What is Great Books?

We are a new way to enrich people ' s lives by using a unique way to explore the great ideas found in literature. Meetings are not lectures. The Great Books method of Shared Inquiry helps small groups of readers to merge the ideas found in literature with their combined experiences and understanding. You don ' t need to be any kind of expert either to lead or to take part in a book discussion. Meetings are open, friendly and encourage everyone to share, discuss, question and explore.

We go home from discussions exhilarated by new insights and with a sharpened understanding of important ideas. Learning becomes a lifelong, enriching experience. We broaden our view of history. We sharpen our critical thinking skills. And increasingly we rely on ourown interpretations of complex situations and events.

And there's more: We widen our circle of friends, and we have great times with people we enjoy! It's amazing how much laughter can erupt from a serious discussion of a serious book . And we like to believe that over time we come to understand ourselves better: how we think, what we think, and why.

What sets us apart from other reading groups is (1) how we select readings, and (2) the Shared Inquiry method. Readings are typically 15-50 pages long. Often they are excerpts selected from major works for their significance and the Great Ideas they contain. Discussion leaders follow the Shared Inquiry discussion method to

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