There is nothing wrong with a group's reading exclusively self-chosen selections. The Heights, for example, has been doing this successfully for a long time. However, they only plan about 4 months ahead and have the discipline to choose great works rather than the "hot book" of the year.
For those who prefer the security of a longer planning horizon and the judgments of more seasoned minds in choosing works, I offer the model of what West University has gravitated to:
- We take one of the standard Adult series from the '80s for 50% of the list.
- We add a 50th Anniversary "Theme" series (strong on poetry, recent short stories, and novels) for another 25%.
- Then we fill out the remaining 25% with group-nominated works, with emphasis on great non-fiction of the last 70 years. This last is an area where the Great Books Foundation has been notably deficient in their selections.
By interleaving the above mix, we get variety and a 2.5 year reading list! And we only have to go out and buy/borrow a selection a couple of times a year.
--submitted by David Saletan, founding member of the West University Group.
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