While many think young people would prefer to be glued to a screen rather than a book, there’s a bit of a plot twist – Gen Z actually likes reading.

This is definitely true here with the Book Club, where students who enjoy reading can share their passion and love for books. 

It involves discussions and deep thoughts about the meaning of the book, which students can immerse themselves in with the rest of the group. 

The Book Club was founded by English teacher Ignacio Mendez around 2004-2006. “The book club began after I was out for lunch with Ms. Albano and I noticed a group of elementary kids having a discussion about Dragonwings,” Mendez said. “And then I said to myself, ‘How come we can’t do something like this at our school?’” 

Mendez was also inspired to start the Book Club after hearing from students who wanted a place to discuss books and share their thoughts on books. The club has come a long way since it started, although it still has the same values as it did when it initially started. The club remains the same member-wise, which fosters a small community—not too big but not too small – which balances between being small enough for meaningful connections, yet large enough to include diverse perspectives. 

The club is often promoted by Mendez, who encourages his students to join the club, and the club consists of mainly Mendez’s students although there are other students in the Club. Currently, there are about 10-15 members in the club on average. “Mendez inspired me, he was talking about the Book Club, he was like, ‘we needed members for the book club’ and honestly I didn’t have anything else to do, so I joined the Book Club,” senior Araceli Lopez-Sanchez said.

The Book Club is somewhere where reading is cool, somewhere where students can share their passion and excitement to read books. “The club is a great way of getting into reading, and I know a lot of people who are in the club who you would’ve never thought would enjoy reading but they do,” senior Nico Padilla said. 

While the students change every year, the club remains the same with the same goals, but it has changed thanks to technology. “I would say that it evolved in a sense that now a lot of students, instead of getting an actual hard copy, want to do the online version, PDF, or the digital,” Mendez said. The benefit of using a digital copy is that it’s easier for students to access the books. 

Besides reading the books, everyone in the club gets to share their perspectives, including Mr. Mendez, who isn’t a teacher during the meetings, but rather a student himself, which makes things more involved since students can control the atmosphere and speak out their opinions. “I am kind of nonexistent with the book club, I am a member like everybody else,” Mendez said. “I just sit back in the group and during discussions, I am like one of the students in the club.”  Lopez-Sanchez said, “It has helped me speak out more on my ideas, and what I personally think.”

The club aims to immerse its members in a wide range of literary genres, helping students achieve new worlds and perspectives through diverse reading experiences. The process of selecting books is very simple – all the students get to pick and participate in the voting process for the books. 

Students recommend the books they wish to read with the group and the students vote on it. “The students are given opportunities to look up the book and vote democratically and the book that gets elected with the most votes, that’s what gets picked,” Mendez said.

Not only are the students in the book club experiencing a good environment, but they also form connections within the group and build friendships through discussions. “It provides them a safe space for them to have discussions about things that they like,”  Mendez said. 

According to Mendez, students can benefit significantly from the club because it looks great on seniors’ college applications. 

The club hosted a reading for elementary school students on October 30th, which helps promote literacy among younger individuals. “As we promote literacy to young individuals we hope to inspire the younger generation to be more open to reading books and recognize that reading is super beneficial and can help them in school and long term,” senior Book Club President Alyssa Annis said. 

Anyone is welcome to join if they are interested in reading. “I accept students all year,” said Mendez. “The kids can come and go as they please, and if we could double our membership, that would be awesome.” 

Mendez feels the club is special since it is one of the only clubs that promotes literacy and academic growth. It helps students become encouraged to read for pleasure, which is important for improving vocabulary, critical thinking, and overall comprehension skills. This club focuses on growth and enjoyment rather than competition. 

“We welcome anybody, and everybody, and we make them feel welcome,” Annis said. The Book Club meets on Tuesdays, typically holding one or two meetings each month, depending on the schedule. 

The club invites anyone looking to explore new worlds through books or simply a community where they are able to share their passion. So whether you’re a person who loves reading books or someone who is curious about starting their reading journey, the Book Club is a great place to start.