Love those Book Clubs! Some Points for Discussion

One of the most fun things about publishing 30 Lessons for Living is occasionally attending meetings of book clubs that have read it. The book club movement is, in my opinion, among the hopeful signs in our culture. They show that people still care deeply about the written word, and clubs provide a supportive and friendly atmosphere that you find all too rarely these days.

I saw this first-hand in my recent visit to a book club at the invitation of Cindy Nicholson. This club is creatively named “Book Club,” and the members are pictured with me, above. In addition to discussing 30 Lessons for Living, I asked the club for their ideas on my next book, which is about elder wisdom for love, relationships, and marriage. they provided terrific ideas for what types of advice to ask about from long-married people. It was a lively and inspiring discussion!

All this got me to thinking about some questions that might help book clubs get the conversation rolling. Here are a few of my ideas. And book club members: If you have any more ideas, please comment!

1. Which of the 30 lessons resonated the most with you? Which lesson seemed to you the least important or relevant to your own experience? Why was this?

2. The elders I interviewed found the interviews interesting and enjoyable, but many of them also believed that younger people wouldn’t be interested in their advice for living. Do you think that there is an interest in elder wisdom? If not, is that a problem in our society?

3. One main point the elders make is that, from their perspective, life seems very short. Some psychologists say that this sense of a limited time horizon actually helps people make better decisions and to spend their time more wisely. Do you see benefits of this sense of life’s finitude? Or is it depressing?

4. The advice from the elders can sometimes seem out of step with today’s “conventional wisdom.” Which of their lessons offers the clearest alternative to “public opinion” on how to live your life?

5. Are there any of the lessons that you have used after reading the book in your own life? Or that you plan to use? What are these, and why?

6. Have you personally benefitted from elder wisdom in your own life (for example, advice from older relatives or friends)? How did it help you?

7. What do you think about the way older people are treated in contemporary society? What does the book imply for how our society could value older people?

8. The book is confined to older Americans. Do any group members have experiences with older people from different cultures? How might the findings in 30 Lessons for Living be different if the surveys were conducted in other nations?

These are just a start – Good luck with your discussions!

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