How To Get More From Reading Non-fiction
“Why can’t people just sit and read books and be nice to each other? ”
I read a lot of non-fiction for 42courses and have been part of a book club on and off.
Although I do love fiction too, a lot of what I learn ends up in our courses.
One downside of discussing books in a group is that it’s easy to go off on tangents, and sometimes I feel I could have got more out of the experience.
The solution?
I put together a list of questions to guide our conversations about the books we read.
Hopefully, you find it of value.
Non-fiction Book Club Questions:
1. What is the purpose of this book, and who do you believe is the intended audience?
2. Have you read much on this topic before? If so, does the author bring something unique to the subject? If not, did this book pique your interest in the subject?
3. Was there a specific message or theme?
4. How does this book relate to your life experiences?
5. Did the book present a balanced viewpoint of the topic, or was it one-sided
6. Did how the topic was handled affect your overall impression of the book?
7. Did the author provide additional reading suggestions, and if so, did they help your understanding of the subject?
8. Did you connect with the subject matter? Did it make you want to read more? Did it make you uncomfortable?
9. Was there a chapter or passage that stood out for you or gave you an “a-ha!” moment about the topic?
10. Did this book change your perspective on life?
11. What did you learn from this book that you didn’t know before?
12. Would you like to read more about this particular subject? Why?
What would you add to this list?
