My dear Ink community,

It’s time that we get together. It’s book club time again. By now, you’ve heard plenty from me about MAN IN THE MIRROR. Many of you are already deep in the book, sending me the most heart-warming notes.

Now let’s hang out and process it all together.

Here’s what we’re going to do: Three meetings on Zoom over the next six weeks, to discuss the book roughly in thirds. (We will follow the split used in my in-person book club with the McNally Jackson bookstore.)

So save the dates and register now to reserve your spot in the Zoom. Space is limited.

Tuesday, November 10 at 8 p.m. Eastern (be ready to discuss pp. 1-153, chapters 1-19)

Monday, November 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern (be ready to discuss pp. 154-299, chapters 20-33)

Tuesday, December 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern (be ready to discuss pp. 300-440, chapters 34-45)

We will gather together on Zoom. We will be able to see each other’s faces. We will talk about the book, the country, writing, more.

I’m also enclosing some discussion questions below.

Looking very forward to being with you all.

Anand

P.S. If you haven’t yet taken the plunge, you can order the book here:

Get your copy of MAN IN THE MIRROR

It is available wherever books are sold, including: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Powell’s, Target, Books are Magic, or, for a signed copy, McNally Jackson. It’s available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.

Starter discussion questions

What presumptions did you bring to the subject matter of the book, and how, if at all, has the book challenged some of them?

Who is the character that has most stayed with you, and why?

What do you make of the literary device of seeking to inhabit the consciousness of some of the characters? How does it affect your reading experience? When you end up entering the minds of people you don’t agree with on things, what is that like for you?

The opening chapters introduce you to various players who have various agendas for this story. Why are we spending time with people who are crying to craft narratives?

Which of the worlds depicted in the book do you have some personal experience of? How do those experiences shape your read?

Analyze Johnny’s decision to get off of his antidepressants?

Reflect on the idea of moral complexity, as it appears in this book. Do you find yourself being challenged about the complexity beneath people we judge from afar?

Feel free to begin the discussion here in the comment thread, and we’ll continue live.

It’s book club time!