The Bookclub members started as friends who were all avid readers. For years we shared with one another our discovery of books by African-American authors. We often exchanged books, titles and ideas informally. We had various venues by which to share: on the job, at lunch, parties, each other’s homes, where we often visited as friends, on skiing trips, playing tennis, at family dinners or shared vacations.
One day someone said, “Lets meet and talk about books sometime.” Most of us had such busy lives so the last thing we wanted was a formal structure, rules or regulations. Therefore, we said, “’The Bookclub” will be our name. We don’t need anything fancy. We know who we are.” The club has no officers and no dues. We decide on the books by simply suggesting titles and agreeing on which ones we would like to read. Our meetings are held in our homes the last Sunday of each month and we take the summers off. The only formal rule is that all the books we review are by authors of African-diaspora.
The Bookclub is composed of everyday women that are faced with everyday issues. Some of us have been friends for over 60 years. We have been members of each other’s bridal parties, celebrated wedding anniversaries from one to 47 years, commiserated during divorces and celebrated again on 2nd and 3rd marriages. We have been there for one another through births, deaths, sicknesses and healthy times. Three of the members are related to one another. We are two generations. We all have intricately woven relationships with one another. We are godparents, aunties, great aunts and/or mentors to each other’s children. We’ve had professional relationships with one another from customer, supplier, vendor, mentor and boss.
We are mothers, grandparents, great grands, empty nesters, stepmothers, single parents, childless, and unmarried. We have the experiences and the complications of being wives, lovers and friends.
We love our meetings. They are an escape from our day-to-day rigors and guarantee a good time with good friends and good food. We create an atmosphere, which fosters the power of positive thinking. We can let our hair down or take it off. We can remove the masks we show the outside world and be our authentic selves.