Our Get to Know our Clubs series gives you an inside look into some of the inspiring book clubs using Bookclubz. These clubs are building uplifting and meaningful communities on our platform, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Patrisha McLean, award-winning reporter, photographer, and activist, started the non-profit Finding Our Voices to support those affected by domestic abuse, after she escaped her own abusive marriage. But McLean’s support network has grown even more through the creation of an online book club, also called Finding Our Voices. In October, they’re reading Leaving Dorian, by Linda Dynel—Dynel will be joining their book club discussion October 19th at 6pm. Patrisha describes the fascinating ways books can help heal, organize, and empower below.
What inspired you to start your club, and what does it mean to you?
Finding Our Voices is a survivor-powered non-profit boldly breaking the silence of domestic abuse. My eyes were opened to the dynamic of being trapped with angry and controlling intimate partners following the domestic violence arrest of my husband of 29 years. And now I see this dynamic kind of everywhere, even where most other people don't notice it.
In books for instance! Power imbalance, bullying and cruelty in relationships is all through books not flagged as about domestic abuse. So I decided it would be neat to have a book club where we read books that contain elements of domestic abuse but are not obviously about domestic abuse, opening our eyes and minds together to this dynamic and talking about it. I really like that our members are a mix of survivors of domestic abuse and those with no experience with it, as it makes for illuminating conversations on both sides.
You recently joined our public, Join A Book Club page and have 64 members. What does the future of your club look like? Any goals, plans, hopes?
With about half of our books, the author has joined us for the discussion and I would like that to become a trademark of our club and wherever possible read books where the author can join us.
What book or author has been a club favorite? Any books that have elicited a strong response?
I particularly loved the series of books we read on cults, because there were so many elements -- i.e. charismatic leader, isolation from friends and family, taking/controlling money--that the women in our group who are survivors of domestic abuse could relate to. A special moment came when Elizabeth Garber invited her college friend from Australia to the discussion of her memoir Implosion, which is about Elizabeth's abusive father, and a last question from one of our members about their friendship elicited a really funny anecdote.
How do you inspire thought-provoking discussions?
We keep the discussion free-form. Although my very organized co-host Mary Lou who is 81 and a former kindergarten teacher (and escaped her professor husband when she was 65 after 45 years of terror) prepares questions for the author when the author is in attendance to have on hand.
What is your club’s latest read? Why did you choose this book?
The book we discussed last month is Reading Lolita in Tehran because after I picked it up in a church sale bin on the island of Vinalhaven I was astounded at the similarity between being trapped in domestic abuse and living in a totalitarian/dictatorship like Iran, and I was also astounded at how the author talked about Humbert in Lolita looking upon her as his possession and robbing her of herself, just the way domestic abusers do to their victims.
What would you like our audience to know about you, your club, or your work?
Domestic abuse is everywhere and can happen to anyone and is a driving element of more books than you realize, and you are welcome to join us at Bookclubz to discover, and talk about it, with us.