Students who love to read but want a break from the pressure of assigned academic texts should look no further than Grinnell College’s two student-organized book clubs. Overbooked, founded in 2022 by November Brown `23, covers a range of genres, while Pride vs. Prejudice, founded in 2023, focuses on reading books written by authors from marginalized communities.
Overbooked features weekly Wednesday-evening gatherings in which group members sit and read together in Smith Hall’s lounge. The club aims to read one book per month, with a formal discussion of the book on the first Monday of every month. Members suggest books, the club leadership narrows the options down to a shortlist, and then members vote on which book to read next. Wallis Shepard `25, a chairperson of the club, said, “Sometimes we’ve done themes. Last year for October, we did a spooky mystery. For February, we did a romance. But generally, it’s just whatever people suggest.”
The club’s treasurer, Lily Perrin `25, said, “I was pretty proud of us last year because we read across a lot of different genres. We read literary fiction, mystery, historical romance, fantasy and nonfiction.”
Perrin described discussions as relaxed and participatory, with every member getting a chance to summarize their thoughts on the reading. Once everyone has had a chance to share their first impressions, the discussion flows naturally, either picking up a common theme or using discussion guides included in the backs of books. Mykenzie Masters `25, president of the club, said, “A section of the discussion is spoiler-free, so that there’s no pressure for you to come with the book finished.” The club is currently reading “The School for Good Mothers” by Jessamine Chan.
Pride vs. Prejudice has a more focused reading list. Isaiah Schlimm `27, the club’s treasurer, said, “We don’t have specific categories each book needs to fall into, but we try to include authors that are both outside of traditional hetero-normative roles and traditional Western cultural areas.” Amy Kan `27, co-founder, said that while the club is currently small, they generated four pages worth of email signatures by tabling at this year’s Student Organization Fair.
Catherine Kim `27, co-founder and president of the club, said, “I remember talking to Amy about an idea of a book club, where we read books coming from minority or marginalized communities during PCPOP [Peer Connections Pre-Orientation]. And a couple weeks later, Amy contacted me and was like, ‘Let’s try and make this work.’”
Club leaders take suggestions from members before drafting a reading list. This semester, the club is reading “Confessions of a Mask” by Yukio Mishima, “Autobiography of Red” by Anne Carson and “Notes of a Crocodile” by Qiu Miaojin.
Leaders from both clubs emphasized the enjoyment that can come from reading for pleasure and the roles book clubs can play in facilitating that enjoyment. “I think what helps is that a book club doesn’t necessarily pressure you into an obligation of reading, but it’s an incentive to read”, Kim said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people, myself included, where it’s like, ‘Oh, wow, I have so many readings, but I look at the pile of books that I brought to school, and I don’t read them.’ And I think that’s really sad.”
Shepard said, “I think having it in the structure of a club with other people there gives a kind of permission to read for fun and to take a break from doing academic work.”
Reach Overbooked at overbooked@studentorg.grinnell.edu or attend one of their reading gatherings on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in Smith Lounge. Pride vs. Prejudice (pridevprejudice@studentorg.grinnell.edu) will have their first meeting on Sunday 29th from 7:00-8:00 pm on Burling first.
