A few weeks back, my friends and I decided we weren’t going to let social distancing get us down. We chose to engage in an activity that each of us, independently, has wanted to do but could not find motivation to do. That activity is the daunting task of tackling the American nautical classic Moby-Dick.
A book this vast and intimidating is simply easier to read with help. I’ve always said that the best way to read books that you think are over your head is to read them in a group setting, whether that’s in a classroom or in a book club. My friend David and I found some like-minded people and together we’ll be powering through this monster, and gaining all the bragging points that come with it. In a way, the era of social distancing works to our advantage for this project. It turns out we don’t actually enough friends within a 50 mile radius who are interested in reading Moby-Dick, but since Zoom is the new normal, we will have friends participating from Michigan and even Portland. We’ll be video conferencing amongst ourselves every two weeks to talk about where we are in the book so far.
David, being the natural educator with experience as a college instructor, even created a syllabus for us with reading schedule and supplemental material. If any of you out there want to read along with us, you’ll found those provided in this post. We intend to have the first 19 chapters read by Monday, August 31st.
About Me
Dear Jack,
Happy New Year! This Moby Dick reading group is exactly what I’m looking for. But, I’m a year and a half late. Boo hoo! I’m usually punctual.
Do you know if anyone plans to use your materials to create a new group? Do you plan to do it again?
I’d appreciate any information you share.
Mary Elizabeth