Book Club Night Kit

America's Golden Age

Newt Gingrich

Cozy night

Newt Gingrich lays out an optimistic forecast for America built on fast-moving technology and the politics of the Trump era, making it a book that invites people to say out loud what they actually hope for. It is short on jargon and long on predictions, which gives a club plenty to react to over a warm mug.

Chili, Cider, and the Next Hundred Years

Come read Newt Gingrich's optimistic forecast for America, then sit in a warm kitchen and tell us what you actually hope for. Mugs provided, agreement optional.

Reading level: Moderate

Best for: A club that can disagree kindly over pie and still refill each other's cups

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Before you opened this book, what was your gut feeling about the phrase 'golden age'? Did reading it soften that feeling, sharpen it, or leave it where it was?
2.Tell us about the room you read this in. Was this a kitchen-table book, a commute book, or a late-night-with-the-lamp-on book for you?

Digging in

1.Gingrich writes about technology making life longer and healthier. Which of those promises made you think of a specific person you love, and what did you find yourself hoping for them?
2.The book is built on optimism. Was there a page where that optimism actually comforted you, even a little, and one where it felt like a coat that did not quite fit?
3.Setting politics aside for a moment: what is one small, ordinary thing about American life that you would want any golden age to protect exactly as it is?
4.The book talks a lot about what is coming. What is something from your own past (a town, a job, a kitchen, a kind of neighbor) that you wish the future would bring back?

Going deep

1.By the time you closed the book, had it changed what you expect to feel in ten years, or only what you expect to see? Share whichever one shifted more.
2.Gingrich clearly wants the reader to finish hopeful. Whether or not he got there with you, what would someone have to say to you, warmly and honestly, to leave you hopeful about the next decade?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Skillet cornbread with honey butter

An unfussy American staple that fits a book about the country's future. Bake it in one pan, bring it to the table still warm, and let people tear off pieces while they talk.

Slow cooker chili with a toppings tray

The ultimate set-it-and-forget-it host food, and a dish that invites everyone to customize their own bowl, which is a gentle echo of a book about many visions of one country.

Apple hand pies (store-bought dough is fine)

As American as the title promises, and small enough to hold in one hand while gesturing about artificial intelligence. Moderate effort, big payoff.

To sip

Spiced apple cider, warm on the stove (no alcohol)

Non-alcoholic, smells like the whole house is hosting, and keeps everyone circling back to the kitchen. Add cinnamon sticks and orange slices.

Bourbon hot toddy with lemon and honey

An all-American spirit in its coziest form. Serve in mugs so the vibe stays soft rather than celebratory.

Mulled red wine with clove and a strip of orange peel

Low effort, warms the room, and encourages the slow sipping that keeps a political conversation from speeding up.