The aim of this group is to read and discuss non-fiction books.

The non-fiction book club is where members read and discuss books grounded in reality. Unlike our fiction book club that explores imaginary worlds, the club will dive into topics like history, science, politics, economics, memoirs, and much more.

We will meet every other month to review the books, looking at the context, content and the presentation, and discussing any issues raised.

The Format of The Club

Frequency and Location

• The Non-Fiction Book Club will meet on the first Thursday every other month, in a pub in Theydon Bois. (The frequency may increase depending on the wishes of the members)
• The meeting will last about 2 hours.

Meeting Structure

• The member who proposed the book that was read during the previous two months, acts as Facilitator for that meeting.
• At the start of the next meeting, the Facilitator will be asked to give a brief summary of the key points and start the discussion.
• The format of the discussion will depend on the book.
• It is not proposed to keep a record of the discussion, as that makes the whole evening too formal, but at the end of the meeting, the Group Coordinator will ask a few questions to update the website.

Book Selection

• At each meeting one member will be asked to propose 3 books for the next meeting.
• The group will then have a vote on which one to read.
• Members will take in turns proposing books.
• Proposed books should be in the region of 350 to 600 pages long and where possible under £10 on Amazon or https://biblio.co.uk/ or https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ or https://uk.bookshop.org/
• Celebrity Memoirs and Car Maintenance Manuals are not allowed.

Communication

• The group will communicate via email rather than WhatsApp or Facebook.
• The Group Coordinator will email reminders of meeting and notify members of upcoming books.

Reading Log

• The Group Coordinator will keep a record of the books they read on a webpage.

Possible Discussion Topics.

📖General Impressions	🤔 Surprises or Insights
Initial reactions, overall feel, or first takeaways.	Most interesting, unexpected, or thought-provoking points.
📝 Summary of Key Ideas / Content and Themes	🙋 Personal Impact
Main themes, arguments, or lessons from the book.	Did it change your perspective, habits, or understanding?
🔍 Strengths	🌍 Relevance / Broader Context
What the book did especially well (clarity, research, originality, etc.).	Connections to current events, history, or society.
⚖️ Weaknesses / Limitations	💬 Favourite Quotes / Passages
Gaps, biases, or areas where it fell short.	Lines that stuck with you.
📝 Writing Style and Structure
Clarity, flow and tone.

Example of books we may read include:

Theme / Genre	Title
Economics	The Price Of Money: How to prosper in a financial world that’s rigged against you by Rob Dix
Science & Society	Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives Paperback by Siddharth Kara
Memoir & Personal	PATRIOT: The Life Story and Secret Prison Diaries of Putin’s Most Feared Opponent by Alexei Navalny
Politics	Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War by Raj M. Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff
History	The Nazi Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch.  A thrilling dive into a secret WWII plot to assassinate Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill