Book clubs: Why reading circles matter, grow them

Kakamega Book Club members led by Prof. Egara Kabaji (seated right) and Esther Azinga Wanga (seated center) the Author of the book Job loss A blessing or A Cursed Curse displays the book during the discussion of the book in a Kakamega hotel on March 2, 2020.[FILE,Standard]

While serving as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in 2009, I encountered one of those rare moments that expanded my imagination. One afternoon, I received an unusual invitation. A group of elderly ladies wanted me to join their book club meeting. They had formed the club in their youth, and decades later, they were still meeting, reading, and debating ideas. The youngest among them was 65, the oldest well into her 70s.

They were warm, inquisitive, and passionate about books. They asked me to suggest a Kenyan novel for their Book of the Month. Without hesitation, I recommended Margaret Ogola’s “The River and the Source.” That evening, as we discussed the book, I found myself teaching them about African culture, customs, and values. I reminded them gently that Africans are not the savages of colonial imagination, but a refined people with sophisticated social systems.