I think the chapter summaries really do help getting the conversation started, the problem is just when there's a book that people feel genuinely incompetent to summarize. But I'd be interested in a Caste reading group, however we'd decide to do it.
I don't know that they do? I feel like the generally, the quality of the post has very little to do with quality of the conversation that takes off from it. I don't totally remember our book write-ups in the past enough to say that they've held this trend, but I'm pretty sure sometimes someone has written a really great summary and the conversation hasn't happened.
Is it that we've been breaking books up into too-small chunks? Maybe only a single summary is necessary at the end?
That happens to great posts too. Sometimes there's just not a conversation because there's nothing to say left unsaid.
Or we could break the book up into 3 (or 5, or whatever)-chapter chunks, and set up dates to throw up a post where we discuss those chunks, without making any one person responsible for writing an analysis or leading the discussion.
Probably somebody who has read it could suggest ways to tackle it.
Speaking as someone who has enjoyed the book group discussions but never read any of the books, I've found the chapter summaries super useful. I probably will read this one, though.
I can definitely see how they can be a burden on the people who have to write them up, though. It probably depends a lot on exactly what the chapters are like (how many, how long, etc.) and the overall structure of the book.
6 is me, too. I think this book seems more up my alley.
I'd be in. I Agree that chapter-by-chapter summaries are not great for this one,maybe split the book into 2 or three segments and discuss those.
Yes. There are a lot of short chapters, But seven longer "parts". But some of those are probably not worth a whole summary. My quick take on a split [NB: I am not all the way through yet) would be:
1) Parts 1 & 2 (Toxins in the Permafrost and Heat Rising All Around & The Arbitrary Construction of Human Divisions)
2) Parts 3,4 & 5 (The Eight Pillars of Caste, The Tentacles of Caste, The Consequences of Caste)
3) Parts 6 & 7 (Backlash*, Awakening)
*Most relevant to the hillbillification thread.
I would read this if it takes off!