Book club helps students to breach reality

“It gives me an escape from reality,” sophomore Lexi Allen said. 

Reading provides people with a way to leave the world they know, and escape into many different new and exciting universes. These new worlds can be found in the pages of the millions of books that have been written to do just that. 

Wano book club provides an outlet for students who have a love for reading to meet and discuss their different thoughts, ideas, and feelings about the books they read.

The club was started this year by Mrs. Poggioli, an English 1 and creative writing teacher. She has a set reading schedule for members, where each month they have a choice between two options. At their monthly meetings they get into story circles based on the book they chose and have discussions about their thoughts. 

“I’ll have some questions to get the discussion going but usually the ideas and the feelings of the book take off on their own about their thoughts on the book,” Poggioli said. 

The story circles give the students a more organized way to discuss their thoughts on the book with people who had a similar interest in the book they chose. Having a story circle can help you see a different point of view that someone else might have had. Sometimes hearing someone else’s opinion allows people to open your mind to many other new ideas. 

“I hope it gives them a safe zone to come in and talk about books,” Poggioli said. 

The book club is open to any student who is interested in finding new books to read. Students can also join if they are looking for a place to find new people who have similar interests as them.

Kaitlyn Barnar, and Paige Ryan, freshmen along with Allen, all joined the book club because of their love for reading, and a search for new reads. They joined the club because they were all avid readers who were looking for a way to branch out in the books they read, and finding other people who they could relate to and converse with. 

“Book club has helped me branch out from what I normally read. I would never have picked up this science fiction book off the shelf, but I have been enjoying it,” Allen said. 

Many people find it hard to experience change and broaden their horizons. Joining the club will allow people to have a new source of finding books that they normally wouldn’t think to turn to, and provides students with an outlet to find like-minded people. 

“I love to travel and I think reading goes hand in hand with that. I am a connoisseur of language, I love reading the way things are written, reading how different authors can describe a world, a setting, a character,” Poggioli said. 

Many people find joy in reading for the many different benefits it brings people. It gives them a way to escape into a different world that provides entertainment and new visions. This hobby also provides many educational benefits that give bookworms an unsought for asset. 

“Reading has impacted me a lot through learning. I would read these historical fiction books and I would learn so much, and you get such a different perspective from different people. I don’t think you really understand it until you read it,” Allen said. 

Students who read for pleasure have been found to have a positive correlation with higher scores on critical thinking tests, according to a research study at the University of Waterloo. Readers are also found to have a higher vocabulary, a diversified knowledge base, and an improved level of focus. Being a reader has been shown to coincide with being a better student and having higher test scores. 

The book club contributes to the many benefits a student can gain from reading. From getting into books for the first time, to continuing a collection and search of books, it is a safe space for people to meet and converse on a monthly basis.