Book club making impact

There was a lot of good-natured talk and teasing as members of Beyond the Book Club met with Columbus author Jillian Ober on Monday, Nov. 13, at the Mount Gilead Public Library.

Ober got an enthusiastic response as she chatted with Whetstone Industries individuals about the weather, camping, food and potbellied pigs. Members of the book club have been meeting monthly at the library for about a year, and they have been introduced to two books co-authored by Ober and Thomas Fish of The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Nisonger Center.

Librarian Martha Osborne organized the club and said she was delighted to find the books by Ober and Fish. She said it’s difficult to find books on an adult level which are also written on an easier reading level. Their books are about persons with disabilities and on a reading level of second to fourth grade.

After finishing the first book in the series by Ober and Fish, “Lucky Dogs, Lost Hats and Dating Don’ts,” the club is reading “New Love, Spilt Milk and Potbellied Pigs.” Osborne or an invited reader share and read a story or chapter each month, and they’re looking forward to the third in the series, “Something’s Brewing.”

Ober read the group a chapter on “Adventures in Camping” in which two couples were camping when an argument broke out with one of the couples after they had a car accident. The story opened the group to lots of discussion on how it feels when people are arguing as well as members telling about their camping experiences and favorite camp foods.

Club member Raven Carroll asked Ober how long she has been writing. Ober said the first book in the series was written in 2012, the next in 2016, and the last one in 2021.

“It takes a long time to write a book,” said Ober, who has a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling from OSU. However, she said her focus is on vocational work and building social connections for teens and adults. She is program manager of Social Programs at the OSU Nisonger Center, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

Fish, the books co-author, is the founder of Next Chapter Book Clubs with many clubs around the country and world for adults and teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He recently retired as director of social work and family support services at the Nisonger Center.

Ober said she and Fish decided to write about “what people with disabilities wanted to read about,” and the pair talked to three groups “just like this group.” Those in the groups said they want to talk about relationships, emotions, and being an adult with disabilities.

The club meeting concluded with Ober asking those in attendance what topics they would like to read about.

The first response came from club member Garret Bader who would like a story about the Ohio State Buckeyes. Sports and sports heroes like the Bengals’ Joe Burrow were also suggested. Marines and military service, food, and holidays were also recommended as future topics for Ober’s books.

Beyond the Book Club is described by Osborne as a unique community-based book club program geared toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but it is open to anyone in the general public who would like to attend.

Osborne had worked with a reading club when she was employed at Whetstone Industries. Library Director Melissa Kipp heard a library patron tell Osborne they missed that club, so Kipp encouraged Osborne to start a club at the library and is pleased to see how the club has progressed.

“It’s never just about books,” said Osborne. “The club offers a monthly opportunity to meet together to read, learn, make friends, and build relationships in a relaxed community setting.”

Beyond the Book Club meets on the second Monday of the month at 10:30 a.m. An exception is next month when the club will meet on Monday, Dec. 18, at 10:30 a.m. The guest reader will be Judge Jenifer Burnaugh.

Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.