Spartan Book Club

The Spartan Book Club encourages alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends to virtually connect with each other to read and discuss books on a range of topics. Participation in the online forum is free — simply purchase the book or borrow it from your local library. A new book will be chosen approximately every two months. You can join at any time and do not have to participate in every reading session.

Our current book is "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver

How It Works

There are no meetings of the Spartan Book Club — you can participate at your convenience and from anywhere you have Internet access

The book club is entirely online and connects through a private forum moderated by PBC Guru.
All discussions and networking take place in the forum.
The moderator poses questions to the group, shares relevant articles and facilitates conversation on topics in the book based on where members should be in the reading schedule. Generally, you’ll receive a weekly email from the moderator throughout the reading period.
Members are encouraged to post in the forum and share as well. 
Participation in the online forum is free — simply purchase the book or borrow it from your local library.
The book club reads a new book approximately every two months. We vote among several options each period and select a book based on participant interests. 
You do not have to participate in every book reading and your level of participation in the discussion is entirely up to you.

Even if you’ve already read the book, you’re encouraged to still participate by contributing to the conversation — one of the most valuable aspects of this book club is the opportunity to discuss the book with others in the Spartan community.

Benefits of Participation

Connect with fellow Spartans. The Spartan Book Club introduces you to MSU alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends from various backgrounds, geographies, generations and professions. Meet new people and gain different perspectives while reading and discussing the book.
Embrace lifelong learning. The Spartan Book Club will help you learn and grow with fellow Spartans as you enjoy regular discussions and share personal insights.
Reading is good for you. Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better and improve your relationships [1]. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, your emotional intelligence and your creativity [2].

Details

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2024 Books and Reading Schedule

Jan. 5 - March 8: "The Lost City of the Monkey God" by Douglas Preston
March 15 - May 17: "By Her Own Design" by Piper Huguley
May 24 - July 26: "We Should Not Be Friends" by Will Schwalbe
Aug. 2 - Oct. 4: "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver
Oct. 11 - Dec. 13: "The Ride of Her Life" by Elizabeth Letts

Have a suggestion for a book you'd like us to consider reading? Email Elizabeth Wheeler. Our preferred genres are fiction, historical fiction, mystery/thriller, biography and history. If you're a Spartan author, in fairness to all Spartan authors, please understand that we currently do not plan to feature any Spartan authors as a book club selection.

About the Current Book Selection

“Demon Copperhead” is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Barbara Kingsolver reimagines “David Copperfield” against the backdrop of the mountains of southern Appalachia as Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

“Demon Copperhead was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2022 by The Washington Post and The New York Times and it was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Barbara Kingsolver has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages. Critical acclaim for her work includes multiple awards and she won the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction for “Demon Copperhead.”