"...It's about revealing and questioning, voicing opinions, speaking out and exploring. It's about mothers and daughters, girls and women and how reading and talking can enrich our relationships with each other and strengthen our daughters' courage to be themselves.
Our shared communications allow girls to feel comfortable and safe raising questions both in and out of the the club setting. By talking about plots and characters, we reveal candid thoughts on issues like friendships and marriage, school and social issues, illness and death.”
-Etta Gold, Library Director, Temple Beth Am
Etta’s comments certainly reflect my experience and that of the other mothers/daughters I have met. There is something “magic” that happens when mothers/daughters talk about characters/situations in books. Topics and conversations that would be difficult to discuss come up naturally in the context of a book. When the focus is on the characters and not themselves, girls can be free to express their opinions and concerns. By doing so, they gain the perspective of both the other girls in the group and the other mothers. As one mother of a fifth grader commented, “Being in a mother-daughter book club has given me the opportunity to connect with my daughter at a time when mothers and daughters can drift apart and lose the lines of communication. It also gave me the chance to share the joy of literature with my child and to help her see how a good book can reflect the experiences we all have.”
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| photo source: charliemackenzie.co.uk |