Book Club Night Kit
This Is The Plan
Ben Wikler
Cozy 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.
Cozy Up With This Is The Plan
Bring your comfiest sweater and an open heart. We are gathering for warm food, warm drinks, and a gentle chat about hope, community, and how change gets made.
Reading level: Moderate
Best for: A friendly club that loves cozy conversation about big ideas and the people behind them
Discussion
Warm-up
- 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 & to sip
To eat
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
Run of show
7:00
Warm welcome
Greet everyone with cider and the cheese board, let folks settle into comfy seats
7:20
Cozy warm-up
Ease in with the two warm-up questions while people fill their plates
7:40
Chili and chat
Serve the chili and cornbread, drift into the theme questions over dinner
8:15
Heart of it
Move to the two deep questions once everyone is fed and relaxed
8:45
Dessert and trivia
Bring out apple crisp and play a low-key round of trivia
9:05
Soft landing
Fill in scorecards, swap one-word takeaways, send folks home with a bookmark
Host tips
- Keep the lighting soft and the seating close so conversation feels like a fireside chat
- There are no wrong answers tonight, gently remind quieter guests their feelings count
- Prep the chili in the slow cooker earlier so you can relax and host, not cook
Playlist
Warm, hopeful folk and heartland acoustic to wrap the room in a gentle glow
- 01 This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
- 02 Keep Me in Your Heart - Warren Zevon
- 03 Rise Up - Andra Day
- 04 Home - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
- 05 The Weight - The Band
- 06 Lean on Me - Bill Withers
- 07 I Shall Be Released - Nina Simone
- 08 Better Days - The Goo Goo Dolls
Trivia
- 1.Ben Wikler was the chair of the Democratic Party of which state? (Wisconsin)
- 2.What is the title of the book? (This Is The Plan)
- 3.Before leading a state party, Wikler was known for his work with which online advocacy organization? (MoveOn)
- 4.The book's central subject is what kind of contest? (Winning elections)
- 5.Wisconsin is often called a what type of state in national elections? (A swing (battleground) state)
- 6.Is this book fiction or nonfiction? (Nonfiction)
- 7.What is Wisconsin's capital city, home to much of the state's political activity? (Madison)
- 8.Wikler is also known for hosting a podcast on which broad topic? (Politics and current affairs)
Bookmarks
Print, cut, and tuck one at every seat, a small keepsake from the night.
“Small hands, joined together, tip the whole world forward.”
This Is The Plan
Ben Wikler
bookclubnight.com
“Change simmers slow, like something warm on the stove.”
This Is The Plan
Ben Wikler
bookclubnight.com
“Show up, sit close, and keep the porch light on.”
This Is The Plan
Ben Wikler
bookclubnight.com
Rate the book
Warmth☆☆☆☆☆
Hopefulness☆☆☆☆☆
Heart☆☆☆☆☆
Comfort read factor☆☆☆☆☆
Would revisit☆☆☆☆☆
One word for how this book made you feel: ______________________
The moment that comforted me most was: ______________________
A hope I am carrying home tonight: ______________________
That's a wrap
Thank you for coming
We hope the company was good and the conversation even better. Until the next chapter.