Literary Fiction Book Discussion

Adult Reading Round Table
Book Discussion Groups

Quarterly Literary Fiction Book Discussion

NEW! The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
(Please note: 2 p.m. start time!)
Berwyn Public Library
2701 S. Harlem Ave., Berwyn
Board Room, Second Floor

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In this, his first novel, Diaz presents a compelling story of an overweight, speculative genres loving nerd named Oscar. Narrated mostly by Oscar's roommate, this is also the story of Oscar's mother and sister, the family's Dominican Republican roots, and the horrors and legacy of Trujillo's regime. In telling Oscar's story, Diaz employs frequent flashbacks, strong language, and a bit of magical realism. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a novel that begs to be discussed.

Please secure your own copy of the book and read it before coming to the discussion.

The meeting will last approximately two hours. In the last half hour, the group will talk about book discussions in general and explore ways to make them more effective.

Discussion Leader: Becky Spratford is a Readers' Advisor at the Berwyn Public Library and a member of the ARRT Steering Committee. She has been leading a book discussion group for 9 years and regularly runs book discussion training sessions.
R.S.V.P. to Becky at bspratford@hotmail.com

Summer Discussion:
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
July 28^th at 1:30
Niles Public Library
6960 Oakton Street, Niles
R.S.V.P. to Greta Ulrich at gulrich@nileslibrary.org

Coordinated by ARRT Steering Committee members Ted Balcom and Debbie Walsh, this group will focus on a different work of literary fiction four times a year. ARRT members who wish to join these discussions must register in advance for each session and secure their own copy of the book. Meetings will be held at various area libraries.

Each session will last for approximately two hours. In addition to the discussion, time will be set aside to learn about the author and to explore background information relating to the book. The group will also evaluate the discussion experience and share titles for further reading.

Past Discussions

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (January 27, 2010) Arlington Heights Memorial Library
Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell (October 28th, 2009) Itasca Community Library

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (July 22, 2009) Geneva Public Library

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland, (April 29, 2009) Arlington Heights Memorial Library

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This page was last updated on 03/03/2010.