2020 Book Club Roundup

(Written by Karen Bardsley for club annual report 2020)

Almost every month for the past twenty-six years, the EBSC’s Book Club has brought local Smith alums together to discuss books, to share their news, and to partake in a refreshing beverage and some modest, yet delectable, treats. Then came 2020, a challenging year and all-around spoiler of plans.

When COVID-19 arrived in the Bay Area, our book club missed precisely one beat. When the first couple of weeks of shutdown were extended, we decided to skip our April meeting. The stresses of adjusting to the situation had made it difficult to finish our somewhat lengthy selection for April (Richard Power’s The Overstory), and we hoped that in-person gatherings would be permitted again soon. That hope faded, and in May we made the inevitable jump to Zoom, where we have been thriving ever since.

Of course, there are disadvantages to the on-line format. Sometimes conversations do not flow as smoothly or as naturally as before, and internet connections can be a bit hit or miss. However, there are also advantages to our virtual meetings. The commute time for those of us who live in the far East Bay is much improved. We can comfortably hold meetings of more than a dozen people without having to scour a host’s home for extra chairs. Former members who have moved away have been able to attend, as have members who are travelling or recovering from illness or surgery. So, although we are looking forward to the return to face to face meetings, we are happy that our book club is proving itself relatively pandemic proof.

That being said, if we had been gifted with powers of foresight, we might have adjusted our reading schedule for this year. Our readings have been a little bit on the dark side. For example, we’ve read Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Tommy Orange’s There There, and Naomi Alderman’s The Power, all books that contain vivid descriptions of physical and emotional trauma. We often tackle such topics but, given the stress of our day to day lives, many of us craved some lighter fare. Fortunately, we had a break in July to wax nostalgic about our Smith days with J. Courtney Sullivan’s Commencement and in August to inhale the fairy tale like atmosphere of Amor Towles’ A Gentleman in Moscow.

In September, we discussed this year’s Smith Reads selection: Tara Westover’s Educated. As most of Smith’s current students have not returned to campus, we invited the students from the East Bay to that discussion and to our upcoming meetings, some of which will focus on titles chosen in honor of the Movement for Black Lives. Several students expressed interest, and one has already joined us. Hopefully, more will drop by this month and in December, when we host our annual poetry night.

It is wonderful to have new members in our group, but I also continue to be impressed by the loyalty and persistence of our long-term participants. Sadly, two of our veteran members passed away this year: Jane Howard Robinson ‘65 and Janet Strothman ‘48. They will be sorely missed.