Book Club Meeting #1

For my group, we decided upon the book "Handbook for Boys" by Walter Dean Myers to read and discuss. For this initial meeting we had previously decided to read the first six chapters. Overall, the meeting went well. One of our group members was absent, however we were able to get in touch with her and detail what we had discussed. We started the conversation with simple questions such as: Do you like the book so far, the story, the characters? ect. Most of us agreed that we liked different aspects of the book, some more than others. As it is geared towards younger children, the chapters were not overly emotional, and the language was not challenging. Personally, this led me to be a bit bored with the story at times. However, the plot line is intriguing so far, and I can see how this would be an enticing read for young students. After this initiation, we began discussing the different aspects of the six chapters. In particular, we found that each chapter focused on a different life lesson. One of the main characters, Duke, provides examples and advice for the other two main characters, Jimmy and Kevin, on what not to do in their young lives as they grow. The different people that come into the barber shop all tell a story of woe or success, which Duke later analyses and questions. Jimmy and Kevin are then able to see why this person was wrong, and how they could fix it. Julie found it interesting that Duke quotes a famous philosopher, Descartes, and uses it to explain a key aspect of life. I too found that interesting; I think many young student's would benefit from learning about philosophy, and I quite liked how Myers integrated it into this story. Finally, we decided that we would read the next five chapters and discuss them.