Book Club Experience

For this assignment I attended a book club that my political group hosts. We have been reading one or two chapters of a political theory book every two weeks, so we meet every two weeks to discuss and debate the content. 

My professor asked the following questions about each student's book club experience, so I will answer the following questions in a Q&A format.

Who asks the questions? Is there a leader or do people take turns? 

There is a leader who asks questions, and so far, no one else has lead the discussion. The leader, however, does regularly ask engaging, open-ended questions in order to include other people into the dialogue.

If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions first or let other people answer first? 

It depends. Sometimes the leader will expand upon a question with a personal reflection first and then let other people answer. This is not a bad thing, actually. Some questions can be particularly dense or personal, and by breaking the ice by talking first, the leader can inspire others to jump into the discussion as well. However, the downside to this is that if the leader talks for a long time (which can happen), then other people may not feel as if they have time to participate. 

What types of questions are asked? Any yes or no questions?

This topic has already been broached in a few other answers, but no, there are no simple yes-or-no questions with this group. The leader of the book group creates questions that ask the readers to explore personal reflections upon fairly heavy political content. It should be mentioned here that this group is a little different than most other book clubs, as most other book clubs primarily read fiction instead of non-fiction.

Do all members actively participate?

Unlike most other book clubs, this book discussion group exists in a hybrid format: A larger group meets in-person, and a few other members "join" the discussion remotely through Zoom. The in-person group is quite lively. The remote group can participate verbally or through text, but for the most part, the remote group views this book club as a sort of podcast - something familiar and educational that one can listen to while doing other things.

Are there any members that steal the spotlight?

Generally, no. The leader of the group, however, can talk a lot, but the leader is aware of this tendency of his and will try to monitor how much he talks.

What is the atmosphere of the discussion? Where does it take place?

The main group (the in-person portion of this book club) takes place at someone's house. The remote members of the book club tune in through Zoom. The atmosphere, in both aspects, is still friendly and welcoming. 

Are snacks or drinks provided?

Yes! The in-person group had a pizza party the last time to coincide with the book discussion.

What types of books does this group normally discuss?

Since this is a book club that is an offshoot of a Marxist-Leninist political group, we only study books that have a Marxist-Leninist worldview. While this may seem incredibly dry and/or niche, there are a surprising amount of books that fit into this category, which is often referred to as "leftist lit" or "red lit" within political and academic circles.