Book Club Night Kit
Communion
JD Vance
Cozy night
A sitting vice president reflects on how faith quietly shaped his path through public life, offering a personal, contemplative read that invites gentle conversation. It is an easy pick for a night about belief, belonging, and where we find meaning.
A Cozy Night of Faith, Home, and Conversation
Come curl up with cider, comfort food, and gentle conversation about Communion. Wear your softest sweater and bring an open heart.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: A relaxed club that loves heartfelt memoirs and honest talk about belief and belonging
Discussion
Warm-up
- 1.As you settled in with this book, what is one moment that felt like a warm cup of something familiar to you?
- 2.Before we go deeper, share a place, person, or tradition from your own life that grounds you the way faith grounds parts of this story.
Digging in
- 1.The book treats faith as something woven quietly through daily life. Where did that quiet, steady presence feel most comforting or relatable to you?
- 2.So much here is about roots and where we come from. What passage made you think tenderly about your own origins or family?
- 3.When the author writes about belonging and community, did any part make you feel seen, homesick, or wrapped up in a good memory?
- 4.The book sits at the meeting point of private belief and public life. Did anything here make you reflect gently on how you carry your own convictions around others?
Going deep
- 1.Setting aside politics, was there a moment of doubt or searching in the book that quietly moved you or mirrored a season of your own life?
- 2.By the time you closed the book, what feeling did it leave sitting with you, and did it soften or shift anything you believe about faith and meaning?
On the table & to sip
To eat
Appalachian cornbread with honey butter
A humble, homey staple that echoes the author's rural roots and comfort of home
Slow-cooker chicken and dumplings
Nurturing, church-supper comfort food that fits the book's themes of community and faith gatherings
Warm apple hand pies
Sweet and a little indulgent, like a treat brought to a Sunday potluck
To sip
Spiced hot apple cider (no alcohol)
Cozy, non-alcoholic, and evocative of hearth and home
Slow-brewed sweet tea (no alcohol)
A gentle nod to the author's Southern and Appalachian world
Bourbon and honey hot toddy
Warming and a touch indulgent, quietly nodding to the region
Run of show
7:00
Warm welcome
Greet guests with hot cider and let everyone settle into the coziest seats
7:15
Comfort plates
Serve cornbread and chicken and dumplings buffet-style so people can graze while they chat
7:35
Gentle warm-up
Open with the two warm-up questions to ease everyone in
7:55
Heart of the talk
Move through the theme questions, letting quiet folks share at their own pace
8:30
Deeper reflection
Bring out hand pies and toddies for the two deep questions
8:55
Trivia and scorecards
Close with a few trivia rounds and fill-in scorecards before goodbyes
Host tips
- Keep the lighting low and warm with candles or string lights so nobody feels put on the spot
- Remind guests there are no wrong answers tonight, only personal ones
- Have a soft off-ramp ready if talk drifts to heated politics, steering gently back to feelings and personal stories
Playlist
Warm, acoustic, and gently reflective, like a porch evening after a long day
- 01 Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
- 02 Angel from Montgomery - John Prine
- 03 I'll Fly Away - Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch
- 04 The Weight - The Band
- 05 Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
- 06 Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss
- 07 Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- 08 Hard Times Come Again No More - Mavis Staples
Trivia
- 1.JD Vance first became widely known for which best-selling 2016 memoir? (Hillbilly Elegy)
- 2.What public office does JD Vance hold, as noted in the book's description? (Vice President of the United States)
- 3.Which U.S. state, tied to Appalachian culture, is central to Vance's personal story? (Ohio (with Kentucky roots))
- 4.Hillbilly Elegy was later adapted into a film released on which streaming platform? (Netflix)
- 5.Before entering politics, Vance worked in what business field? (Venture capital)
- 6.Vance is a graduate of which Ivy League law school? (Yale Law School)
- 7.The title Communion points to what central theme of the book? (Faith and its role in his life and work)
- 8.Vance served in which branch of the U.S. military? (The Marine Corps)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“Faith kept warm like coals under morning ash.”
Communion
JD Vance
bookclubnight.com
“Home is a table where everyone still has a seat.”
Communion
JD Vance
bookclubnight.com
“Some roots grow deepest in the hardest ground.”
Communion
JD Vance
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Coziness of the read☆☆☆☆☆
How much it moved me☆☆☆☆☆
Warmth of characters and voice☆☆☆☆☆
Made me reflect on my own life☆☆☆☆☆
Comfort-food pairing☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book made me feel: ______________________
The moment that stayed with me: ______________________
I would reread this on a rainy day: yes or no ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.