Books for Living Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Books About Empathy and our BookBrowse Review of Books for Living.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Discuss the significance of the George R. R. Martin epigraph that opens Books for Living. How does it set the tone for the book?
2. In the introduction to the book, Schwalbe discusses the Internet's limitations in helping to answer the big questions: "the problem of pain, meaning, purpose, happiness." How does Schwalbe's discussion of modern-day living and technology act as a structuring element throughout Books for Living? Discuss the message of "slowing down" and savoring the printed word (and life itself) that Schwalbe champions. Did this message resonate with you?
3. On page 7, Schwalbe points out how reading has a tremendous influence on a person's worldview and how "every book changes your life." Do you agree with this assertion? What books have quietly changed your life? Which books immediately announced themselves as significant to you? How do books that you've found to be less-than-enjoyable end up shaping you?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Vintage. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.