​The Wild Gentleman Book Club - November

​Last month we took on our first work of nonfiction, Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America - a farmer’s case against the way we live, work, and connect. It was a challenge to read, and it gave us one of our best conversations yet.

​This month we’re going back to fiction, with an American novel that one TWG member has strongly recommended for a while.

​We’ll tentatively meet on Tuesday, November 17, at 6 PM at a location TBD. [The date could also change.]

​The book is the starting point for good conversation. The opportunity to get together and support each other is what matters.

​The idea behind The Wild Gentleman is to bring men together in person to engage with complex ideas through good books. Our previous meetings have created space to dive deeper into character, relationships, love, family, legacy, careers, and growth.

​November's Book - Stoner

​The book for this month is John Williams’s Stoner.

​William Stoner is a farm boy from Missouri, sent to the state university to study agriculture so he can come home and work the land better. He never goes home. In a required English class, a Shakespeare sonnet stops him cold, and he spends the rest of his life as a teacher at the same university. There’s a hard marriage, a daughter he loves, a career that never quite takes off, and one stubborn, lasting love for the work itself.

​On paper, nothing much happens. That’s the point. Williams published it in 1965. It sold poorly and went out of print, and decades later it found its readers by word of mouth. It’s a quiet book, and a devastating one.

​Read it right after Berry, and the questions carry over. Stoner is the farm boy who left the land, then stayed put in one place for the rest of his life. Was that settling, or being settled? What does a good life look like when the world calls it a failure? And what does a man owe to his work, his marriage, and his kid when they pull him in different directions?

​About The Wild Gentleman Book Club

​The Wild Gentleman Book Club brings men together for conversations that matter. Real discussion about character, purpose, and what it means to live thoughtfully.

​Our monthly gatherings have grown into something rare: A space where men can ask hard questions, challenge ideas, and build genuine community through literature.

​What to expect:

• ​Thoughtful discussion of Stoner

• ​Connection with men seeking wisdom and community

• ​An environment that values questions over answers

• ​Good conversation over good food and drinks

​What Past Attendees Say

​"We're starved for connection and meaning because we spend our time in the shallows. The Wild Gentleman invites us to go deeper, with people looking to do the same."

​"It starts with the books… and ends at a table of thoughtful men, sharing their own stories and ideas."

​About The Wild Gentleman

​We explore thoughtful masculinity through four core values: Love, Adventure, Wisdom, and Community. Our book club embodies all four — the adventure of tackling challenging literature and meeting new people, the wisdom found in great stories, the love required for vulnerable conversation, and the community we build together.

Follow or sign up for the newsletter here: The Wild Gentleman.

​Location: TBD
When: Tentatively, Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 6:00 PM
What to bring: An open mind and willingness to engage

​Come as you are. Let's read, think, and grow together.

​New to the group? Great. These conversations are designed for everyone — whether you've read every word, listened to the audiobook, or just barely skimmed the back cover.

Wild at heart. Refined in mind.

​Questions? Contact dennis@thewildgentleman.com