Bridging the Community: An Online Book Club

Before the pandemic, one of my favourite weekend excursions was to my local community library. With its seemingly endless aisles of books from every genre, the library is a literal treasure trove of information spanning history, politics, science, technology, medicine, world cultures, and literary classics to name just a few disciplines. There is a comforting and magical, almost medieval pleasure in holding a book into which someone has invested so much time, patience, and effort with the hope of passing on wisdom and knowledge to countless generations. I welcomed the opportunity to scour the shelves—especially in the teenage fiction section—in my fervent hunt for eye-catching titles. 

Similar to a place of worship, the silent and serene library confers sacred significance on the rapidly disappearing act of reading for pleasure, especially in my generation. We are the smartphone generation who are social media obsessed, spending hours scrolling through TikTok, Instagram and SnapChat. This novel technology addiction has regrettably blunted the passion for reading and learning from books for many of my peers. 

However, for me, an avid reader, not being able to access my treasured library books during the pandemic meant I had to find a way to keep my creative juices flowing. I began ordering books online but I soon found out that I missed the thrill of going to the library, meeting other readers there, and discussing books with people who felt the same about reading as I do. I quickly realized that I had to find more creative and innovative ways of keeping my passion for reading alive. 

My mom had previously suggested an online book club which I first thought cringe-worthy given that the library had been my version of a book club, a quiet and safe place to discover new treasures and connect with other readers. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that an online book club might be the best way of getting me out of the comfort zone I had slipped into during the pandemic.

It would allow me to connect with the wider reading community of younger readers for a greater good—the sheer love of books, reading, and lively discussions. Everyone was already online for school due to the pandemic, so at the very least I could leverage this platform to connect with others who share my passion. Moreover, it would be a great way to volunteer within the community by encouraging more young people like myself to join in and share their love of reading and literacy on the whole. 

It was important for me to establish a book club outside of my school. I wanted to meet students from the wider GTA student community to promote diverse reading interests and a more prolific exchange of ideas. I also realized that to keep such a venture alive I would need the help of someone passionate and invested in literacy who could share the responsibilities with me. My mom, who tutors young people from across the country and even abroad, has a vast network, many my age. I had gotten to know a few students from downtown GTA schools and I reached out to see if any had an interest in an online book club. I connected with a fellow reader who is as keen as I am in promoting a love for literacy amongst young readers and in forming an online reading community that could have stimulating and exciting discussions on all kinds of books and related topics. Our first meetings involved creating a Google Forms questionnaire to gauge the interest for a GTA-wide book club within our peer network. Once we received promising responses from the questionnaire, we set up an Instagram account to communicate with our new members. 

Our first book club session, which was recently held via Zoom, was a great success as everyone had much to contribute on Haruki Murakami’s short story “Charlie Parker plays Bossa Nova” from his 2020 short story collection First Person Singular, which flowed into a discussion of musical and artistic interests. We are now a group of ten from various schools across the GTA and we are heading into our second session with great feedback and ideas for future books. We would love to eventually expand to include other young readers from across the country, continent, and even maybe other countries. A website is also in our future plans. Born out of my need to sustain my safe space for reading, our online book club is shaping up to be a worthwhile literacy project, bringing together students from across our greater community during the summer and beyond. 

Although it’s in its early stages, our book club is teaching me the importance of finding creative ways to sustain a passion.  In my case, this is for reading, debate, and promoting the need for literacy, especially within younger generations. I’ve also learned how important it is to build a peer network that provides a safe space for young people to come together and discuss relevant topics and issues. It is also immensely fulfilling to give one’s time to an initiative that fosters a community of young minds. Any venture started by young people for young people, whether it’s in a physical space or online, sustains the minds of not just individuals but an entire community of motivated and engaged young people.