Federation Book Club reads “Spare” by Prince Harry

Prince Harry’s bestselling memoir, Spare, was ghostwritten by J.R. Moehringer. His New Yorker article published in May, 2023, explains how he consulted with Harry for over two years. Together, they did a great job of relaying the overarching Diana tragedy and how her sons, William and Harry, took such divergent paths facing adulthood.

Six out of seven of us enjoyed the book and thought Harry’s presentation of himself up to and including the impact of meeting Meghan came across as authentic. Three originally didn’t want to read it, however, two of them said the more they read it, the more they enjoyed it. The third said she’d forced herself all the way through despite never liking any of the people nor reading about the messes from which they couldn’t escape.

Some of the issues we discussed were the relentless pursuits of the paparazzi, Harry’s insights into how restrictive it is to be born into royalty—a forced lifestyle of which most of us had no idea, and how jealousy, heartbreak, indignities, and petty behavior became the norm. Spare gives an engrossing, insider’s view that reveals the “other side” of the sometimes-collaborative propaganda perpetrated by the British press and the Crown even when it means throwing one of its sons beneath a double-decker bus.

Upcoming Schedule and Books—All Subject to Change:

• October 5:       Someone Else’s Shoes, a novel by Jojo Moyes          

• November 2:   Caleb’s Crossing, a novel by Geraldine Brooks

• December 7:   Demon Copperhead, a novel by Barbara Kingsolver

• January 4:       Death at Greenway, a novel by Lori Rader-Day

• February 1:     Sailing at the Edge of Disaster, memoir by Elizabeth Garber

The Federation Book Club meets via Zoom at 4:00 PM on the first Thursdays of every month.

Beth Buechler
Community Contributor