What are good book club discussion questions for This Is The Plan?

Spoiler-free questions to get the conversation going: Curl up and think back: when did you first feel like your voice actually mattered in your community? Share that warm little memory; Was there a page in this book that made you feel unexpectedly comforted or hopeful? What was it about that moment that settled your heart?; Wikler writes a lot about showing up for one another. When has someone showing up for you, or you for them, left a lasting glow?; The book leans on patience and the long game. How do you personally find comfort when progress feels slow in your own life?; Which of the everyday people or organizers in these pages felt most like someone you would want at your own kitchen table, and why?.

What food and drinks should I serve at a This Is The Plan book club?

Food: Wisconsin cheese and beer bread board, Slow-cooker chili with cornbread, and Warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla. Drinks: Hot spiced apple cider, Wisconsin craft amber ale, and Brandy old fashioned (sweet).

How do I host a This Is The Plan book club night?

A former state party chair opens up about the human effort behind winning elections, making it a warm, hopeful read for anyone curious about how change really gets made.

This Is The Plan Book Club Questions, Food & Host Guide

Warm-up questions

1 Curl up and think back: when did you first feel like your voice actually mattered in your community? Share that warm little memory.
2 Was there a page in this book that made you feel unexpectedly comforted or hopeful? What was it about that moment that settled your heart?

Digging in

1 Wikler writes a lot about showing up for one another. When has someone showing up for you, or you for them, left a lasting glow?
2 The book leans on patience and the long game. How do you personally find comfort when progress feels slow in your own life?
3 Which of the everyday people or organizers in these pages felt most like someone you would want at your own kitchen table, and why?
4 The book treats hope almost like a practice rather than a feeling. What is a small, cozy habit that keeps your own hope topped up?

Going deep

1 By the time you closed the book, did it shift how you feel about being an ordinary person trying to make a difference? Sit with that and share gently.
2 Without giving away where the book lands, what part of Wikler's overall message do you most want to carry into your own neighborhood or family life?

On the table

Wisconsin cheese and beer bread board

A nod to the author's Wisconsin roots, cozy and shareable for a relaxed table

Slow-cooker chili with cornbread

Homey Midwestern comfort food that fits the book's grassroots, gather-round warmth

Warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla

A little indulgent and nurturing, perfect for a hopeful, feel-good night

To sip

Hot spiced apple cider No alcohol

Warm, comforting, and non-alcoholic, great for sipping through gentle conversation

Wisconsin craft amber ale

A friendly local pour that toasts the author's home state

Brandy old fashioned (sweet)

Wisconsin's beloved cozy cocktail, a warm regional wink

Warm, hopeful folk and heartland acoustic to wrap the room in a gentle glow

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