as their favorite Bond read. The author is pictured below right with members of the book club (12-15 year olds). 

FROM BOOK CLUB LEADER IN ENGLAND

Dear Mr. Bond,

Start a Book Club!  Philip Graham Ryken, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia recently shared with me a wonderful plan for encouraging fathers and sons to spend more quality time together: start a book club! The book club at Tenth Presbyterian is called the James Montgomery Boice Literary Society.

Here are some suggestions to get your club off the ground:

    "The group has been a joy to all the participants, and we look forward to our meetings with eager anticipation.  I hope and expect that the young men in the group will come to regard the Boice Book Club as one of the most important things they did in their growing-up years.  Their minds are stimulated; their horizons are expanded; their rhetorical and analytical skills are sharpened; their hearts are touched.  And more and more they are treated like men by godly men who love them and are showing them what it means to love the Lord their God with all their minds and all their souls." Philip Graham Ryken, Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

Send your thoughts on book club discussions and teachable moments from your club gatherings: douglas@bondbooks.net

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TO ORDER

    At Faith Presbyterian Church where I am a ruling elder, we began a reading club for fathers and their sons who are 9-11 years old.  Thanks to Kathy Haass, we have custom bookmarks with thought questions on the back to help dads and sons as they read the book.

RUTHERFORD READING CLUB

    We also began another club for fathers with sons who are 12-14 years old. we kicked off the clubs at a father son breakfast in the church fellowship hall on January 20, 2007. In all, we have about 30 men and their sons participating.

SET THE TONE FOR THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSION

Ideas borrowed by permission from Philip G. Ryken, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian, Philadelphia

"Our meetings are characterized by what I would describe as a comfortable formality.  We take turns hosting the meetings at our respective studies or offices in Center City or West Philadelphia (the minister's study at Tenth Church, a law conference room at the University of Pennsylvania, etc.). 

"Meetings typically begin with drinks at 6:45pm (a nice Oxford tradition); the discussion begins promptly at 7:00pm and ends more or less promptly at 8:00pm.  Ties and jackets are standard.  This is partly because we wanted the boys to take their involvement seriously, partly because we wanted to elevate the tone of our meetings, and partly because we wanted the boys to develop a comfort level with being in a somewhat more formal setting.  But the atmosphere is clubbish, not stuffy.

"On occasion, members of the society wear something that relates to the book that we have been reading.  As I recall, there were a few broadswords for our discussion of an Arthurian legend and some cowboy hats the time we read Shane.  Last month we read Through Gates of Splendor and Josh decided to go with the Nate Saint look: crew cut, T-shirt, and khakis." 

BOOK SELECTION IDEAS

1. Decide on genres to read. At Faith Presbyterian Church, we decided to read a classic first, then a Christian biography or autobiography, then historical fiction.

2. Preserve discussion time for discussion. Conduct book selection by email.

3. Have each father and son pair select their favorite title for the next book to read.

4. Compile the list and return to readers by email.

5. Father and son choose top two books.

6. Book with the most votes is the next book.

7. Repeat the process, rotating through the genres. TO ORDER

   

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   BOOK CLUB LEADERS

   Here are some models of how leaders might want to keep in touch with readers in between discussion gatherings. Many dads and sons will benefit from an occasional email with encouragement and some reading suggestions. I try to send out a brief note like the ones below each week. Creating the email line of communication also makes doing your book selection nomination and voting process on-line more natural. 

   Dear Book Club readers,

               How goes the reading? I trust that, not only are you enjoying the adventure of the book, but that you and your son are enjoying the dad and son time, and all for God’s greater glory in the life of our families. Desmond and I have just felt David Balfour’s churning-stomach dread at defending the roundhouse along side Alan Breck Stewart. We’ve been amused at Alan’s unabashed vanity, and have thoroughly enjoyed Stevenson’s brilliant portrayal of these bigger-than-life characters.

               Readers of Treasure Island should now be seeing through Long John Silver’s devious ways and wondering why Jim Hawkins is both drawn to and repulsed by a pirate with such conniving ways. Keep thinking about treasure and discovering a horde that would make you filthy rich. Wouldn’t that be the thing? Or would it?

               Reserve Feb 23, 6:45 at the Kvale Castle for Bunyan Book Cub readers. Reserve March 1, Thursday, 6:45 at the Price’s Palace for Rutherford Reading Club readers. More to come and things to bring.

   Be thinking about the next book: Christian biography. We’ll be nominating and voting in the next week or so. Stay tuned. Read on. Enjoy the story. Enjoy your son. Glorify and enjoy the Lord as you read.

   God be with you,

   Douglas Bond

   ***

   Dear Dads and sons,

        How’s the reading going? I remember as a boy when my family read R. L. Stevenson out loud while on summer vacations—when it rained the whole time. Though no true Christian, Stevenson was informed by the Westminster Confession and the Bible (grew up going to the Church of Scotland), and was a gifted author who creates intriguing and unforgettable characters (Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver… David Balfour, Alan Breck…). He places his protagonists in situations where they are forced to learn some important lessons about life in order to overcome the obstacles and difficulties faced in the story. Watch the way he shows you their character, its development, its ups and downs, the changes they undergo, and help your son see these elements of the story tellers craft as you read. Discuss these qualities and flaws in their character with your son. You might try keeping Proverbs for Parenting near at hand and look up in the index and read about character qualities or vices that relate to ones in the story. Desmond and I talked a bit about whether David Balfour had a right to be angry with his Uncle (chapters 1-5 Kidnapped). Was his truly “righteous anger,” as he thought of it from his first-person narrator point of view? Watch for other episodes where David gets angry…

        Treasure Island readers, exciting as it is, is it a good idea to take great risks, to expend enormous effort and expense in the outside chance of finding buried treasure and getting filthy rich? Stevenson may be subtly helping us work out a biblical understanding of what is valuable and important in life. Watch how characters react to the prospects of wealth and earthly treasure as all this unfolds. How ought you and I to think about earthly treasure (think Johann Franck, the German Lutheran hymn writer… look him up)

        Remember tentative dates for our first formal discussion gathering. Bunyan Book Club (9-11s), Friday, February 23, at the Great Hall of the Kvale Castle, 6:45 sharp… looking sharp! Bring your book, reading journal page, bookmark thought questions to help start the discussion. Rutherford Reading Club (12-14s), location to be announced, Thursday, March 1, 6:45 sharp… looking sharp, book and materials in hand, ready to engage in serious, thoughtful, fun discussion and debate about the meaning and importance of Kidnapped.

       Read on! Have fun! Enlarge your perspective. Enjoy your son! SDG!   

   God be with you,

   Douglas Bond

   ****

   Dear Readers,

       Well this is the week for Bunyan Book club readers to wrap up that reading. Treasure Island is an unforgettable classic, rich in characterization and in that odd, but so human, revulsion and fascination with things sinister—like pirates. Why are we like that? Stevenson explores this and other big themes, and he does it in the context of a rip-roaring good yarn! Things to remember and do ASAP: 

               -Finish reading!

               -Plan some thoughtful comments and a question or two to bring for group discussion

               -Bring Pirate grog (root beer or sparkling cider…)

               -Bring some finger food (cookies, crackers and cheese, or maybe it should be apples in a barrel…)

               -NOMINATE A CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHY BY RETURN EMAIL! This is important. Each dad and son pair send an email with one Ch bio idea

        We want the first reading discussion group to come off with a hearty yo, ho-ho, and a …. Well, with real enthusiasm and good thoughtful discussion. Maybe it will help everyone to get in character for the first Bunyan Book Club discussion to come in character. DRESS LIKE A PIRATE! Let’s have lots of eye patches and peg-legs, striped pants and shirts, and generally piratical looking costumes for this one!

        6:45 sharp at Kvale’s Friday evening, February 23, that’s this Friday at 6:45, did I mention at the Ken Kvale’s home? Don’t forget to bring your book, any notes you’ve jotted down, and your bookmark.

        Finish reading… Will the pirates get the treasure or will Jim Hawkins and the good guys get it? What might happen to the good guys if they get it? What has already happened to the pirates because of their lust for treasure? Why do you think Stevenson ended the story the way he did? Did you want it to come out another way? What way? Why? Back to the first question: Why did Stevenson end it like he did? Clear the decks. Take in a reef. Haul in sail and point her close to the wind. Finish that reading!

    God be with you,

   Doug Bond

   ****

The discussion closed with prayer by Mr. Kvale at 8PM.  Refreshments and sword battles followed until 9PM

RUTHERFORD READING CLUB

First Discussion Summary

KIDNAPPED by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Rutherford Reading Club held its inaugural meeting at the Bond residence on Friday, March 9, 2007 at 7:30 PM

 Attending:

Doug and Desmond Bond

Ryan and Jonathan Gross (Ryan, principal reporter below)

Jim and Sam Irwin

Ken and John-Michael Kvale

Jeff and Charles Lewellen

Jim Price and Robbie Cassis

Ned and Tucker St. John

 

The meeting opened in prayer.  Our first book was Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, so the evening's refreshments followed a Scottish theme, and we enjoyed scones and oatmeal cookies among other desserts.  There was even a bowl of drammach (from chapter XXIV, "Our only food was drammach and a portion of cold meat that we had carried from the Cage") that only Mr. Price had the courage to sample.

 

Once refreshments were served, we enjoyed a battle of bagpipes reminiscent of Chapter XXV ("In Balquidder") with Rhodri Bond in the role of Robin Oig and Cedric Bond as Alan Breck Stewart.

 

Discussion of the book followed.  We reviewed some of our favorite scenes and then focused on specific aspects especially pertinent to young men, considering such issues as these:

 

        1.  The young man Ransome, cabin-boy of the brig Covenant, wished to be manly, brave and independent but was in reality merely pathetic. This led to a consideration of the meaning of Christian manhood, and the necessity for adolescents to recognize that their growing independence is accompanied by an increasing responsibility for service to others in Christ's name.

 

        2.  We agreed that Mr. Rankeillor, the lawyer, was a very clever man to forget his glasses at home as he went off to meet Alan Breck Stewart.  This would allow him to be able to claim that he was unable to see and recognize Mr. Stewart if he were ever asked to identify him.  We pondered Robert Louis Stevenson's evident admiration for such a deception, and whether we could share in such admiration.  Yet we all enjoyed Alan's final deception of Uncle Ebenezer, leading to the downfall of that miserly man near the end of the book.

 

        3.  We discussed at some length the circumstances which were the foundation for the story, specifically the estrangement of Uncle Ebenezer and David's father over a woman both men loved, but only one could marry.

 

        4.  We considered the nature of friendship and loyalty.  David thinks very often that he would be better off and in less danger without Alan by his side, and yet these two very different young men stayed together through all their adventures.

        5.  It was suggested by one young man that David never changed throughout the novel and that his triumph over his miserly uncle was an example of youthful independence and cleverness. One of the fathers suggested, however, that, in fact, when David attempted naively to best his uncle at the beginning of the adventure, he was soundly and rather easily outwitted, and the entire treacherous rollick through the highlands ensued. Only after grave difficulties did David finally best his uncle and secure his rights, but Stevenson has David need considerable adult assistance to do so. His success depended almost entirely on Mr. Rankeillor, an experienced and shrewd lawyer, and on the wit and cold steel of intrepid Alan Breck Stewart. The author suggests that youth and inexperience are no match for age and experience, conclusions the dads particular agreed with in the room.

 

        6.  Some of the boys expressed disappointment at the abrupt ending of the tale, so Mr. Bond encouraged them to read the sequel, The Continuing Adventures of David Balfour. 

 

For our next genre, Christian biography, RRC unanimously chose Statesman and Saint, The Principled Politics of William Wilberforce by David J. Vaughan. we're hoping that motion picture Amazing Grace will have made its way to The Blue Mouse cut-rate theatre by our next discussion.

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ONE BOOK CLUB LEADER FROM ARIZONA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING AFTER THEIR CLUB COMPLETED THE CROWN & COVENANT TRILOGY

Symbolism

Links:

Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing P&R Publishing

Covenant High School: http://www.chstacoma.org

Sound Summit Books:  www.soundsummitbooks.com

Visit Sound Summit Books to learn more about books by my colleague, Richard Hannula.

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Book Club, Part 1

posted by Philip Ryken

C. J. Mahaney has written to ask for more details about the father-son book club that I have mentioned several times on this blog.  I am pleased with this request because I was secretly hoping that mentioning our group might inspire others to imitate what may be a good example.  Here's how we got started:

We were in the car one day and I said something about another book club in passing.  Josh, who was 9 at the time, said, "What's a book club?"

I started to explain the concept in the abstract, but could tell I wasn't connecting.  So I tried something more concrete: "Let's say we all read The Hobbit and then get together for a discussion. Then we'll start with a question, like 'Do you think Bilbo Baggins is a good example of courage?' "

"Oh, no, Dad," Josh interrupted.  "He's not a good example of courage at all."

"Why not?"

"Well, he just isn't, that's all."

"You can't just say something like that; you have to back it up with something from the book. I happen to think that Bilbo Baggins is a good example of courage, because courage isn't the absence of fear, it's doing what needs to be done even when you're afraid. . . ."

"Wait, wait, wait, Dad. This is cool. We have to do this!"

And so it began.

Book Club, Part 2

posted by Philip Ryken

Once Josh said "Dad, we have to do this," the matter was really settled.  As an enthusiast for all kinds of literature, how could I resist the opportunity to help nurture the life of my son's mind?  One of the first decisions we made was to call our group the James Montgomery Boice Literary Society.

The loss of our late pastor was still fresh in both of our minds.  Josh was deeply affected by Dr. Boice's death.  I guess he was about seven at the time, and really Dr. Boice was the only pastor he had ever known. 

I remember making sure that Josh was in church early and sitting close to the front the morning that Dr. Boice announced his illness (for what I believed would probably be his last remarks to his congregation).  "If you pay attention this morning," I said, "you'll see something you'll remember the rest of your life.  I also remember lying in bed with Josh when he was feeling sad about Dr. Boice and trying to sing the 23rd Psalm together.  I say "trying" because our effort dissolved in mutual tears at the third stanza ("Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale. . ."). 

But I digress.  We wanted to name our group after James Boice as a small tribute to his memory.  The connection was appropriate on multiple levels.  Dr. Boice himself had a keen enthusiasm for great books.  I'm not sure how many people know this, but he made a life-long practice of reading and reading the Harvard Classics.  He also had a real passion for the prose of Ernest Hemingway -- not the total worldview, of course, but the literary style. 

We also wanted our group to have a spiritual focus and a commitment to excellence -- both hallmarks of Dr. Boice's life and ministry.  And so, with the blessing of Linda Boice, we gave our group the possibly somewhat ostentatious and yet also highly appropriate title of the James Montgomery Boice Literary Society (Boice Book Club or BBC for short).

Book Club, Part 3

posted by Philip Ryken
From the beginning, Josh and I envisioned the Boice Book Club as a discussion group for fathers and sons.

He was starting fifth grade at the time, and the other boys in the group are about the same age.  There are 11 of us in all (5 fathers and 6 sons, two of whom are brothers) which seems to be about the right size for our purposes.  As it happens, they are all from Tenth Church.  The fathers work in education, business, law, and pastoral ministry.  Membership in the group is closed, with the intention that this fosters a collegial kind of intimacy and also limits the discussions to a manageable size.

Our meetings are characterized by what I would describe as a comfortable formality.  We take turns hosting the meetings at our respective studies or offices in Center City or West Philadelphia (the minister's study at Tenth Church, a law conference room at the University of Pennsylvania, etc.). 

Meetings typically begin with drinks at 6:45pm (a nice Oxford tradition); the discussion begins promptly at 7:00pm and ends more or less promptly at 8:00pm.  Ties and jackets are standard.  This is partly because we wanted the boys to take their involvment seriously, partly because we wanted to elevate the tone of our meetings, and partly because we wanted the boys to develop a comfort level with being in a somewhat more formal setting.  But the atmosphere is clubbish, not stuffy.

On occasion, members of the society wear something that relates to the book that we have been reading.  As I recall, there were a few broadswords for our discussion of an Arthurian legend and some cowboy hats the time we read Shane.  Last month we read Through Gates of Splendor and Josh decided to go with the Nate Saint look: crew cut, T-shirt, and khakis. 

Book Club, Part 4

posted by Philip Ryken

The format for our father-son book club has fallen into a fairly routine protocol.  One of the fathers moderates the discussion and asks one of the members to pray.  The boys always begin the conversation, and to that end are asked to come to the meeting prepared with at least one thoughtful comment and one provocative question. 

Having enough things to talk about is rarely a problem, at least for our group.  Some of the questions the boys ask are factual in nature, but as they grow older (they are roughly in 7th grade now) there are deeper issues to discuss.  We will discuss a character's motivations, for example, or try to analyze an ethical dilemma posed in the book.  Often discussion centers around the senses in which a book does or does not reflect the Christian worldview.  Members comment on passages in a book that they particularly enjoyed, or that seemed especially significant in light of the book as a whole.  Or they express their opinions about flaws in the work, of whatever kind. 

Typically the fathers have at least a mental list of issues that they want to discuss: Did Nate Saint and the others make the right decision to go to the Auca Indians?  If you were their sons, would you still want them to go?  What is Mark Twain saying about America in A Connecticut Yankee?  Is Shane a Christ figure?  When did the protagonist really become a man?  How did Johnny Tremain treat the woman that he was starting to love?  Did you notice this example foreshadowing, or dramatic contrast, or irony? 

The moderator tries to maintain some order and make sure that all of the boys get engaged in the discussion.  Initially I led all the discussions, but as we settled into a routine I have asked the other fathers to take turns leading.  Since we all have somewhat styles, there is something to be learned from this as well.  And our expectation is that in time the boys will learn to lead the discussion too, when they are ready for this.

After about an hour of discussion, we rank the book on a scale of 1 to 5 (our only "5" so far is The Hiding Place, although Through Gates of Splendor earned a 4.5).  I should mention that minutes are taken in a small leather journal -- a record of the society's proceedings.  I will say more about book selection in a subsequent post. 

Book Club, Part 5

posted by Philip Ryken

Book selection also follows a careful protocol.  Each father/son duo or trio recommends a title for our next read, so that we get five nominations in all. 

Opportunity is given for a short, hopefully persuasive presentation of each title.  Every member of the group gets to vote for two titles, and the title that gets the most votes wins.  The system is ideal because it gives everyone the opportunity to suggest books they want to read, while at the same time making the group as a whole responsible for the ultimate choice. 

We read both fiction and non-fiction -- anything that deals with serious ideas that are worth discussing. 
Typically we meet every other month, or so.  We tend to prefer somewhat shorter titles, so that members have time to finish the reading. 

Occasionally we have special events.  We attended film version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe together, basing our discussion on the film rather than the book.  We hosted a pre-lecture reception for Leland Ryken, when he was in Philadelphia to speak on "Reading Narnia with C.S. Lewis."  When we discussed Through Gates of Splendor, we invited Bruce McDowell to share slides and artifacts of his visit to the Waodani tribe. 

The group has been a joy to all the participants, and we look forward to our meetings with eager anticipation.  I hope and expect that the young men in the group will come to regard the Boice Book Club as one of the most important things they did in their growing up years.  Their minds are stimulated; their horizons are expanded; their rhetorical and analytical skills are sharpened; their hearts are touched.  And more and more they are treated like men by godly men who love them and are showing them what it means to love the Lord their God with all their minds and all their souls.

TO ORDER