Book Club’s Brave New World
Arrowhead’s Book Club began on September 22, their first meeting since COVID restrictions forced them apart last year. Olivia Bartman, the club’s president, is hopeful the club will fall back into its original way of doing things.
Book Club is a meeting of Arrowhead’s minds to discuss monthly reads with a group of fellow book connoisseurs. Students and teachers alike attend meetings, advised by Katie Herrman and Liz Munkwitz, Language Arts teachers at Arrowhead.
The meetings take place on the third Tuesday of each month in Herrmann’s classroom N196, after school for an hour.
Books for the next month are chosen by vote at the end of each meeting, suggestions coming from every member.
September’s book is Artemis by Andy Weir, to be discussed in October, a futuristic novel about a city on the moon. The next meeting will be held on October 20th in room N196 from 2:45 to 3:45. There, the club will discuss Artemis and decide on the next month’s read. Students who wish to join can contact Olivia Bartman, Katie Herrmann, or Liz Munkwitz via email to learn more information about joining.
The genre of books are never the same, spanning throughout all styles of writing. Bartman says the group reads contemporary fiction often, as members enjoy reading pieces that they can relate to. However, last year the favorite genre was mystery.
Meetings begin with rating the book on a scale of one to five.
“Conversation usually sparks from that, but we usually prepare a few discussion questions just in case. The conversation tends to be very organic and each member contributes,” Bartman says.
COVID-19 has affected everyone participating in clubs and sports this year at Arrowhead. The tradition of Munkwitz baking a treat that fits with the theme of the book is no longer allowed, and the layout of desks arranged in a circle to provide the best option for easy discussion has been changed.
Don’t count the virtual students out. Members who have chosen to attend virtual this first quarter still participate from the comfort of their homes, Zooming in to meetings to discuss the books with their in-person club members.
Bartman is currently the only student that holds a leading position as a student in the club. As President, her role consists of starting conversation, drafting some questions if the talk slows down, and advertisement. The club is considering students for the role of Vice President, needing an extra hand with running meetings and acting as a secretary. Bartman’s hope is that she will be able to pass the torch to that student after she graduates.
