Book Club Night Kit

Everything Is Tuberculosis

John Green

Cozy night

John Green tells the story of tuberculosis, humanity's deadliest infectious disease, through history and through one young patient he met in Sierra Leone. It is a tender, surprisingly hopeful book that leaves you feeling connected to people across centuries and continents.

Blankets, Bowls, and a Book That Holds Your Heart

Join us for a cozy evening of warm stew, steaming mugs, and gentle conversation about John Green's Everything Is Tuberculosis. Bring your slippers and your feelings.

Reading level: Moderate

Best for: Clubs that love heartfelt nonfiction and don't mind a gentle cry over a warm mug

Discussion

Warm-up

1.Before you started this book, what did the word 'tuberculosis' bring to mind for you, and did anyone in your family ever have a story about it?
2.John Green writes as if he's sitting right next to you. Where were you curled up while reading, and did his voice ever make you feel like you had company?

Digging in

1.Henry's story runs through the book. How did getting to know one person change the way the bigger history felt to you?
2.The book shows many people caring for the sick, from families to nurses to strangers. Was there a moment of care that stayed with you, and did it remind you of someone who once looked after you?
3.For a long time people romanticized TB as a beautiful or artistic illness. How did it feel to read about that, and have you ever seen suffering made to seem prettier than it really is?
4.Green is open about his own anxieties and fears around illness. Did his honesty comfort you, and did it make it easier to think about your own worries?

Going deep

1.The book shows that a curable disease still takes so many lives. Where did you feel heartbreak while reading, and where, if anywhere, did you find hope?
2.When you closed the book, did you want to do anything differently, whether that's how you care for people, what you pay attention to, or how you think about strangers far away?

On the table & to sip

To eat

Groundnut Stew with Rice

A warm, hearty peanut stew loved across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, where Green met Henry. It's filling comfort food, easy to make ahead and ladle into bowls.

Rest-Cure Rice Pudding

A creamy baked rice pudding with cinnamon and nutmeg, a nod to the milk-rich meals served at old sanatoriums. Soothing, a little indulgent, and easy to pass around.

Warm Bread with Honey Butter

Crusty bread or soft rolls with whipped honey butter, the simple, nurturing food you bring someone who needs looking after. Store-bought bread is fine.

To sip

Ginger Honey Lemon Tea (no alcohol)

The classic comfort-when-you're-unwell mug. Fresh ginger, lemon, and honey, served steaming in a big pot.

Warm Spiced Milk (no alcohol)

Gently heated milk (or oat milk) with cinnamon, cardamom, and a touch of vanilla, in honor of the fresh-air-and-milk sanatorium cures. Like a hug in a cup.

Classic Hot Toddy

Whiskey, honey, lemon, and hot water, the old-fashioned remedy for coughs and chills. Offer it on the side for anyone who wants it.