Feminist Book Club highlights progressive authors
Group started in 2018 and focuses on topics that affect women and nonbinary individuals
For the next two years, we will likely be inundated with feminist books and those dealing with abortion and birth control. It’s unprecedented to go through a period where the Supreme Court overturned Roe and in which a presidential election looms.
It makes sense for readers to look for opportunities to learn more about authors and to relate to other readers interested in the same thing. One of the groups they can join is the Feminist Book Club, which was started by Renee Powers in Minneapolis in 2018. It’s grown to include members from across the country.
“We've just positioned ourselves as smart, thoughtful, intersectional and we know our stuff,” Powers said. “We've got a team of contributors from around the country from all sorts of backgrounds.”
They have a different theme every month. With it, they suggest a book that is related to the theme. They focused on gender and technology this month, with a reading of a queer, nonbinary, biracial retelling of Frankenstein.
They invite the author to do a Q&A afterward. A portion of their royalties goes to social justice organizations. Members suggest book titles and from that list, Powers whittles it down to whatever one the book club focuses on.
Many of the topics are challenging to discuss, such as abortion, which can be complex and evoke different feelings depending on the person.
“People have really respected the way that we've approached difficult topics,” Powers said. “We make it comfortable to discuss difficult topics, or at least being comfortable getting uncomfortable.”
April’s theme is Muslim American voices. They are partnering with Reviving Sisterhood for Empowerment, an Islamic organization in Minneapolis.
Ultimately, Powers hopes the book club is a launchpad to fight discrimination.
“We overlook how social reading can be,” Powers said. “It's not an isolated reading and isolation is no longer necessary. You can read in a community, and you can learn and grow in a community as well.”