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An Overview
An Overview
Not much has changed in 89 years!!!
History of Flossmoor Book Club
The Flossmoor Book Club (FBC) was organized on September 25, 1936 and was patterned after the Book of the Hour Club on the south side of Chicago.
Initially the membership was offered only to the women of Flossmoor, Illinois.
Thirty-nine (39) names were on the first membership list. Meetings were on alternate Fridays from October to May from 9:45 am to 11:30 am.
Book reviews were given by members in members homes and were limited to one hour with a discussion period of fifteen (15) minutes following.
Refreshments were not served and no sewing was allowed.
Fifteen (15) books were reviewed the first year. A library of all books reviewed and many others purchased with club funds were available to Club members.
Dues were $2.50 for the year and the guest fee was $.35.
Mrs. James Buell, who hosted the first meeting, was the first discussion leader and Mrs. A.L. Augur was the first President.
The Constitution and By-Laws have changed over the years and FBC has approximately the same number of officers and chairs. In 2023 the Constitution and By-Laws were updated to reflect modern times.
The Summer Library was started in a member’s home in 1946.
The role of Discussion Leader was dropped in 1949, the first Friends of American Writers Delegate was selected in 1966 and the Parliamentarian’s job was eliminated in 1976.
In 1949 membership was opened to the public in communities other than Flossmoor.
The membership limit of 125 members was passed in 2023. Dues decreased to $2.00 , returned to $2.50 in 1964, $5 in 1969, $7 in 1972, $8 in 1981, and $10 in 1983. In 2023 dues were increased from $25 to $30. The 2025 dues were increased to $35.
As of February 26, 2025 there are 100 FBC members!
In 1946 Programs consisted of Book Reviews, Poetry, Panel Discussions, Play Readings, Skits and Illustrated Travelogues. Starting in 1961-62 Programs were presented just once a month by professional reviewers. They were paid $10 and their reviewed book was purchased for the Club library. In 1969 this fee was increased to $25 but the club would not purchase the book. In 1974 this fee increased to $35.
A Lending Library of Best Sellers was maintained and books chosen were recommended and purchased by the Library Committee.
In 1967 a fine of $.50 per book per month was introduced.
In 1988 a fine of $2.00 per book per month was introduced for “New Books” with the late fee for older books remaining at $.50. per month per book. Definition of “New Books” is the first 12 months of availability to members. In 2023 the late fee fine was eliminated.
The drawing of numbers given to members to be the first to read new books was started in 1971. Currently the backs of name tags with the member's name are placed in a basket to be drawn for the book raffle.
A book sale is held occasionally to eliminate non-circulating books. During World War II funds of the Club were used as contributions through the National War Fund and the CARE Book Fund. In 1956 Board members donated 35 non-circulating books to the Flossmoor Library and the rest to Oak Forest Hospital.
Meetings were the 3rd Friday of each month from October through April excluding January. Now the year begins in September and the meeting day was changed to the 2nd Friday of the month as of 2024.
Starting times have varied and are now 1 pm.
The use of email was introduced in 2019 creating a Communications Chair. In 2023 FBC had its first website.
Meeting locations have also varied from members homes to different locations in Flossmoor such as Flossmoor Community Church and in Homewood in 1989-90 in the Chapel Hall of St. Paul’s Community Church. Currently FBC meets in the Fellowship Hall of the Flossmoor Community Church
2218 Hutchinson Rd, Flossmoor,IL 60422.
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Publicizing Flossmoor Book Club in the Press
Page 2: Flossmoor Book Club: Bigger than its name?
by Eric Crump on March 2, 2024
HF Chronicle Opinion Page 2
I think Flossmoor Book Club might be misnamed.
I’ll explain.
Last fall, the club’s publicity coordinator, Fran Arvia, invited me to a meeting.
Before the meeting, I had in my head an image of the only kind of book club I was familiar with, the kind where everyone reads the same book, gets together in a living room or a coffee shop and discusses the featured book.
When I arrived at Shir Tikvah in Homewood on Oct. 20, I was surprised to discover the meeting room was full of tables and the tables were full of readers.
This club wouldn’t fit in 10 coffee shops.
The club’s membership coordinator reported there were 85 paid members in the club that day, and if any of a half-dozen guests joined, the club would be near its goal of reaching 90 members that year.
Club President Marsha Weiner got the meeting started with a plug for the health benefits of reading, citing a March 2023 story published in the Chicago Tribune, which noted that reading helps improve memory, slows mental decline, lowers risk of dementia, relieves stress and can contribute to longevity.
“This is something you should do in addition to visiting your doctor for your physical each year,” she said. “Grab some books from us and we’ll help you improve your health.”
Arvia also shared with me a brief summary of the club’s history. The organization is not only large. It’s got respectable longevity.
“It’s really very interesting to read the history of the Flossmoor Book Club,” she said. “I always stop at the first line that says it started in 1936, which is a pretty long time for one club to keep going.”
More tidbits from the club’s history highlights:
“Refreshments were not offered, and no sewing was allowed.”
In the beginning, it was limited to women from Flossmoor. In 1949, the club began welcoming members from other communities.
Refreshments were added to meetings in 1967 (and nowadays the potluck treats make for an impressive spread).
The meetings now include reports from coordinators of various club duties, from membership to the library. That was another thing I didn’t expect. The club has its own library, supported by dues, that members can borrow from.
Rather than a discussion, the meetings include book reviews provided by members of a committee for that purpose.
There’s also a speaker. Program chair Linda Peterson introduced Randy Madderom at the October meeting, who sang and read original poetry.
Since then, the meetings have featured Karen O’Donnell, founder of Homewood Stories, and Megan Wells, one of the best storytellers in the country. (Disclosure: Megan was the celebrant for our eldest child’s wedding in 2017, so I might be a bit biased, but I’m not wrong. If you’ve ever seen her perform, I feel confident you would agree.)
The members at my table included Arvia, Jeanine Hellstrom, Marcia Zmuda, Diane Kaminski and Angie Zmuda. All are retired, and all said they valued the club not only for the books but for the friends they’ve made. The club membershp remains mostly women, but Arvia said there are a few men who have joined.
So to tally it all up. The club has a wealth of members, venerability, great food, many books and enthralling guest speakers. You can see why “club” might seem too modest a name. I think maybe Flossmoor Book Convention would be a better fit. But of course, I defer to tradition and will continue to refer to it by its proper name.
Anybody who loves books and socializing with people who love books and listening to reviews of books and having access to good books, this is your place. These are your people.
The club meets the third Friday of the month September through December and February and March at Shir Tikvah, 1424 183rd St. in Homewood. In April, the club hosts a luncheon at a local restaurant.
This poem written by FBC member extraordinaire Joan Cliff was read by
our FBC President ,Marsha Weiner, at our December 2023 General meeting.
READING
When I am asked what books I read,
I whimsically reply,
"Oh, only Shakespeare, Burns and Bronte,"
Crossed fingers as I lie.
But in the past I relished others, Pearl Buck, McCullough, and Thoreau
Then , of course, the legal genre, Baldacci and Turow.
They spy, conspire and litigate
Mysteries solved if you just wait.
So when again I'm asked the question,
I ponder authors that I read,
And I will name those that I mention,
And how books fulfill a basic need.
As food and air and water, all which my body needs,
My heart and mind are fed by stories told,
In the treasured books I read!
----By Joan Cliff
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