RODERICK TATE / Midtown

Brothas Well Read

How often they meet: Monthly

About this club: A group of men gathered on a Sunday afternoon in 2000, and the club has been together ever since. They meet in members’ homes, at coffee shops and in restaurants. “We enjoy fellowshipping with one another while discussing a great book,” Roderick Tate says. Past reads include “Gentleman Jigger,” by Richard Bruce Nugent; “The Secret Life of Bees,” by Sue Monk Kidd; and “Seen It All and Done the Rest,” by Pearl Cleage. In addition to traditional meetings, club members keep in touch through the Web site, www.brothaswellread.com. Members suggest books, which are placed in a pool and chosen at random. The member who suggests the book leads the discussion, “using his own creative style,” Tate says. The group reads fiction and nonfiction and prefers books with 300 pages or fewer. Book clubs tend to be women’s territory, but Tate says he finds many men eager to join the discussion. “Our members look forward to our meetings because we have built up a friendship over time,” Tate says, adding that the Web-based club, started in June, has brought in members from around the world.

Recently read: “No Disrespect,” by Sister Souljah.

What it’s about: This memoir of the hip-hop artist’s years on growing up in the Bronx also gives her broader view on African-American culture. “It talks about her struggle as an African-American female and how the lessons in her life helped mold her into who she is today,” Tate says.

What members thought: “The members thought the book was quite moving,” he says. “You could feel the pain of the writer’s experiences and how she wanted to move beyond her existence and make a change for African-Americans.”

Next assignment: “They Tell Me of a Home,” by Daniel Black.

Tell us what your club is reading. Contact Patti Ghezzi at pattighezzi@hotmail.com