By Emma Xerri
A book club may not seem like the obvious choice for men looking for a new social activity to add to their roster, but for the men of the Tough Guy Book Club, discussing books with a cold beer in hand has become a cherished part of their monthly schedule.
The book club, which springs from the “beer drenched streets of Collingwood,” is an inclusive space where men are encouraged to do something they’re not frequently encouraged to do: discuss literature.
In the humble pub setting, the Tough Guy Book club removes the barriers for men wanting to engage in discussions, inviting them to replace time spent at the pokie machine with a copy of The Great Gatsby and an open mind.
For Josh King, the founder of the club’s Pakenham branch, the club has allowed him to do exactly that, fostering in him a love for books he would not have otherwise stumbled across, and new friendships with men from all walks of life.
“I’m in my 50s now and I reached a point a year or so ago where I realised I wasn’t really doing anything for myself. And that led me to seek out some different activities,” he said.
“I enjoy reading but it was the club’s attitude and ethos that I was most attracted to.
“They have this attitude of ‘you haven’t read the book? Come to the meeting anyway. We get it.’ And I thought, that’s a book club I can get behind.”
Importantly for Mr King and the club’s other members, the club takes the pressure off reading, encouraging an exploration of new texts, but not necessitating members read the whole thing, let alone enjoy it.
“Officially, the book selections come from some nebulous, magic portal that spits out the books,” he said.
“It’s generally not a democratic process, which I think is good.
“I know if I go and read something on my own, I always fall back on the same genres that I enjoy.
“I’d go so far as to say most of the stuff we’ve read I would never pick up on my own. And I don’t enjoy all of them, which is a big part of the club too, but that leads to some good conversation, so it keeps it interesting.
“Not every book is going to appeal to everyone, an older text especially might be harder to get into for some folks. But again, the great part is you can take a stab at it, and if you get a chapter in and decide you can’t finish, you still come to the meeting and that can be your opinion. You can still take part in the discussion.”
But aside from the exposure to works from authors such as Zadie Smith and Jack Kerouac, it is the friendships forged through these monthly pub discussions that make the Tough Guy Book Club so beloved by its members, and which has allowed it to expand both nationwide and internationally.
“There’s just great guys in the club, and not only in the local chapter but in the large network of book clubs,” Mr King added.
“As guys, in particular, we tend to oftentimes not look after ourselves, and there’s all the challenges that sometimes you don’t hear about, whether that’s around mental health or community.
“Making sure you keep a friend network, and that you stay busy and have things that engage you mentally is so important, and Tough Guy Book Club is about all of those things. It’s about encouraging reading, building camaraderie, fighting isolation and improving mental health, and it’s done in a way that isn’t intimidating. It’s at the pub, it’s just a bunch of guys getting together and it’s free to join. So, it’s doing all the right things in the right ways, and making a really great opportunity for guys to get out and not be alone.”
All of the Tough Guy Book Club chapters meet at 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month, and the Pakenham Branch’s next meeting will be Wednesday 7 February at Castello’s Cardinia Hotel.
For more information, visit www.toughguybookclub.com
