Research is not necessary for a book discussion, but it can give you confidence, support for your viewpoints, added material for discussion and new ways to look at the book.
Presenting background information on an author is a successful way to begin a book discussion. This gives the participants time to get settled and begin thinking about the book. It also gives latecomers a few extra minutes before the discussion gets going. However, keep this introduction short or you will lose your audience before you even start.
Researching the author - Participants enjoy knowing a little bit about the author - his achievements, his other writings and his personal life. Try to bring a photograph of the author to pass around the group. It provides an added connection between the author and the reader.
Some sources for author information include:
* Contemporary Authors: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Nonfiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, Television and Other Fields. Vol.1- Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1990.
* Current Biography Yearbook. Vol 1-. New York: H. W. Wilson Company, 1990.
* Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol. 1-. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1990.
The large number of volumes are arranged by subject (example: vol. 65 is French novelists, 1900-13). The information is generous; photographs, samples of handwriting and other interesting data is included on many of the authors.
* Kirkpatrick, D.L. Contemporary Novelists. 4th ed. New York: St. Martins, 1986.
This source offers both biographical details and some critical analysis of 600 authors.
* People Weekly. New York: Time Life Inc., 1990.
This magazine gives a lot of personal details on the author (example: Olive Ann Burns wrote Cold Sassy Tree while undergoing painful chemotherapy).
* Reilly, John M. Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martins, 1985.
This volume is part of a series on genre authors. Each book contains 600+ authors in a specific area, providing a complete list of works, biographical information and a critical essay on the author.
Researching the Book - Book research will help you study the work, formulate questions for discussion and anticipate varying opinions from the group on the chosen book. Start researching the book by reading several reviews of the title (or for older works, critical essays). Don't worry if they are contradictory - controversy adds spice to the discussion.
Sources for information on the book include:
* Barron's Book Notes. Woodbury, New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
This series (plus Cliffs Notes listed below) gives wonderful help to the beginning discussion leader. It provides discussion questions, analysis of the work (symbols, characterization, themes, etc.), and a summary of the plot for last minute review.
* Book Review Digest. New York: H. W. Wilson, 1990.
* Cliffs Notes. Lincoln, Neb., Cliff Notes, Inc. 1990.
* Contemporary Literary Criticism: Excerpts from Criticism of the Works of Today's Novelists, Poets, Playwrights, Short Story Writers, Scriptwriters and Other Creative Writers. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1990.
* Davis, Barbara Kerr.Read All Your Life: A Subject Guide to Fiction. London: McFarland and Co., 1989.
The author has chosen various themes (sisters, childhood, etc.), and explored ways different fiction authors have used this theme. She gives discussion questions, quotes from the different novels and, in an appendix, practical information to help you organize and conduct a book discussion.
* Magill, Frank N. Masterplots: 2,010 Plot Stories and Essay Reviews from the World's Fine Literature. Rev. ed. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1976.
* Magill's Literary Annual. Pasadena, Salem Press, 1990.
This series annually provides plot summary and critical analysis of 200 outstanding U. S. books (both fiction and nonfiction). It also lists periodical sources for further study.
