Growing
up, I always dreaded the third Thursday of every month because I knew I would
be spending a night with my dreaded babysitter, Carissa. Carissa was the type
of high-schooler who thrived on the power to control innocent children to do
her chores, microwave her dinner and clean her room. I spent hours trying to convince
my mom to stay home, but I always failed, receiving the same monthly response.
"I'm sorry, Justin. You know I have book club."
I assume
that I am not the only child who experienced something of this nature. Everyone
had his or her own version of “Carissa” due to a neighborhood book club. Now
that I am older, I understand the value of book clubs- everyone reading the
same piece and gathering to discuss the ups and down and deeper meanings. Book
clubs used to a social morn, specifically for women. It was a chance for them
to leave the kids with a babysitter and get together to discuss the latest
bestseller or a treasured classic. Men partook in the activity as well, often discussing
murder mysteries or political nonfiction in my dad’s case. Despite the valuable
discussion, book clubs are becoming a rarity with many shifting to online
discussion boards or forums.
This argument
is further discussed n Print is Dead:
Books in Our Digital Age where author Jeff Gomez states:
“Just
about every Web page you visit that has any appreciable amount of content on it
provides a feature where you can email it to a friend. Blogs allow users to
subscribe to their sites via RSS feeds, syndicating their content throughout the
Internet and the world…share in an experience (which hundreds if not thousands
of other also sharing)…This is the kind of discussion that used to happen
between friends or family members who have read the same book,” (159)
Overall, the concept of the
book club is still alive, but the intimacy and personal connection between people has been lost. If someone wants to comment on a book, all he or she has to do
is go online and find a chat room that is discussing the book. Furthermore,
this process has gotten the author more involved in the dialogue. Authors not
only participate in these forums, but they also take suggestions from readers,
developing fan fiction into bestsellers, such as the Fifty Shades of Grey series. While this is becoming more convenient
for readers and authors, publishing still needs to find a way to get involved
with the discussion before it is left out of the conversation. Without being
present for these online message boards, publishing companies may lose their
voice. The book club is just another example of how technology and the digital age
are changing the way book are published, read and perceived.
Justin, I definitely agree that Book Clubs were a great way to discuss what people have read. I think the internet has really affected our interpersonal communication. Relationships aren't nearly as strong as they used to be because the internet requires minimal effort for discussion. It's so simple to have an opinion now, when it used to be that a whole group would have to schedule a time to meet throughout the week to discuss a book. I think publishing companies are just going to have to adapt to the new ways of technology. eBooks will probably take over the industry, which means the book clubs today will probably be parents sitting in a circle with their tablets.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! I agree that almost every website has comment sections and there are so many forums where anyone can openly discuss a book. I think it is great that people can connect online with others who share their taste in books and also reach out to authors. However, I do strongly agree that there is value in traditional book clubs. I think it is probably more meaningful to share a book with your friends than strangers. Online forums though will probably continue to be popular, especially since more authors are getting involved with them. Who knows though book clubs could become popular again!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you related the comment section to book clubs. I think that this is very important for authors and publishers in the future. However, I think it'll be more important for the author to be involved in these discussions online more than publishers. I think publishers will encourage authors to do this but they won't be involved as much. I think about authors like John Green who has a huge Internet following and is constantly interacting with his followers. While not every author is good at this I think they'll have to learn how to do it in order to stay relevant to the audience. I agree that this form is replacing the traditional book club but I hope that book clubs will make a come back in the digital age!
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