Group Living and Other Recipes

A spirited and timely exploration of group living that encourages readers to reconsider the meaning of family and home.

Lola Milholland grew up in the nineties, the child of iconoclastic hippies. Both her parents threw open their rambling house in Portland, Oregon, to long-term visitors and unusual guests in need of a place to stay. Years later, after college and after her parents' separation, Milholland returned home. There, she joined her brother and his housemates--an eccentric group of stop-motion animators and accomplished cooks--in furthering the experiment of communal living into a new generation.

Group Living and Other Recipes tells the story of the residents of the Holman House--of transcendent meals and ecstatic parties, of colorful characters coming together in moments of deep tenderness and inevitable irritation, of a shared life that is appealing, humorous, confounding, and, just maybe, utopian--with a wider exploration of group living as a way of life. From spending time at her aunt and uncle's intentional community in Washington State to finding her footing in the kitchen as a student in Japan to mushroom hunting in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Milholland offers an expansive and vibrant reevaluation of the structures at the very center of our lives.

Thoughtful, quirky, candid, and wise, Group Living and Other Recipes introduces a gifted memoirist and thinker, making a convincing case that "now is always the right time to reimagine home and family."

These book club questions are from the publisher, Spiegel & Grau.

Book club questions for Group Living and Other Recipes by Lola Milholland

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Group Living and Other Recipes tackles the benefits—and potential downsides—of communal living. Discuss the pros and cons. What would you enjoy the most? What would irk you?

A recent study showed that loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking. How do you think group living arrangements help to combat loneliness? On the flip side, is it possible to feel like you don’t have enough personal space?

Lola tackles what group living looks like in different locations, including Kyoto, Japan, and Port Townsend, Washington. What are a few examples of group living styles you learned from the book? How do they differ, and what remains the same?

Lola talks about the guests that passed through the Holman House at different times in her life. Was there one guest that stands out for you? Have you ever had a houseguest make a lasting impression?

Discuss the difference between group living and just “living with a roommate.” What are the foundations of group living?

Lola discusses the joys and benefits of communal cooking and sharing meals together. How are meals handled in your household? Is there anything you wish you could change?

Throughout the book, Lola includes some of her favorite recipes. Have you tried any? Is there a go-to recipe of your own that you would share with others? If so, how does eating that meal make you feel?

Lola’s relationships with her housemates ebb and flow as different environmental factors fluctuate (e.g., Covid, Lola’s relationship with Corey). How are these changes in structure navigated? What challenges do they pose to group living?

The Holman House really comes to life as a character in the book. Does your living space have a personality? How would you describe it, and how does it shape the way you interact with others in your space?

Is group living something you would consider now or in the future? Was there a time in your life when you feel you would have benefited from group living?

Group Living and Other Recipes Book Club Questions PDF

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