Sophia Book Club
Do you love to read and discuss good books?
Are you in a book club and looking for good books with lots to talk about?
Join our Sophia Book Club! We'll select three books this year (in April, September, and January). Our choices feature popular novels with a character who struggles with substance use. We provide discussion resources along with information relevant to issues faced in each book selection. And we host a Virtual Book Club Meeting a few weeks after each book selection is launched.
Sign-up to our mailing list for book selection announcements and updates on book club events.
Our Summer Book Club Selection 2024
Demon Copperhead
by Barbara Kingsolver
"May be the best novel of [the year]... Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love.” (Ron Charles, Washington Post).
Demon Copperhead won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (co-recipient) and the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction.
It was also a New York Times "Ten Best Books of the Year", an Oprah’s Book Club Selection, and a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestseller.
Are you ready to be awed by a masterful storyteller who plunges her readers into the world of her characters? We hope you’ll join us for our virtual book club meeting in September.
Sophia Book Club Question Guide for
Demon Copperhead
Consider these questions as you read this compelling story:
1. Sometimes it’s easy to judge a character by their circumstances. How would you describe the following characters, without including any mention of their substance use challenges: Demon, Dori, Demon’s mom, Emmy? Consider their qualities and aspirations.
2. Discuss the theme of second chances in the book. How do various characters, including Demon, use opportunities for redemption and growth?
3. Examine the concept of community support in recovery. How does the broader community in Lee County both hinder and help characters striving for better lives?
4. Discuss the stigma associated with addiction in the novel. How does it affect characters' willingness to seek help or support others?
Resources:
Read a plot summary of Demon Copperhead.
Read an analysis of the theme of addiction in Demon Copperhead (1.5-minute read). This primary analysis is accessible to non-subscribers of LitCharts.
Virtual Book Club Meeting
for Demon Copperhead
The Virtual Book Club Meeting for Demon Copperhead will be held
on September 18th, 2024...here are the details for the ZOOM meeting:
Time: September 18, 2024 07:00 PM Atlantic Time (Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5523312271?omn=83166733838
Meeting ID: 552 331 2271
________________________________________________________________________
Agenda:
We welcome all attendees to participate to the degree that you feel comfortable. You can “raise your hand” or chime in as you like.
Remember the “chat” function in Zoom is another way to contribute your thoughts.
1. Introductions: Introduce yourself and share a tidbit about why you enjoy reading.
2. Roundtable: Share your general opinion of the book or something(s) about the book that stood out to you.
3. Questions & general discussion: Raise your “virtual” hand if you have a question or comment to add to the discussion.
Get on the email list so you don't miss any
Book Club News - Sign-up here.
September Virtual Book Club Meeting...Getting Started:
Host: Julie Atkinson (Executive Director at Sophia Recovery)
Facilitator: Bridget Oland will serve as facilitator, asking questions, inviting you to ask questions or share your thoughts, and of course inviting to the floor anyone who “raises their hand” during the meeting.
Trouble? If you have trouble accessing the Zoom meeting, please email bridget@olandpurposeworks.com or text her: 506 333-6701 and we’ll do our best to address any technical issue you may have.
________________________________________________________________________
Agenda:
We welcome all attendees to participate to the degree that you feel comfortable. You can “raise your hand” or chime in as you like.
Remember the “chat” function in Zoom is another way to contribute your thoughts.
1. Introductions: Introduce yourself and share a tidbit about why you enjoy reading.
2. Roundtable: Share your general opinion of the book or something(s) about the book that stood out to you.
3. Questions & general discussion: Raise your “virtual” hand if you have a question or comment to add to the discussion.
Get on the email list so you don't miss any
Book Club News - Sign-up here.
PREVIOUS BOOK CLUB BOOK PICKS
Our Inaugural Book Club Selection
April-May 2024
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
A #1 Globe and Mail and New York Times Bestseller
In this psychological thriller reality blurs as the story unfolds through the eyes of the primary narrator, Rachel.
“Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and every night.
Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to watch the same couple having breakfast on their deck.
She's started to feel like she knows them; she calls them Jess and Jason. Their life--as she sees it--is perfect.
Then Rachel sees something shocking as she's passing by on the train--it's only for a minute, but it's enough. And now everything's changed…”
“Perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it’s not an easy book to put down.” —NPR
Sophia Book Club Question Guide for
The Girl on the Train
Once you have finished reading the book, consider the story and characters through the lens of substance use:
1. What are the signs that substance use, or addictive behaviour, was negatively impacting Rachel’s life?
2. What role might trauma have played in Rachel’s problematic substance use? How might trauma have impacted her self-esteem?
3. Most people are familiar with the idea of triggers. “Glimmers” are the opposite. They’re the small moments that spark joy and provide strength for individuals seeking to change their substance use habits. What triggers may have influenced Rachel’s behaviour (emotional, environmental, other)? Are there positive influences (glimmers) that help her begin to regain control of her circumstances?
5. Relationships can strengthen an individual’s recovery journey. In what ways do people around Rachel try to help her? In what ways is she judged?
Resources:
Substance Use Health: Just like mental health, or any other kind of physical health, substance use health exists on a spectrum. Learn more here.
Read an analysis of the theme of addiction in The Girl on the Train (4-minute read). This primary analysis is accessible to non-subscribers of LitCharts.