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Book clubs: an ethnographic study of

an innovative reading practice in Spain
a
Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez
a
Department of Education, University of Cantabria, Santander,
Spain
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To cite this article: Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez (2015): Book clubs: an ethnographic

study of an innovative reading practice in Spain, Studies in Continuing Education, DOI:
10.1080/0158037X.2015.1080676
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STUDIES IN CONTINUING EDUCATION, 2015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2015.1080676
Book clubs: an ethnographic study of an innovative reading

practice in Spain
Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez
Department of Education, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The most innovative reading practices currently rely on the Received 22 April 2015
paradigm of dialogic reading. Book clubs, literary gatherings and Revised 30 June 2015
study circles are emerging in different social spaces to promote Accepted 4 August 2015
reading and literary discussion amongst adults, and libraries,
KEYWORDS
bookshops, cultural centres, etc. are increasingly developing Reading club; dialogic
strategies in this direction. Despite the vast development of reading; reading
reading clubs throughout Spain, empirical research on this competence; adult
phenomenon is still at the embryonic stage. This paper queries education; Spain
the ability of this practice to encourage the pleasure of reading, as
well as civic and literary education. The results, obtained from an
ethnographic study of nine book club meetings and six key
informant interviews, show that the discussions contribute to: (1)
developing a taste for reading, literature and reading habits; (2)
fostering debate about values and learning about personal
experiences related to the stories covered in the various readings;
and (3) learning academic skills that go beyond the scope of an
informal literary analysis. The main conclusion of our study is that
book club meetings generate a very favourable context for literary
analysis, as they foster reading innovation and the cultivation of
literature, as well as promoting values education and adult
learning from a dialogic perspective.
1. Introduction
1.1. Theoretical framework
The most recent and innovative proposals for encouraging reading are closely linked to the
dialogic reading paradigm (Serrano, Mirceva, and Larena 2010). From this perspective,
reading is an act that goes beyond the personal consumption of books in the private
sphere to also become an intersubjective dialogue process. This allows readers to appro-
priate the texts to make more profound interpretations, by engaging in a critical reflection
on the text and its context, and intensifying the understanding of the text through inter-
action with others (Freire 1975; Long 2003; Valls, Soler and Flecha 2008).
In the field of adult education there are at least three types of group practices that
promote reading and discussion of literary works: book clubs (Radway 1983; Hartley
2002; Long 2003), dialogic literary gatherings (Serrano, Mirceva, and Larena 2010) and
study circles (Duncan 2012). This paper will focus on reading clubs, which is the model
CONTACT Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez carmen.alvarez@unican.es; mcalvarezalvarez@gmail.com

© 2015 Taylor & Francis
2 C. ÁLVAREZ-ÁLVAREZ
that has been developed to a greater extent in Spain. These are networks generally com-
posed of people who are consumers of literature and meet regularly to discuss a book
that they have chosen to read during a previously agreed time frame (usually once a
month). The works chosen can be of any kind and are proposed by participants or by a
person who undertakes the role of coordinator (Long 2003). There are book clubs in
the USA, the UK, Latin America and Spain, especially in public libraries and bookshops
(Aranda and Galindo 2009). The majority of book clubs:
(1) Allow participants freedom to join or leave their groups, according to their rules.
(2) Usually welcome diversity in age, gender, culture and education among participants,
but sometimes they are homogeneous groups in which middle-class women predomi-
nate (Long 2003; Bessman-Taylor 2007).
(3) The dialogue generated by the literary works should be as egalitarian and democratic
as possible (Radway 1997).
(4) They can be carried out in all types of centres: schools, community centres, libraries,
nursing homes, cultural associations, prisons, women’s groups, etc., with slight vari-
ations depending on the type of group and age (Radway 1983; Hartley 2002; Long
2003).
It is known that the genres of today’s reading clubs have diversified, and specific clubs
on humour, crime fiction, poetry, among others, can be found. Some reading clubs have
also been created to study specific topics, such as the history of a country, using mostly
historical novels and works on the Historical Sciences, or authors such as Shakespeare
(Scheil 2012) or Darwin (Cuvi et al. 2013). Virtual reading clubs have become increasingly
popular of late, as they appeal to those who have limited time available to attend a monthly
meeting (Manso-Rodríguez 2012).
This paper describes a piece of ethnographic research conducted in book clubs in Spain
that took place in five different social spaces (a public library, a central library, a bookstore,
a private space and a community centre), exploring their contribution to innovation in
reading. This took place after the researcher joined the meetings as a participant and
studied what the discussions brought to the people involved.
1.2. State of the art

The research production about book clubs in Spain has been more directed to their pro-
motion than to the dissemination of scientific research, as this is virtually non-existent
(Navarro and Yubero 2004; Domingo and Sola 2005; Calvo 2007; Aranda and Galindo
2009; Carreño 2012; Moral and Arbe 2013). This is partly due to the fact that that the
first reading clubs began in Spain in the mid-1980s and were linked to public libraries.
They arose mainly for two reasons: (1) it was felt that there was a social need for new
spaces that allowed people to come together, as other opportunities for dialogue were dis-
appearing and (2) the habit of reading in Spain was far less common than in other similar
countries, and various strategies were needed in order to cultivate it. Their success meant
that reading clubs today occupy a privileged position in the Spain, both as a means of
socialisation and in terms of encouraging reading among adults (Aranda and Galindo
2009). While there is extensive international research in this field, there are notable differ-
ences regarding the progress and study related to these practices in Spain, despite having
been in existence for about 35 years.
STUDIES IN CONTINUING EDUCATION 3
Numerous international studies have shown that dialogic reading and reading clubs
today are innovative and significant practices (Radway 1997; Hartley 2002; Long 2003;
Womey 2007; Beach and Steven 2011; Lyons and Ray 2014) which help to promote the
enjoyment of books by people from different backgrounds, encouraging people to read
who before had not developed the habit of reading (Kong and Fitch 2003; Hall 2009).
Research by Beach and Steven (2011), which compared two book clubs, concluded that
they make a positive contribution to cultivating literature, as they allow people to enjoy
books in their leisure time, they can be fact or fiction based, and they foster a greater
understanding of the works by sharing knowledge and experience and deepening the
understanding of the topics raised in the books, as well as generating a personal critique
of literature by each reader that allows the selection of readings adapted to fulfil the groups
members’ wishes (Hartley 2002).

Other researchers, such as Hall (2009), Gritter (2011), Mills and Jennings (2011) and
Reed and Vaughn (2012), have also ascertained that the use of dialogic processes and dis-
cussion and substantiated opinions about the books being studied enhances individual and
group reading comprehension and encourages a love of reading and books. It also frees
reading from its usual contexts of solitude and intimacy, enabling the linguistic and lit-
erary growth of participants, as well as improving the language skills of the individual
in the process. The study focused on young people conducted by Oszakiewski and
Spelman (2011) also found that readers who discuss their books and preferences
become increasingly more skilled and are able to participate in meetings to discuss
books, talking about their feelings and their opinions about the texts, as well as providing
information on the nature and style of the author or the vocabulary used, and developing
their capabilities from an academic, literary and linguistic point of view.
The study carried out by Womey (2007) focused on women found that the reading of,
and commitment to, literature generated by dialogic reading practices elicited a new way
of constructing meaning about the works that went beyond the individual and social
realms. This generated a new sphere of more public and democratic literary education,
and the researcher recommended that reading clubs be extended to more areas. Other
studies dealing with professionals, such as the one conducted by Burbank, Kauchak,
and Bates (2010) on teaching faculties, have shown how a book club can be a mechanism
for training and career development, both for teachers in training and for practising tea-
chers, while also providing elements to rethink their own educational practices to make
them more democratic and deliberative (Polleck 2010; Gardiner, Cumming-Potvin, and
Hesterman 2013). In the literature review, evidence was found of unsuccessful book
clubs, together with some criticism of them.
Despite this, Spanish book clubs remain vastly unknown as far as research is concerned.
Ethnographic studies still need to be carried out to show what kind of discussions occur
within book clubs. There is usually a person who takes on the role of coordinator and pri-
marily carries out the following tasks: booking the venue, selecting the books to be read –
in those cases when they are not chosen by the participants – managing the meeting
agendas, organising the turn-taking during the discussion and updating the club’s
website – if one exists. A monthly meeting is usually held after a period of individual
reading, and meetings usually last between one and two hours, where the aim is to
discuss the work under study, with each of the group members sharing their interpretation
based on their own experience. It is unknown what these discussions bring to the
participants for them to be so keen to attend. In order to discover this, I sought to partici-
pate in different book club meetings as a participant observer.
2. Methodological framework
This paper provides a description of an ethnographic study of the context of reading clubs
in Spain. Their contribution to innovation in reading is queried, as is the stimulus they
provide to literature, and their relevance for the adults involved, with a particular focus
on the study of meetings between participants, which is considered to be most relevant
to readers due to the additional contribution made to their literary, linguistic and civic
development.
The objective of this study is to discover what face-to-face meetings to discuss books
bring to the people who are currently involved in the various reading clubs in Cantabria,
an autonomous region in northern Spain. It will be ascertained whether participating in
books clubs was an enriching experience for them and if so, to what extent. To answer
this question I explored from within, from an ethnographic perspective, the discussions
that took place in the different book clubs. This was conducted by observing and taking
notes on the most relevant events, developing a categorisation system of the interactions
among participants in the monthly face-to-face meetings, and interviewing key informants
about clubs to find out their assessment of these face-to-face meetings.
Our starting hypothesis is that reading clubs are enriching experiences for participants
from a literary point of view, but perhaps also in other areas, which requires an exploration
‘from within’ by participating in conventional literary gatherings.
2.1. Method and model

The research method used is that of the case study (Stake 2005) and the model is ethno-
graphy (Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007). The ultimate aim of the case study is to deter-
mine relevant units of analysis to conduct an in-depth investigation at a ‘micro’ level and
offer ideas that contribute to understanding and improving specific situations. Ethnogra-
phy considers that to properly understand a situation, it is necessary to experience it as a
member of the community. To do so, five conventional reading clubs in Cantabria, Spain,
were selected, and the researcher participated in nine meetings held by them. I read the
books and participated in the discussions as a member. The groups were of mixed
genders and ages. Female participants with a university degree aged between 40 and 60
were predominant. In order to expand and triangulate data, and achieve information sat-
uration, interviews were also conducted with key informants.
2.2. Instruments, procedure and participants

(a) Participant observation
I participated in reading clubs which were selected on the basis of their diverse nature: I
participated in a local public library and attended the last five sessions of the 2013/2014
academic year by enrolling just as the other members of the group did. I also took part
in four meetings held by different types of book clubs as a participant observer on a spora-
dic basis (one private, with meetings held in a local library, another one belonging to a
central library, a third one belonging to a community bookshop and the fourth one, in a
community centre). In all of them I took notes on various aspects of the meetings and the
ideas generated.
The following codes were used to discuss the meetings visited:
. Club 1, Local public Library, Meeting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: C1LPL1, C1LPL2, C1 LPL3, C1 LPL4
and C1LPL5.
. Club 2, Private (they meet at a local public Library): C2PR.
. Club 3, Central Library: C3CL.
. Club 4, Community Bookshop: C4CB.
. Club 5, Community Centre: C5CC
The selected works and the method of acquiring them varied from club to club. Clubs 1,
3 and 5 readings were selected from the catalogue of the Cantabria Central Library. In
Club 1, participants proposed the books they wanted to read and came to an agreement
on which one to prioritise. In the unlikely event that the selected books were all out on
loan, the coordinator made the final decision about which book should be read. In
Clubs 3 and 5, books were proposed by the coordinator and participants expressed
their satisfaction with the books chosen. In Club 2, participants bought their copies and
alternated between contemporary books and classics. In Club 4, although each member
of the club bought their own copies, titles were chosen from those available on an internet
portal, alternating current and classic literature with books of essays (sociology, anthropol-
ogy, economics, etc.). The resources of the Central Library are available to all Cantabrian
reading clubs on request,1 with 252 titles to choose from.2
Sixty-seven participants attended the meetings. I will refer to them as P1, P2, … P67.
The letter F or M has been added after the number to refer to the gender of the participant.
The gender of the participants was as follows:
. Club 1: 4 males and 12 females.
. Club 2: 1 male and 13 females.
. Club 3: 1 male and 9 females.
. Club 4: 6 males and 5 females.
. Club 5: 1 male and 15 females
In Club 1 there were 13 people with university-level education, and 3 with secondary
education level, with the average age of the participants ranging from 50 to 60 years
old. Regarding the other clubs, given that I only participated in a single meeting, I was
unable to obtain data with respect to educational level and age; however, there is every
indication that the educational levels would be similar in all of the other clubs. In terms
of age, in Club 4 the average age was significantly lower (30–50 years old).
The books under discussion during the meetings were:
. C1BM1 – The Tree of Science, by Pío Baroja.
. C1BM2 – Tokyo blues, by Haruki Murakami.
. C1BM3 – An Old Man Who Read Love Stories, by Luis Sepúlveda.
. C1BM4 – Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez.
. C1BM5 – A Teacher’s Story, by Josefina Aldecoa.
. C2PR – Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez.
. C3BC – Novecento, by Alessandro Baricco.
. C4LA – Cultural anthropology, by Marvin Harris.
. C5CC – The Catcher in the Rye, by Jerome David Salinger.
. Interviews with key informants

In-depth interviews were carried out to triangulate data and obtain information satur-
ation. Recordings and transcripts were made with: one user with many years of experience
in different clubs, who currently participates in two (P1F), another participant who took
part in a club for the first time in the current academic year (P2M), and two public library
managers involved in the organisation of clubs (G1M and G2F). G2F actively participated
in the setting up of the first book club in Spain. Two coordinators were also interviewed
(C1F and C2F). The users, managers and coordinators were selected intentionally, seeking
to have one person with experience and a new person from each group, in order to saturate
and triangulate information to help understand what face-to-face meetings bring to the
members of book clubs.
2.3. Data analysis

Following the data collection, I organised and analysed the information by following the
criteria used in content analysis. All data collected were qualitative, given the need to know
the participants’ points of view regarding their experience as members of a given club. Fol-
lowing the transcription of all the information collected, relevant interaction situations
were identified (dialogic interactions grouped with reference to a thematic unit) and
were organised by categories. These being eventually reduced to three, which were used
to organise the results.
3. Results
In the nine meetings I attended, the discussions between the members of the different
reading clubs were recorded, with 111 relevant interactions being identified. The issues
and debates arose spontaneously, as they were proposed by group members or the coor-
dinators, and their length varied significantly.
To describe these results they were grouped into three categories in which the partici-
pants were enriched by their involvement in the gatherings and discussions. These three
categories are:
(a) Literary enrichment. This category covered all the statements in which the focus of
discussion is the literary work, generally analysed informally. The members of the
clubs were enriched by the comments of others in their interpretations of the
works: styles, subjects covered, parts of the literary work, characters, the authors
and their work, etc. The recommendations of books made by the participants were
also included in this dimension.
(b) Personal and axiological enrichment. Participants were enriched by the comments of
others when developing personal judgements on specific facts or passages of works
studied, showing civic values and personal experiences.
(c) Enrichment by the various learning opportunities arising. Participants somehow also
became students who learnt about various facts, beyond the informal analysis in cat-
egory 1. When the books read dealt with the description of historical or geographical
contexts, discussions encouraged interesting interactions for learning, turning readers
into adults in training.
Participants in book clubs experience discussions that help their literary, and edu-
cational development, as well as their personal growth, that go beyond the solitary
reading of literary works Radway 1997; Hartley 2002). Club managers know this and it
is an incentive to organise and keep them running, despite the current severe cuts suffered
by libraries today.
The discussions are always more enriching than one might think. You come with your idea of
the work and when you leave the meeting, you think, ‘I had not realised or understood this,
that and the other! It provides added value because by sharing your reading you go beyond
what you might learn or enjoy or think, or all of this at once, don’t you? And these types of
debates generate people who think for themselves and learn to respect other people’s different
ideas, which is very difficult. (G2M)
By using a semi-structured diary of verbal interactions, 111 excerpts were identified,

ranging from the intervention of a single person to an intense debate on a certain issue
that involved several participants. Given the variety of interactions, in 17 cases the situ-
ations were classified into 2 categories simultaneously. In the following subsections the
content of the discussions at the gatherings is analysed further, with examples of each
type included.
3.1. Literary enrichment

The most important level that produces growth in book club participants is undoubtedly
the literary one (Radway 1997; Hartley 2002; Long 2003; Beach and Steven 2011). Over
50% of interactions were classified within this section, so it is worthy of closer attention.
With the exception of two books (which will be discussed in later sections), in all of the
clubs the largest number of comments was obtained at this level. Discussions vary depend-
ing on the style of moderation adopted (whether or not a wide-ranging discussion of the
themes arising are allowed or not), the actual content of the book, and how it is assessed by
the readers. In fact, this literary commentary is what makes people want to participate in a
book club.
I read about eighty books a year. I make the national average rise all on my own, and I’ve
always wondered if something like this might exist. And the minute I found out that it
did, I got in there quickly because I needed to share … I occasionally used to talk about
books with my father, but with nobody else around me. And it is very sad to have a
hobby that you cannot talk to anyone about in your entire life. (P1F)
Comments on the works are wide-ranging, as participants wish to highlight various differ-
ent aspects of the books, whether they referred to the style, the title of the work, the charac-
terisation of the characters or their names, the conclusion or other parts of the story, some
phrase or key passage, etc. At the meeting in which the book Novecento was discussed, for
example, readers noted the enchanting language that made the reader feel part of the
scenes, and experience them with vividness and excitement.
C3BC: I loved it when he said that he had never seen the sea before and that if he had seen it,
this would have redeemed him. The descriptions are very nice (P32F). After twenty-seven
years on the boat, when he is about to go ashore for the first time he cannot do it, he descends
only three steps and becomes frightened, he leaves, he cannot do it. He thinks that it is infi-
nite. It’s so beautiful how this is told (P31F). He is overwhelmed by the ocean (P33M).
The language and the resources used by the author also appear frequently in discussions.
As readers in book clubs are usually ‘experienced and advanced readers’, they are some-
times critical of the books being read. For example, when commenting on the book His-
toria de una Maestra, readers felt that the writing was lacking in resources, and delved into
the possible causes for this.
C1BM5. It is a story that is very poor in resources (P7F). I am a teacher and as such, I found it
moving (P8M). I also thought it was very poor, but of course, we had just read El amor en los
tiempos del cólera. You can’t get much that’s better than that. I think the ending explains the
poverty of resources: the fact that she is telling the story to her daughter. If you tell a story to
someone, you tend to be more sparse with your words than if you write. These poor
resources, I think, are due to the fact that the author tries to reproduce the style of oral narra-
tion (P3F). For teachers it is a simple book, made up of scraps, and it doesn’t have a very deep
narrative logic either (P7F).
The topic of genres was also sometimes addressed and reflected on in relation to specific
passages or to the work in full. For example, when discussing El amor en los tiempos del
cólera, magic realism was dealt with.
C1BM4. I liked the relationship between husband and wife. It seemed more realistic than
other relationships and things that are described in the book (P1F). This story isn’t meant
to be realistic. It comes from magic realism and therefore seeks to show the unreal as
being an everyday occurrence, while it is not. Florentino is an archetype: a man who is as
deeply in love with the same woman on the first day at a young age as when he is seventy
years old is amazing. Don’t you feel that the love story of Florentino and Fermina is the
kind of love story that the old man in Sepúlveda’s book would like to read? (P12F). Yes, I
totally agree (P3F).
This interaction is also significant for another reason, as it connects two books, something
which often happens in exchanges that take place between readers in meetings. Another
recurring theme is the main theme of books, on which there is not always agreement.
This happened in the discussions about Un viejo que leía novelas de amor, which for
some is about protecting the environment and for others deals with the value of
reading as psychological support for readers experiencing difficult situations.
C1BM3. The theme of the book is the conservation of ecosystems and fauna. On page 60 it
says ‘the work of the civilised world, the desert’. He blames this on ignorance and greed
(P12F). Well, I think the issue is that the protagonist does not fit in the environment
where he lives and takes refuge in books (P10M). This is a recurring theme in
many books: man against normality, the tragedy of feeling that one does not fit in anywhere
(P12F).
The last but not least important point to discuss here is the subjective assessment of the
book, the general impression left in the readers’ minds. It is in fact one of the most signifi-
cant aspects, because it appears in all meetings and is usually the first point raised. This
sample is taken from the discussion about Tokyo Blues.
C1BM2. I did not see the theme at all, I felt no affinity with the main character or with the
others, I did not learn about life in Japan. The book also fails to contextualise the student
within the university, or in his family life. I felt that information about his life situation
was lacking (P3F). The characters are metaphors and if you read the book in that way you
can understand things better. All the characters are completely artificial to generate feelings
in the reader, not to illustrate realities. The book is a metaphor (P12F).
These two comments prompted the discussion of the work to follow along those lines,
since some readers shared the idea proposed by the first reader, and when they discovered
the interpretation shared by the second reader, they were able to better understand the
book. These support situations where a more skilled, advanced, understanding or experi-
enced reader puts their knowledge at the service of others are perhaps those which make
the most valuable contribution to the group members’ reading experience.
3.2. Personal and axiological enrichment

The exchange of personal experiences and judgements made about elements in the books
takes up about 31% of the discussion time. This is less than the time spent on the literary
debate explained in the previous section. The books move people at different levels and
cause them to reflect on issues and values that go beyond the words of the authors
(Radway 1997; Hartley 2002; Long 2003; Navarro and Yubero 2004; Oszakiewski and
Spelman 2011).
The book that stirred the most debate out of those analysed in this level was Tokyo Blues.
Readers discussed their own experiences as university students and compared themselves
with the protagonist. Other highlights were the difficulty of following a ‘zen’ way of life
(the protagonist accepts what happens to him without being disturbed by it) and the differ-
ence between sexual freedom at that time in Tokyo and the lack of it in Spain, among others.
Values were also emphasised, such as the sensitivity of the protagonist as being something
positive, although his lack of willingness to work or study was judged as being negative; the
author’s obsession about, and fondness of, including sexual threesomes and suicides in his
books, his tendency to write from a distinctly masculine position, and the permanent
psychological self-analysis of the protagonist, were discussed, among others.
All the books examined in the meetings gave rise to similar discussions. Un viejo que
leía novelas de amor caused two interesting debates to be held about values: one relating
to the deserting of one’s own principles for the safety of other people and another one con-
cerning gender inequality:
C1BM3. The protagonist sees it as a defeat that he has to kill the tiger at the end of the book.
He values and respects animals as much as people (P4F). Yes, but he’s justified in doing so.
The tigress is attacking and would continue killing if allowed to do so. He is justified in doing
so (P6F).
C1BM3. I have seen a marked gender line that reproduces many stereotypes: for example,
when the man decided to have a bet to have all his teeth removed. This is clearly an act of
male bravery. The rape of the Shuar women is described as if it were nothing. It is a rape,
it shocked me how he tells it without making it seem relevant … the world of prostitution
also appears. Basically, reading this book from the point of view of a woman gives much
to talk about. (P3F)
These examples of sexism highlighted by the reader were discussed at the meeting. The
gender issue had also been addressed in other books and meetings held in other clubs, it
was a recurring issue. For example, in El amor en los tiempos del cólera, the debate also
centred around three other issues: child abuse, sharing of housework between men and
women, and faithfulness in marriage.
The book The Catcher in the Rye also caused controversy among participants in terms of
its relevance for the present, and it was suggested that it should be read by teenagers today.
C5CC. I read it when it came out thirty years ago, when it was banned in the United States,
which made it attractive. It spoke of pacifism, war, death. This was something new, and lefty
people read it in secret (P56F). It is a book that was recommended much in schools in the
eighties (P65F). And recently too. Five years ago my son read it in secondary school
(P66F). I don’t think it should be seen as taboo (P52F). Maybe at the time, but not now.
(P64F). Would you recommend it for secondary school students today? (P52F). Yes,
because after seeing that, you can decide (P65F). No, because it is a book written by an
adult and addressed to an adult, not to a teenager (P61F). I think teenagers can see themselves
reflected in the protagonist. It may or may not move you, but it is interesting (P58F).
All these issues and others were a stimulus for the participants to think about civic values.
This is not something that happens only in literary works. Popular science books also give
rise to reflections on civic values among participants, as was the case in the debate follow-
ing the reading of Cultural Anthropology.
C4LA. I liked it when he talked about banquets and their relevance in social systems as a
changing ritual. For example, in the old times, when sharing a cake, the leader took the
worst portion. Now the person who cuts the cake takes the best piece (P41M). I think the
most common version of a ‘banquet’ among young people nowadays is to go out at weekends
to engage in group drinking (P49M). Or for a hundred people to take a bus to see Real
Madrid players … all societies have rituals that create social bonding (P41M).
The dimension of axiological and personal enrichment was also highlighted by the
interviewees.
When commenting on a book, if the characters prompt it, their capacity for sacrifice, their
heroism, their defence of ideals, respect for the environment, etc. is always emphasised …
For example, The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway is a touching story laden with sym-
bolism that deals with values such as love or nostalgia, human beings struggling against
adversity, the harshness of life, the power of one’s will, dignity, loneliness, old age and
feeling the closeness of death. (P2M)
3.3. Enrichment by the various learning opportunities arising

The interactions on elements that enable participants’ learning beyond the literary field
represent 23% of the collected information. This enrichment relates to two main
aspects: the content of the book itself and the profile of the readers. It can be illustrated
as follows:
(1) If the comments about the non-literary book entitled Cultural Anthropology are com-
pared with the rest of the books discussed, it can be seen that many more interactions
at this level than at the others were identified. This is because the book itself enables
the learning and education of the readers to go beyond the literary questions on the
subject, or the style and resources used by the author.
(2) When comparing the comments of two different clubs on El amor en los tiempos del
cólera it can be noted that participants’ experiences were enriched at the three levels
mentioned (as readers, as individuals and as students), but in one of the clubs the third
level was much remarkable than in the other.
While the main purpose of reading clubs is the promotion of leisure-time reading, all
of those involved were certain that learning occurs as well, and that this is sometimes
an expectation on the part of participants (Radway 1983; Hartley 2002; Hall 2009). In
the interview, participants were asked if they expected to learn when they attended the
club.
In principle, I don’t. I go to share different views about the particular book, but I learn a lot
and I am always willing to acquire knowledge. Not only about what is being read, but we also
learn from other peoples’ life experiences, from our reading, from the advice given, from
book recommendations. I found my participation to be an enriching experience. (P2M)
As discussed in an earlier comment, following the reading of Tokyo Blues some partici-
pants mentioned that they expected to learn something about the city and their expec-
tations were thwarted when they saw that the author was very ‘Europeanised’, and did
not provide much information about the specific context in which the story occurs,
although they acknowledged that they had learned much at other levels. In the meetings
participants always highlighted aspects of the books which provided them with learning
opportunities.
C1BM. The documentation work carried out by the author in some fields was incredible. In
terms of music and food, I was truly amazed. And also in the references to novels. (P6F)
The book Historia de una Maestra, which is set in early and mid-twentieth century Spain,
the story enables readers to understand the historical and cultural context of the country,
with special emphasis on the implications for education. This was somewhat new to many
participants in the discussions.
C1BM5. I liked it when she described the Second Republic, when teachers had such high
expectations, and how it all turned into disappointment with the Civil War (P3F). At the
time of the Second Republic this woman was truly advanced as a teacher: what passion
she gave to everything, and what high values Republican teachers had regarding coeducation,
and the integration of children with special needs! (P8M). I liked the desire for school and
cultural renewal in that period (P5F). She is a teacher who has a passion for bringing
culture to the people, to children, to families, for working in adult education. This shows
great motivation and dedication, and great courage. Up until she went to Guinea, almost
nothing. And I’ve been thinking a lot about that period and the situation today: differences
between now and then, school resources, the common problems … Not to mention the very
nice depiction of educational missions. The vitality that village people must have had to have
had that experience at the time is infectious (P3F). It also depicted when women were allowed
to vote in 1931 and women voted for the first time in the elections of 1933 (P8M).
All historical and well-documented novels provide readers with learning experiences
beyond the literary, as has been shown. In addition, monthly gatherings can also be a
stimulus for learning if their members prepare some sort of presentation on the books,
such as in the one related to the novel El amor en los tiempos del cólera in the private
club, where the coordinator presented the book, the author and the book’s context
prior to the discussion.
C2PR. García Márquez believes that this is the best work in his vast production. It belongs to
a golden period for Latin American writers in the 1960s: Cortázar, Borges, Onetti … They all
present social and political issues relevant to their historical time. All of them have made very
important contributions to the renewal of writing styles: the issues were no longer conven-
tional, the stories no longer linear, they promoted avant-garde, innovative literature. They
sometimes used autobiographical elements. El amor en los tiempos de la cólera is in some
ways an autobiographical story. His father was a telegrapher and had an affair that was
never accepted by her parents, as is the case in the book. His book El coronel no tiene quién le
escriba [No One Writes to the Colonel] also contains autobiographical notes. (P17F)
Presenting the book, the author, or the context is something that depends on the individ-
ual coordinator for each club, and this accounts for the differences identified between the
various different clubs.
One of our clubs has assumed the style of book club from a cultural centre that has been
going for a long time. The coordinator is a school teacher, with a degree in language and lit-
erature studies, and she prepares a literary and historical introduction that somehow
resembles a literature class, but is much freer, with much more to it. This is sometimes
accompanied by a hard-copy dossier or she uploads it to the blog, which involves some prep-
aration on her part. (G1M)
4. Conclusion
This study was based on the hypothesis that Spanish reading clubs are enriching for the
participants at least from a literary point of view, and probably at other levels as well.
In order to explore this further, it was felt that a study of face-to-face group meetings
between the participants of different reading clubs was necessary. The results have con-
firmed that book clubs are in fact enriching for participants on at least three levels: the
literary level, the personal level and the educational level, in agreement with the results
of major international studies (Radway 1997; Hartley 2002; Long 2003; Womey 2007;
Hall 2009; Beach and Steven 2011; Lyons and Ray 2014). This leads to the conclusions
detailed below.
Firstly, the case study as a method and the ethnographic perspective as a research meth-
odology provided an approach to extraordinarily rich educational phenomena. These
allowed the researcher to experience the real phenomena to be investigated together
with participants and to collect first-hand information by participating as any other
group member, on equal terms (Stake 2005; Hammersley and Atkinson, 2007). In the
future, more studies are needed in this direction to analyse more cases, following the
guidelines dictated by the ethnographic model, in order to continue to investigate the
essence of these clubs from within.
Secondly, it can be seen that the intersubjective process that causes dialogic reading
results in a development in the thinking processes of adults who regularly participate in
gatherings on at least three levels, with each person being a sender and receiver of mess-
ages on equal terms. This generates a reflective, respectful, open, supportive and argumen-
tation-based learning environment (Mellard, Patterson, and Prewett 2007). It can
therefore be said that the model of dialogic reading offered by these clubs is certainly of
interest, however, further research on this practice is necessary in Spain. In Spain there
is often a lack of social spaces available for dialogue and exchange of views, and for the
promotion of culture and learning, and reading clubs seem to promote this. Other research
has shown the importance of this practice for the innovation of institutions (Womey 2007;
Beach and Steven 2011; Lyons and Ray 2014) and its ability to promote a love of reading,
improved understanding and expression, socialisation and the development of one’s own
literary judgment (Kong and Fitch 2003; Hall 2009). This has also been verified for the case
of Spain: for the respondents, having a reading club in their library was a sign of progress
and forward thinking. This ethnographic study allowed these findings to be verified and
also highlighted three focuses in connection with which participants saw an improvement,
as reported by them.
Thirdly, the discussions held among the participants stressed a great involvement of
participants, who not only engaged in reading, but also took notes on issues that caught
their attention to share them with the group. These fed discussions on numerous topics
of which individual participants had not been aware – at least not all of them – , which
helped to raise the discussion standard, generating profound reflections in various fields
(literary, social, human, economic, environmental, etc.) based on literature readings
(Aranda and Galindo 2009). This shows how these groups in Spain are committed to
strengthening the enjoyment of reading by adults in their leisure time, with special empha-
sis on literature, and reading as a habit, and a respectful and supportive debate based on
arguments (Hall 2009; Gritter 2011; Mills and Jennings 2011; Reed and Vaughn 2012).
This cultural commitment is of much interest and relevance in the Spanish context,
because other literary or social practices have not succeeded in doing so (Aranda and
Galindo 2009). However, in the future, a new direction of research is needed which will
help to improve the results of previous studies. It may be interesting to examine uncon-
ventional reading clubs: those based on a specific genre (although the narrative genre is
predominant in most), those dedicated to the study of specific topics and virtual commu-
nities of readers (Manso-Rodríguez 2012; Scheil 2012; Cuvi et al. 2013).
Fourthly, the debates that show apparent conflicts in values among participants also
have notable implications, as they open a social and cultural space for discussion of con-
troversial issues among people with different experiences, ideologies and tendencies on
equal terms, in a supportive, democratic and educated atmosphere, in which each
person shares their knowledge with the group. It seems that book clubs in Spain have over-
come the double challenge that they were presented with at the outset: to develop spaces
for discussion and to promote the habit of reading among participants (Aranda and
Galindo 2009). It would be interesting in future research to study how these dialogic
debates affect people in building their axiological criteria in adulthood, as there are no
current studies available on this issue (Navarro and Yubero 2004).
Finally, it can be seen that this model of interaction enables the participants’ learning
when a certain period of time is given to read a text (literary or not) that provides learning
content, followed by a subsequent meeting for discussion of the material from the personal
experience and interpretation of each person present. This can provide a significant model
for teaching and learning in various fields, perhaps transferable to all educational stages,
with special interest in adult education (Jarvis 2000; Long 2003; Womey 2007). One of the
respondents, who is currently a student of Ancient History at a University Senior Pro-
gramme, said:
Many days I get bored, the professor talks and we hardly contribute at all. Sometimes a fellow
student talks about a trip he took and something he saw and the teacher talks and expands
the information in detail, but the curiosity and thirst for knowledge we have at our age
requires an exchange of experiences. The book club system is good in this respect because
you learn without even realising it. (P2M)
It would be interesting to promote dialogic methods in adult education, community edu-

cation centres, universities for senior citizens, senior groups, etc. in Spain (Freire 1975;
Jarvis 2000; Mellard, Patterson, and Prewett 2007; MacKean and Abbott-Chapman
2011).
In Spain considerably more research is needed on book clubs, from both an ethno-
graphic perspective as well as from others, in order to further advance scientific knowledge
about this practice. As stated by the library manager interviewed: Much has been done, but
there has been very little research and very few actual results have been published, even
though they exist (G2F). In the future further studies will be required, selecting more
cases in Spain to address the main questions raised about this practice, which is
unknown from the academic point of view despite currently having a 35 year history.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. The titles of the batches of books available and the book loan conditions can be seen at: http://
bcc.cantabria.es/index.php/servicios/prestamo-colectivo.
2. For the purposes of this study, the books are not analysed by genre, publication date, etc.
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Studies in Continuing Education

Book clubs: an ethnographic study of

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To cite this article: Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez (2015): Book clubs: an ethnographic

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2015.1080676

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Book clubs: an ethnographic study of an innovative reading

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

CONTACT Carmen Álvarez-Álvarez carmen.alvarez@unican.es; mcalvarezalvarez@gmail.com

1.2. State of the art

members’ wishes (Hartley 2002).

2.1. Method and model

2.2. Instruments, procedure and participants

. Interviews with key informants

2.3. Data analysis

By using a semi-structured diary of verbal interactions, 111 excerpts were identiﬁed,

3.1. Literary enrichment

3.2. Personal and axiological enrichment

3.3. Enrichment by the various learning opportunities arising

It would be interesting to promote dialogic methods in adult education, community edu-

Participants.” Reading Research Quarterly 42 (2): 188–213.

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