Book Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life

by Elizabeth Long

Overview

Book clubs are everywhere these days. And women talk about the clubs they belong to with surprising emotion. But why are the clubs so important to them? And what do the women discuss when they meet? To answer questions like these, Elizabeth Long spent years observing and participating in women's book clubs and interviewing members from different discussion groups. Far from being an isolated activity, she finds reading for club members to be an active and social pursuit, a crucial way for women to reflect creatively on the meaning of their lives and their place in the social order.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226492629
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	08/01/2003
Edition description:	1
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Long is an associate professor of sociology at Rice University. She is the author of The American Dream and the Popular Novel and the editor of From Sociology to Cultural Studies.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
ONE On the Social Nature of Reading
TWO Nineteenth-Century White Women's Reading Groups: Literary Inspiration and Social Reform
THREE Between Past and Present: Introductory Reflections on the Changing Nature of Women's Reading Groups
FOUR Exploring the Social World of Houston's Reading Groups
FIVE Book Selection: Negotiating Group Identity through Literature
SIX Conversing with Books, Fashioning Subjectivity, Dealing with Difference
SEVEN Reading Groups and the Challenge of Mass Communication and Marketing
EIGHT At the End
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Rice University sociology professor Long presents an academic look at a phenomenon that has taken American popular culture by storm-women's book clubs. In her research, she often came upon women who referred to their club as a "salvation," a "life raft" or a "saving grace." "You will never know what a difference it made in my life," they told her. This work focuses on reading groups formed by white women in Houston, Tex. According to Long, reading groups are not only "integral to the constitution of both social identity and the sociocultural order," but they're grounded in history (she examines post-Civil War groups, in particular). Today's reading groups are much more informal than they were in the 19th century, however, and offer numerous venues for exploring group identity. Long briefly touches on Oprah's famous Book Club and on lesser-known online book discussion groups, rounding out her intriguing, intelligent study. (July 1) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Long (sociology, Rice Univ.; The American Dream and the Popular Novel) seriously considers the women's reading group, a subject too long neglected by academia. In a concise preface, she defines her research methodology (a case study of white women's groups in Houston) and her intention to use it to argue that the reading group, traditionally thought of as passive, is an active cultural practice integral to individual and social identity. She supports her argument in eight well-organized and -researched chapters, beginning with an investigation of the social nature of reading. She then compares 19th-century groups to their 20th-century counterparts. After defining some social characteristics of contemporary Houston groups, she examines in detail their book selection and discussion practices. The most fascinating chapter provides a preliminary analysis of three important developments affecting communal reading: the rise of large independent stores and chain stores, Oprah Winfrey's book club, and online discussion groups. Throughout, Long presents evidence of the supportive and inspirational roles reading groups play in women's lives. An extensive and diverse bibliography rounds out the text. This unique work is highly recommended for academic libraries supporting programs in sociology, psychology, anthropology, education, gender studies, and mass communications.-M.C. Duhig, Lib. Ctr. of Point Park Coll. & Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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