A chapter in the history of Dallas book clubs closed recently when Elizabeth Thompson retired from her 40-year career as a book reviewer and book club founder.
Thompson, a neighborhood resident, is credited with helping found 14 book clubs beginning in 1957. Several, including the inaugural Thompson Book Club, have a large number of members from East Dallas and Lake Highlands.
Thompson began reviewing books after attending a few clubs during the 1950s. Friends recognized a special spark of literary enthusiasm in the young mother and asked her to help form a club and serve as the reviewer.
Then, as now, the reviewer selects and reads a book and then presents a one-hour summary to the other members during a monthly gathering.
Soon, other acquaintances were asking Thompson to help form additional book clubs. She created and reviewed books for clubs as far-flung as Cleburne, Van Alstyne, McKinney, Plano and Richardson.
For years, Thompson was the primary reviewer for each group, but she eventually cut back on her schedule and added other reviewers.
“I consider myself primarily a storyteller,” Thompson says. “I like to read and tell a good story and have people learn something if possible.”
Other neighborhood book discussion clubs include ones conducted at the following Dallas Public Libraries: Forest Green Branch, 214-670-1335; Park-Forest Branch, 214-670-6333; and the Kleberg-Rylie Branch, 214-670-8471.
