Grandma’s Book Club Blunder

Lifelong educators are lucky. We’ve lead adult lives with a strong attachment to books. I’m no different, as books have always been a major part of my life. I participate in two book clubs, each one very unique with members providing different perspectives due to the diverse membership. I love the challenges these book clubs give me. Reading books I would not pick up on my own and participating in the discussions are amazing experiences.

Getting Behind on My Reading

Something happened the past couple of months, and I found myself behind on my reading. It seemed as though I was being pulled in several different directions. Hmm, perhaps a couple of holidays, a bit of travel and watching a couple of grandkids play high school basketball games contributed to busy life.

The two January book clubs were two days apart. Usually, they’re at least two weeks apart. Regardless, I needed to read Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and The Great Gatsby. (Please note: I love to read, but I am not a fast reader.) I had read The Great Gatsby years ago and was hoping I’d remember the book. I put my focus on Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. It was a wonderful book, and I’m glad I read it.

I was determined to attend the Gatsby book discussion as well, but I simply didn’t have the time to reread the classic. I then recalled granddaughter #2 had read the book first semester of this school year. I figured if I could pick her brain, she could be my Cliff’s Notes. She wouldn’t know what Cliff’s Notes were, but I certainly remember them!

The Granddaughter Shortcut

I started our little “forced” book discussion by asking my granddaughter what her favorite part was. She paused and wanted to think about it. I may have thrown her off. Patience, Nancy. Wait for it, wait for it. She soon started rattling off a list of themes she remembered:

• Class in American society and a continued desire for wealth and pleasure
• Decay of social and moral values
• Gatsby and Daisy were careless and confused, hid behind their money
• They made messes and expected others to clean up after them

I also asked her why it was considered a classic? She noted that some things hadn’t changed over the years. American society is still the same then and now…the haves and the have-nots. I wanted to ask if she considered herself a have or a have-not, but I decided it was time to stop questioning her. I didn’t want to ruin a good thing we had going.

Ultimately, this discussion really did help me. I felt ready for the next day’s book discussion. As I was leaving her house, my granddaughter offered two parting comments:

1. Plan ahead and get both books read on time.
2. If needed I should use SparkNotes, which is the modern day Cliff’s Notes.

She had my number!

P.S. The next day was an LPS snow day, and book club was canceled 🙂