Why do so many of us hate reading? Is it the act itself, or the fact that we’ve been taught from a very young age that reading is not about personal exploration, but to improve our academic ability? Reading is supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to inspire and thrill us and this is what Book club is all about.

“Book club teaches us the world of everyone and everything” muses book club president, senior Sholwas Washington. The club was started last year and has slowly acquired more members. “It’s a stress free environment and I love how nice everyone is” declared freshman Ethan Bollert. It is this stress free, safe, and casual environment as well as the democratic way the club is run that makes reading less of a chore and perhaps even… enjoyable!

The club just finished reading the graphic novel Persepolis about the state of Iran during the time of the author’s childhood. They had a discussion about the themes and techniques in the novel and made small talk, making sure everyone felt welcomed. They then decided on a new book as a group, George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984. They will meet in the library on Wednesday to discuss the first two chapters and welcome any newcomers.

Many of us have forgotten just how fun and freeing reading can truly be, and book club was formed to remind us of this fact. It’s the opposite of a stereotypical snooty book club, it is an open group of good friends having a good time and discussing their love of storytelling. What could be cooler than that?