Why I Started a Book Club (Why You Should Too)

By Adalyn Lowe

Lovers of stories, discontent with the state of the average high school English class. What were we to do?

Book clubs seemed akin to classic suburbia—mothers gathering once a month to sip wine and skillfully avoid the topic of the book they had read. That’s what I believed anyhow (actually, in all honesty, I had started a book club when I was nine, attempting to recreate said classic suburbia experience). But the point is, wildly uncool to the average teenager.

I sought to change this, though I’m not a very cool teenager either, depending on who you ask. So perhaps my involvement isn’t helpful in raising the “coolness” standard. 

Perhaps I’m in a minority that enjoys English class, especially in my STEM-centered area. My AP Lit teacher holds a discussion-based style of teaching—asking us to speak about what we’ve thought of the previous readings. Yet when I glance around, my classmates are essentially parroting their selected chatbot, which they’ve fed the discussion questions. Some could say this isn’t very conducive to learning (me included), but most would say they don’t care. I sought allies who cared for books as I did, who didn’t find English class a waste of time.

This is how I ended up in a coffee shop with three other girls, each clutching a copy of Vilette by Charlotte Bronte.

But we’ll get back to that later. I feel the need to sway you to the cool-factor of the book club with my other favorite subject—history! Beyond Bible study groups, secular reading groups began appearing in America and Europe in the late 18th century. These groups were particularly diverse in nature—and primarily composed of women. Book clubs were used to tackle social issues, used as intellectual outlets and political gatherings.

As women were prohibited from many universities, they utilized book clubs to keep up their education—reading difficult stories in groups. Reading is already a powerful tool, but reading together and fostering discussion is instrumental in social and societal progression. Human connection is largely due to art, the nature in which we could all find something beautiful (or not), and perhaps feel something about it. This is a gift, and precisely what the book club can be. 

There’s so much potential in a book club! Honestly, you could probably get some really great discussion out of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, if you believe enough. And perhaps that’s what some people need. I believe some actually would benefit from this—the ability to find value in art that perhaps at face value, doesn’t seem to have much. But my point is, there’s a book club for everyone, just as I say there’s a book for everyone. And if you don’t feel like there’s a book club for you—start it!

This is precisely how I found myself in said coffee shop with Vilette in hand. We talked for hours straight, our unlikely group, but now wonderful friends through the stories we read together. While we attempt to find community, remember you can be the one to guide it. Use it to talk about the things that are important to you, know that art has been the fuel behind massive movements!