The unstoppable tradition of the book club
We were delighted to be included in Tracy Mumford’s article for MPR News “The Unstoppable Tradition of the Book Club.” She references the Great Books Foundation as a contributor to the initial growing popularity of book groups.
“As long as there have been books, there have been people gathering to discuss them. From extravagant Paris salons to humble candle-lit Midwestern affairs, the book club’s roots run deep. Today, an estimated five million Americans belong to a book club: Some intensely literary, some strictly online, some mystery, some themed, some more Chardonnay than Charles Dickens.” “ . . . By 1950, more than half a million households belonged to the club. America was reading together, en masse. Similar groups sprang up around the country, including the Literary Guild and the Great Books Foundation.”
