Intergenerational Book Club Bridges Age Divide

For nine months over the course of the school year, the members of Arlington's Intergenerational Book Club met to talk about books, but the real discussions often had little to do with the books themselves and much more to do with the life lessons they offered.

It is not such a surprise, said Maggie Beverly, a sophomore at the high school who was part of the book club all this past year. "We ended up all talking about our childhoods and how they were different. It was really interesting."

And the childhoods of the members of this book club were different, indeed, considering members ranged in age from 14 up through 80.

Now in its seventh year, the Intergenerational Book Club is a partnership between the Arlington High School and the Council on Aging. The group meets once a month at the high school for an hour, sometimes a bit more and it was always an opportunity to talk about more than just the literature they'd read.

By all accounts, it has been a success.

"Everyone really seems to really get something out of it," said Bill Murphy, the coordinator of volunteer services for the Council on Aging (COA).

The books chosen are from a mix of time periods and genres, Murphy said. This year, the club read Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring"; Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451"; Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" and more.

"We read a lot of things I would not have picked myself," said Sam Chakmakjian, a freshmen and the only high school boy in the club.

For most, the benefit was in the discussion. And on the day of the last meeting last week, many expressed their sadness that it was ending.

"It was enlightening and never boring," said Jerry Rodda who had a longtime career as a bookseller. "I am a reader by choice and by avocation," said Rodda.  

For others it was an opportunity to gain the perspective of someone they might not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. "They find common ground through the books," Murphy said. And judging from the jocularity, the laughter and the general teasing and good-natured ribbing at the last meeting, it seemed the students and seniors had formed close bonds.

In the end, the group went around, finding words to describe the experience. They called it: "insightful; enlightening' eye opening and a learning experience" and a few were thinking of returning again in the fall.

"It gave me the opportunity to read a lot of books I might not have otherwise read," Beverly said. "But it gave me more than that, too."