The first rule of book club

Also: The sane-washing of Donald Trump [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser]( September 15, 2024  Dear Cog reader, "Social connection is as essential to our long-term survival as food and water." So says the May 2023 [report]( released by the U.S. surgeon general's office. The report found that the nation's "epidemic" of loneliness and isolation can increase the risk of premature death on a level akin to smoking [15 cigarettes a day](. It also determined that Americans spend 20 fewer hours a month with their friends now than they did two decades ago.  Maybe the report caught your attention too?   It sent me back to the work of Robert Putnam, the Harvard political scientist (and subject of a recent [documentary]( who wrote the 2000 book "[Bowling Alone]( His thesis - which was considered pretty radical at the time - was that "social bonds are the most powerful predictor of life satisfaction."  I listened to a [long New York Times interview]( with Putnam on the drive to visit my parents this summer. Putnam reflected on how his research can help us make sense of our politically polarized environment, but also on how his work, though widely cited and admired, hasn't resulted in real-world "success." We're as [politically polarized]( we've been in 125 years, and Putnam thinks that our lack of social capital undermines American democracy. In short: too many loners, not enough joiners. All this brings me to Brooklyn, the location of my first book club.  I was one of a handful of well-educated, gainfully employed, twenty-something women in the group and our first book was Zadie Smith's debut novel, "[White Teeth]( The book, also published in 2000, was an [immediate bestseller]( it also won a gazillion literary awards for Smith, then just a tender 24 years old.  I've read plenty of Smith's [work]( over the years and loved it - from the Boston-based "[On Beauty]( to the continent-jumping " [Swing Time]( "[Intimations]( her book of essays penned in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic still sits on my nightside table.  After "White Teeth," Smith went on to be one of the most respected writers of her generation.  I, however, still can't tell you anything about the novel.  That's because the afternoon before the first meeting of my first-ever book club, I bought the [CliffsNotes version]( at a Barnes & Noble. Now, this is embarrassing on several levels. First, was I that self conscious (and self important) about having not read the book that it was necessary to fake it? Apparently. Perhaps even more unfortunate, that one experience put me off book clubs. I decided the expectation to read a particular book by a particular time was annoying and promptly labeled myself "not a joiner."  Now, I'm having second thoughts.   At my age, book club is a euphemism for "moms' night out," when moms can avoid family dinner and kids' bedtime to hang with friends. (Oh, it can be so many things; anybody watch "[Yellowjackets]( For Laura McTaggert, who [wrote a wonderful essay this week]( the group of five women she's gathered with once a month for more than a decade have helped each other through all sorts of life's curveballs - divorce, pet loss, career change, biopsies - as they've discussed literature (OK fine, sometimes only glancingly). Laura is one of at least [5 million]( people who consider themselves members of a book club. Since the pandemic, book clubs have skyrocketed in popularity: event listings (on Eventbrite) were up 24% from 2022 to 2023. [Women]( have long-gathered to discuss things like art, history and literature. Books still have a way of bringing us together. This week, Robert Putnam's ideas and Laura's essay and the big presidential debate (with its mass polarization on full display) have been sloshing around in my brain, an odd stew. It made me want to re-examine my own thinking about being a joiner. Putnam [told the Times]( "Don't think the way to save democracy is just to set out to save democracy." He believes clubs and institutions that build character and foster trust and fun - in a multiracial, multicultural way - could make things better.  What a hopeful view. So, a book club may not be in my immediate future, but I did (for the very first time) sign up to be a room parent for my fifth grader's class. I also joined a track club this summer and spent several Wednesday evenings running 400-meter sprints with strangers. All that sweating was fun; and guess what? We aren't strangers anymore.  Also, as it turns out, I discovered that "White Teeth" is one of my co-editor Sara's Shukla's all-time favorite books. She tells me it's, in part, about how loneliness can lead to extremism. Who knew? Maybe I'll finally get over my shame of the first-book-club-gone-wrong and read it.  P.S.- The Cog team is taking a publishing hiatus next week to work on long-term projects, and we won't send a newsletter. We'll be back in your inboxes Sunday, Sept. 29. In the meantime, if you've ever thought about writing for Cog, now's a good time! We just updated our About page and [submission guidelines](. Cloe Axelson Senior Editor, Cognoscenti Must Reads [The first rule of book club is: We do not talk about books]( The first few meetings of Laura McTaggart's book club involved minimal scholarly discussion and no one complained. We must be doing something right because more than a decade later, the same six of us still gather regularly to discuss everything except the chosen book. [Read more.]( [The first rule of book club is: We do not talk about books]( The first few meetings of Laura McTaggart's book club involved minimal scholarly discussion and no one complained. We must be doing something right because more than a decade later, the same six of us still gather regularly to discuss everything except the chosen book. 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But it's our responsibility to keep listening. [Read more.]( [FROM THE ARCHIVE: When My Husband Died On Sept. 11, I Found My Voice. And I Learned To Listen]( If the chaos and tragedy of Sept. 11 gave me a voice, it also gave Afghan women the opportunity to be seen and heard, writes Susan Retik. Now that the U.S. is gone, their voices may be softer, and harder to hear. But it's our responsibility to keep listening. [Read more.]( [Donald Trump, the candidate, is a media fiction]( The press isn't responsible for Trump's lies or his crimes or his blatant incoherence, writes Steve Almond. But they have fallen into a pattern of ignoring and sanitizing, and thus normalizing, a candidate who is, by any rational standard of political conduct, mentally and morally unfit to hold public office. [Read more.]( [Donald Trump, the candidate, is a media fiction]( The press isn't responsible for Trump's lies or his crimes or his blatant incoherence, writes Steve Almond. But they have fallen into a pattern of ignoring and sanitizing, and thus normalizing, a candidate who is, by any rational standard of political conduct, mentally and morally unfit to hold public office. [Read more.]( What We're Reading "'Why pay money for a dorm?' Mr. Slon said, recalling his grandmother's reasoning. 'I have all these bedrooms, come stay with me.' " "[The New York Apartment That Has Sheltered One Family for 86 Years]( The New York Times.  "There's a tweet I wish I'd written about how the real miracle was Jesus having a dozen friends in his 30s, and as someone who has now outlived Jesus, I can testify to the divine work it takes to have friends." "[Communion]( Longreads.  "I really wanted to make it a goal this year to understand more about why I vote Democrat and why I'm a liberal, instead of just being like, 'This is how I vote.' " "[Trump-Harris Debate Brought Relief to Young Voters in Swing States]( Teen Vogue.   "That's the state of American political coverage two months out from the election: Trump has managed to evade journalistic accountability simply by counting on media outlets to ignore his pathologies.." - Steve Almond, "[Donald Trump, the candidate, is a media fiction](   ICYMI [We can build a culture of belonging - one that includes people with disabilities]( When it comes to disability, we can tell a story of loss and lack, or we can tell a story of the inherent worth and purpose of every individual, writes Amy Julia Becker. [Read more.]( [We can build a culture of belonging - one that includes people with disabilities]( When it comes to disability, we can tell a story of loss and lack, or we can tell a story of the inherent worth and purpose of every individual, writes Amy Julia Becker. [Read more.]( If you'd like to write for Cognoscenti, please check out [our submission guidelines](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](   [Donate](   # # Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences](.   I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.   Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here](. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright 2024 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.