Book club 3

Yesterday was our third book club meeting. We had one member missing. Our assigned reading for this meeting was chapters 21-30.

In these chapters Caitlin's social worker was out to attend to her sister's troubled pregnancy. Caitlin and her dad attend as fund raiser which makers her feel very uncomfortable in a crowd full of people but it was here that she is intrigued by a character artist and is convinced to draw her first character which she fails to draw the person's eyes. She is continuing to "find closure" and wants to do this by finishing Devon's chest. She is adamant about going to Lowe's to retrieve the items on Devon's list. This really upsets her father and he isn't able to bring himself to do this. After Caitlin's relentless efforts he finally agrees to work on it and starts to think it might be a good idea. The start of their project is disrupted by another shooting on the news. In chapter 30 Caitlin attempts to make friends at lunch and is teased, triggering behaviors and being a negative experience.

In our meeting we focused on these main events and discussed Caitlin's perspective. We made connections to her behaviors and the events taking place. While also discussing our own perspective and thoughts. Some members of our book club feel as though Caitlin's father does not understand her, while I disagree and feel as though he has been very patient and understanding of her while they are both dealing with an overwhelming amount of grief and that he is doing a lovely job of doing so. I put myself in his perspective of a single father to a young girl with autism who just lost his son in a school shooting and his wife to cancer a few years ago. I applaud him, even during moments of weakness. It seems as though at only our third book club meeting it has become routine and somewhat dull. It leads me to wonder what a larger book club, with a more intensive story, or a book club for hobby would be like....Maybe a book club that is based on politics and there is a debate- or a book club that exposes others to a new culture- or a book club based on a successful recovery that unifies other survivors of an accident, war or illness.