However, the book I ended up with, for reasons which are too long and complicated for this patch of cyber space, happened to be a Vietnam War-era novel. The Women was a fascinating read. However the majority of the ladies in this book club are all ten years or more older than me and lived through the Vietnam War in a way I didn't.
In addition to the anxiety of having to discuss a hot-topic with folks who have emotional attachments I don't have, my biggest ally, Corona Gail--WHO ORIGINALLY GOT ME INTO THE BOOK CLUB--wasn't planning on coming. No matter what I said or offered as a bribe, she wasn't willing to change her plans for a trip out of town with her husband just so she could spend two hours chatting about this book. "But..." I said, my eyes bulging as I stomped my feet. Gail patted my shoulder and gave me a big sister, "You got this." "NO I DON'T!" I wailed.
Fortunately, Corona Joan heard the exchange, popped her head up and said, "Book club? What book club?" And then, with five days to go, Joan read all 470 pages and showed up as my emotional support human.
However, Joan is younger than I am, so, there's that.*
Back to book club. Normally we socialize and eat snacks until there's a pause in the conversation. Then, the hostess says something like, "Who all read the book?" From there, the hostess has a list of questions pertaining to the book and our particular thoughts. There are even a few hostesses--doing their everyday disciple best--to relate how our how, as Christians, we identified to the story. (But there's only a few.)
With the advice from my awesome Arizona friend, I started this week's meeting with this statement: I was completely unqualified to lead the discussion. I explained I didn't know the Vietnam War existed in my lifetime until I was around 12. My generation was never taught anything about it in history classes. I asked for each member to share their experiences of living through that time and compare it to how they felt the author handled the main character's journey. Though I had pre-planned questions, they felt trite compared to hearing about the woman whose husband was a fighter pilot. His time was up in 1965. He opted not to reenlist. However, he went to San Diego two years later and found out several members of his squad had been killed in Vietnam. Another shared how someone she knew lost limbs bailing out of a burning helicopter. Another shared how her husband went straight to college from high school--something he hadn't planned on doing originally and he still was drafted. And the stories went on.
Of all the book clubs, this might have been the most interesting. It certainly was the most impactful I've been to. Though I have zero desire to ever host again, I'd be happy to be Corona Joan's emotional support human even if she ever gets sidled with hosting a book about being a landlord or something equally traumatic.
*Note to self: One day I simply must write about the age dynamic in the Coronas. It's a thing.