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Empowering Moms • Promoting Liberty • Raising Patriots

Cottage Meeting Book Club
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Cottage Meeting Book Club

“When the world is in chaos, and not able to locate its identity, it’s the storytellers that bring it back to center. Because storytellers are the keepers of the culture.”
~ Michael Meade

Cottage Meeting Book Club

Nurturing a love of liberty can be as simple as gathering a group of moms around your kitchen table with a good book! That is the idea behind the Cottage Meeting Book Club. We provide the book lists and suggested discussion topics; you gather your group of readers and then, once a month, meet with your group to start a conversation about what you read.

We’ve done all the work for you!

There are a lot of great books available but the process of finding them can be a little overwhelming; and then there is always the frustration of wondering whether or not you can trust the source. There is also the issue of time. And what about those of us who aren’t “into reading”?

We considered all of these things when compiling the The Classics reading lists. Our goal was to create a list of books that were high interest, easy to read, not cumbersome in length, and which contained the ideas and principles that will promote liberty; so that just by reading one book a month, at the end of the year, you would have a firm understanding of the principles of liberty and gain a love for our nation’s unique history and heritage. After much thought and consideration, we feel confident we have achieved our purpose. Once you read the first set of books, if you like more exciting, thought-provoking reads, we have added an additional 3 sets of Classics reading lists.

The Classics Reading Lists

If you have participated in Cottage Meetings, you will notice that some of the books listed below are already included as part of the Cottage Meeting program as core resources or supplemental reading. This, we feel, is evidence of the quality of the books listed and the value we place on them. So open a book and enjoy the adventure!

* Asterisked books in the sets below are great for family read aloud!

The Classics: Set #1
The Classics: Set #2
The Classics: Set #3
The Classics: Set #4

The 5000 Year Leap

The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle that Changed the World

by W. Cleon Skousen

Raising a Generation of Patriots - Moms for America

Raising A New Generation of Patriots: A Garden Allegory

by Marlene Peterson, Tammy Hulse, Kimberly Fletcher

Stories of American History - Cottage Meetings - Moms for America

Stories of American History*

by Mara L. Pratt
(available at Libraries of Hope)

Animal Farm by George Orwell - Cottage Meeting Presentation #5

Animal Farm

by George Orwell

The Giver - Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Giver*

by Lois Lowry

Freedom Factor- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Freedom Factor

by Gerald N. Lund

Preserve, Protect and Defend- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Preserve, Protect and Defend

by Cameron C. Taylor

Seven Miracles that Saved America- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Seven Miracles that Saved America

by Chris & Ted Stewart

Thomas Jefferson Education- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Thomas Jefferson Education

by Oliver DeMille

Alliance - Cottage Meeting Presentation #5

The Alliance

by Gerald N. Lund

the Bulletproof George Washington- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Bulletproof George Washington*

by David Barton

Patriots In Petticoats by Patricia Edwards Clyne

Patriots In Petticoats*

by Patricia Edwards Clyne

The 5000 Year Leap

The Hiding Place

by Corrie ten Boom

A Wrinkle in Time- Cottage Meeting Book Club

A Wrinkle In Time*

by Madeleine L’Engle

The Thieves of Tyburn Square- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Thieves of Tyburn Square*

by Elizabeth Fry

How Do You Kill 11 Million People- Cottage Meeting Book Club

How to Kill 11 Million People

by Andy Andrews

Women: America's Last Best Hope - by Kimberly Fletcher

WOMEN: America’s Last Best Hope

by Kimberly Fletcher

The Light and The Glory Book

The Light and the Glory

by Peter Marshall and David Manuel

Christopher Columbus- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Stories of Christopher Columbus*

(Freedom Series from Libraries of Hope www.librariesofhope.org)

Seven Tipping Points- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Seven Tipping Points that Saved the World

by Chris & Ted Stewart

Common Sense- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Common Sense

by Thomas Paine

The Miracle of America Birth of a Nation

The Miracle of America: Birth of A Nation*

by Brian P. Troter, William S. Norton and Helen Thomas Robson

Restoring the Art of Storytelling- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Restoring the Art of Storytelling in the Home

by Marlene Peterson

Key to Good Government- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Keys to Good Government

by David Barton

Discovery of Freedom- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Discovery of Freedom

by Rose Wilder Lane

Stories of the Pilgrims- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Stories of the Pilgrims*

Freedom Series from Libraries of Hope www.librariesofhope.org

Defeating the Totalitarian Lie- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Defeating the Totalitarian Lie

by Hilmar Von Campe

The Federalist Papers- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Federalist Papers

by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Stories of George Washington- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Stories of George Washington*

Freedom Series from Libraries of Hope www.librariesofhope.org

The Law Power Liberty and the Proper Role of Government- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Law: Power, Liberty, and the Proper Role of Government

by M. Frederic Bastiat

Leadership and Self-Deception - Cottage Meeting Presentation #5

Leadership & Self-deception

by Arbinger Institute

The Story Bible by Libraries of Hope

The Story Bible*

by Libraries of Hope

Wives of the Signers- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Wives of the Signers

by Harry Clinton Green, Mary Wolcott Green and David Barton

Majesty of Gods Law- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Majesty of God’s Law

by W. Cleon Skousen

The Peacegiver- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Peacegiver

by James L. Ferrell

Unlikely Heroes - by Ron Carter

Unlikely Heroes

by Ron Carter

Fishers of Men- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Fishers of Men

by Gerald N. Lund

The Making of America- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Making of America

by W. Cleon Skousen

The Real Thomas Jefferson- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Real Thomas Jefferson

by Andrew M. Allison

The Real Benjamin Franklin - Healing of America Resources

The Real Benjamin Franklin

by Andrew M. Allison

The Covenant- Cottage Meeting Book Club

The Covenant: One Nation Under God

by Timothy Ballard

Promises of the Constitution

Promises of the Constitution

by Pamela Romney Openshaw

Freedom to Choose- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Freedom to Choose

by Milton Friedman

Bonds that Make Us Free - Cottage Meeting Presentation #5

Bonds that Makes Us Free

by C. Terry Warner

Our Sacred Honor- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Our Sacred Honor

by Ron Carter

Out of the Silent Planet- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Out of the Silent Planet

by C.S. Lewis

Atlas Shrugged- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Atlas Shrugged

by Ayn Rand

Agenda 21- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Agenda 21

by Glenn Beck

The Road to Serfdom- Cottage Meeting Book Club

Road to Serfdom

by Friedrich Hayek

Freedom Documents

Of course, it goes without saying that to gain a clear and true understanding of liberty, the document that established us as a nation and the one with which all our laws and government are based must be considered mandatory reading.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE – Click to Read the Document

CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES – Click to Read the Document

So where do I start?

Starting your discussion.

Step one: Getting your group together:

How many people would you like to invite to join your book club? The size of your group is completely up to you! A group of 3-5 women is a good size for an intimate conversation, while 6-9 members can encourage a more lively exchange of ideas. Not sure who to invite? Feel free to think outside the box! Consider talking to moms you hang out with during soccer practice about discussing a book during that time, or posting on your Facebook page to see if anyone is interested.

Step Two: When and Where:

Now that you know who is coming, you can decide when and where you would like to meet. You’ll need to consider the schedules of the moms you want to include in your group. Your group can meet at someone’s home, at the library, at a local coffee shop, or where ever you’d like. You can plan for a simple discussion over a cup of coffee, or coordinate a potluck of snacks and mom treats! If you are struggling to coordinate schedules to get together with your group in person, you may want to consider a virtual group! A closed Facebook group, a virtual discussion through an online chat, or a video chat can be a creative way to stay connected when busy calendars get in the way.

Step Three: What are you going to read:

Our Classics: Set #1 is a great place to start for helping your group develop a strong foundation in the principles of liberty. From there, we have further resources listed in Classics Set #2, 3 and 4, to help you dig deeply into these topics. There are approximately twelve books per list, so you can use the list as a blueprint for the year, or take your time on each book!

Step Four: Leading the meetings:

Before you freak out about public speaking, just remember that these are discussion groups made up of your friends! You can make your discussion time as formal or as casual as you want. The great thing about a book club discussion, is that no one is going to whip out a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order and grade you on your performance. All you really need are material to discuss, which we picked in the last step, and a list of discussion questions. Here are four main categories of discussion questions to get you going.

Observation:

Take a minute and survey the book you read. The great thing about this part is that it gives everyone a refresher on the material, and gives you some topics to refer back to during the main discussion. What stood out to different people about the book? What points about the author’s worldview are readily apparent from the conclusions he drew? What do you know about the author, and what do you learn about them through their book?

Evaluation:

This step is critical to active listening. What we read affects the way we view the world, so it is important to have a standard to check what you read against. A few good ideas to get you started are Scripture, the Constitution, and the principles of Limited government, Individual freedom, Free enterprise, and Traditional Values (or the LIFT Principles, from Patriot Academy). To get started, how does what you have read line up with scripture? Do you have any particular verses or biblical principles that apply (positively or negatively) to what you are reading? Next, how does your understanding of the constitution inform your opinion of what you have read and its potential affect on our country and the world. And finally, does what you have read talk about any of the four LIFT Principles, and what does it say about them. The evaluation process helps you identify truth in what you are reading, as well as safeguarding against internalizing inaccurate information.

Implications:

What does this mean for me? The best book in the world can only change the way you think if you take a minute to look at the short and long-term effect of the ideas and actions in the book. What are three possible positive, and three possible negative outcomes of the proposed solutions in the book? What values must be sacrificed in order to promote the principles in the book? Have the ideas in the book affected history positively or negatively? What are some potential moral implications of the worldview in the book?

Action:

Is there something that you see because of what you read that brings to mind something in our country to pray about? Are there people to whom you need to communicate the truth you have read? Like every good thing, start small. Maybe you talk to a friend or family member, maybe you talk to your neighbor or call an elected official. We are not all called to run for office, or write a bestselling book, but we are all called to be faithful in the little things in our everyday life.

As you wrap the discussion up, you can take a minute to introduce the next book, maybe with a few facts about the author, or have someone read the back or the flyleaf aloud. End the meeting with prayer for our country, for the world at large, and ask if there is anything the ladies in the group would like you to pray for. Often, there is no easy answer for some of the trials we face, but we serve an awesome God who is fully capable of giving grace and discernment for anything He has placed in our lives.

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”

“If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women.”  ~ Abigail Adams

Have these books inspired you? Would you like to check out our Cottage Meeting videos and explore joining or starting a Cottage Meeting Group?

If you have questions about Cottage Meetings, please contact us at moms@momsforamerica.us

To purchase a Starter Kit, visit our store HERE.