[Friends_of_SSASTROS] Proposed New Initiative

[Mike McCabe]

Dear Fellow Astronomy and Space Enthusiasts,

For some time now I’ve been longing to steal a page from mylocal community activities by mimicking an initiative they implement each yearcalled ‘One Book, One Community’. It usually takes place in the fall with thestartup of university, and everyone who is interested is encouraged to read thechosen book. They then schedule sessions where the book can be discussedamongst those who read it, and they even often have an event where the authoris present for a discussion Q&A.

Thinking along these same lines but tailoring those thoughtsto the club specifically, I was wondering if it would be a fun thing to dowithin our group, with the chosen book obviously being related to ourparticular interests. With those thoughts in mind, I’d like to propose thefollowing;

·        Let’s try our own ‘One Book, One Club’initiative – 

·        With all the focus on sending humans to Marssooner rather than later I’ve chosen a book that I feel does a really good jobof conveying the realities of extended human space travel – 

·        Anyone who wants to participate in theinitiative should somehow secure a copy of the book. Of course the library isan option (although I haven’t checked to see if it’s available), but the bookcan also be purchased brand new for under $15.00 and used for about $5.00 withshipping –

·        To get this started we’ll designate the month ofOctober as the timeframe when the book should be read –

·        We’ll then set a date in November for adiscussion session, in person or on Zoom TBD, where we can discuss ourindividual experiences with the book – 

·        Typical book club discussion questions looksomething like this;

General Book Club Questions:

What was your favorite part of thebook?

What was your least favorite?

Did you race to the end, or was itmore of a slow burn?

Which scene has stuck with you themost?

What did you think of the writing?...

Did you reread any passages? ...

Would you want to read anotherbook by this author?

Who’s in?

Get the book;  PackingFor Mars, by Mary Roach

And in another act of shamelesspilfering off of the BSU Campus Community page I leave you with this quote;  A club thatopens the same book together closes it in greater harmony.

Sincerely,
Mike McCabe










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