Crack Open A Good Book

GARY AND HIS WIFE have called Ridgewood home since 1993, raising their son through the entire Ridgewood school system, from Willard Elementary to Ridgewood High. He’s been active in the Ridgewood Baseball and Softball Association (where he and fellow board members created the Opening Day Fair), he currently serves on the Board of Rockland Center for the Arts, and he’s a partner at the Bergen County-based law firm Kantrowitz Goldhamer and Graifman, P.C. When he’s not reading or practicing law, you might even catch him playing with his rock band, Used Karmas, which just released its second album.

But one of Gary’s most cherished roles is “de facto president” of the Ridgewood Men’s Book Club—a group that’s been sharing stories, ideas, and camaraderie for more than 15 years. We sat down with Gary to learn more about the club and what keeps it thriving.

How did the Book Club get started? The club was started in 2008 by Tom Clark, a former Ridgewood resident. It actually grew out of a group of us who were involved in the Ridgewood Baseball and Softball Association—Tom, John Morris, Jan Schwartz, and me. Tom was the de facto “president,” and when he moved to Washington, D.C. to become CFO of Georgetown Law School, I took over.

How do you decide what to read?

We meet once a month, always on the last Friday. Each December, members send me their nominations for the following year’s books. I compile them into a list with summaries, sometimes as many as 35 to 40 books. One of our members sets up an online survey, and we use rank voting. At our December meeting, we reveal the results and finalize our 12 selections— six fiction and six non-fiction. Occasionally, we’ve even had the privilege of interviewing authors, including Pulitzer Prize winners, professors, and even some of our own members who’ve written novels.

How many members are in the group?

Right now, about nine. While most are from Ridgewood, we’ve also had members from Ho-Ho-Kus, Allendale, and Oradell. Membership is fluid, depending on life circumstances.

What are some of the recent titles?

We aim for a mix: classics, serious works, humor, and topical nonfiction. For instance, we’ve tackled books on AI, the pandemic, and politics. We’ve also read works by members themselves. James Tobin, a former member, joined us via Zoom when we read his “When We Were Wolves.” Current member Jan Schwartz has shared his novels “Ms. Smith” and “Metamorphosis of Julian Weiss” with us.

What are the meetings like?

We rotate homes, meeting in person unless circumstances— like COVID—push us online. Meetings last two to two-and a-half hours. There’s always beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres. While the book discussion is the focus, we inevitably wander into current events, politics, music, movies, and sports.

Can new members join?

Absolutely. We just ask that new members be committed—it takes time to read and attend regularly. We usually put it to a vote among current members, but we’re always open to welcoming interested readers into our literary fraternity.

Do you have a favorite book the group has read?

Hard to choose. I loved the Shakespeare plays we tackled early on—those discussions unlocked some of the mystery. Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s Ashes” was unforgettable. Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 dystopian novel “It Can’t Happen Here,” which we read just before the 2016 election, struck me as eerily prescient. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” was memorable, especially because author Garth Stein joined us—from a ferry, in the rain. Amor Towles’s “A Gentleman in Moscow” was captivating. And then the humorous ones—Andrew Sean Greer’s “Less,” P.G. Wodehouse’s “Right Ho, Jeeves,” Carl Hiassen’s “Bad Monkey,” and Bill Bryson’s “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.” Honestly, I could go on and on.

Why is the Men’s Book Club important to Ridgewood?

We started this because we wanted to challenge ourselves—to read outside our comfort zones and then have intelligent discussions. But equally important, it’s about connecting with local guys who share a love of reading and thoughtful conversation. It’s fun, it’s social, and it keeps us young.

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RIDGEWOOD MEN’S BOOK CLUB: RECENT READS

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence

by Jeff Hawkins

The Handmaid’s Tale

by Margaret Atwood

The Age of AI and Our Human Future

by Kissinger, Schmidt & Huttenlocher

When We Were Wolves

by J.E. Tobin

A Short History of Humanity

by Johannes Krause

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

by James McBride

The Heat Will Kill You First

by Jeff Goodell

Miniatures: A Very Short Fiction

by John Scalzi

Independence Day

by Steve Lopez

The Maniac

by Neil Labatut

The Half Known Life

by Pico Iyer

James

by Percival Everett

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks

by David Gibbins

The Testaments

by Margaret Atwood

Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Etc.

by Malcolm Gladwell

Carry On, Jeeves

by P.G. Wodehouse

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

by Yuval Noah Harari

The Golem of Brooklyn

by Adam Mansbach

We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China’s Surveillance State

by Kai Strittmatter

Martyr!

By Kaveh Akbar

Democracy Awakening

by Heather Cox Richardson

Dinner at the Center of the Earth

by Nathan Englander

The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks,…Summer of 1982

by Chris Nashawaty

BY KRIS PEPPER