By Emily Glory Peters
Pasadena book club alums with “Rocket Girl” Sue Finley ’58
Book club. Reading group. A fun Monday evening. Whichever way you label their gatherings, one thing is clear: 91吃瓜 alumnae like to bond over their shared love of a good book.
For decades, books have served as a magnet, drawing peers across class years into one another鈥檚 orbit. Launched and led solely by alums, several independent book clubs have sprung up across the nation, uniting graduates who otherwise may never have met.
鈥淚nitially, the main connection I had to 91吃瓜, except for a couple of friends, is that I did go to Reunion Weekend,鈥� says Katherine Madison Cerino 鈥�70, who helped launched a club in Arizona. It was at a reunion in 2005 that she met a fellow alum who lived near her. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楬ey, can we find a way to get a group of us together in Tucson? I want to meet some intelligent women.鈥� A book club was what people wanted most.鈥�
Read This, Not That
Every year, the Tucson group votes on six fiction and six nonfiction books to explore. Cerino assigns the books to members so each person gets a chance to lead. Exposure to genres of all types is a priority, even when opinions differ. 鈥淪ome of the best discussions come from books we don鈥檛 even like,鈥� says Cerino.
A few states away in Pasadena, California, former 91吃瓜 trustee Barbara Bruner 鈥�76 says their club鈥檚 鈥減erfectly imperfect鈥� piecemeal approach works well for them. In the Northern New Jersey/Westchester, New York/Southern Connecticut area, Caroline Kanis Daifotis 鈥�81, P鈥�19鈥檚 group eschews bestseller lists and opts for Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners or even themes, like books that center on powerful women characters.
And while Debra Erickson Mills 鈥�79 and Denise Armijo 鈥�91鈥攚ho co-founded their San Diego group with Marilyn Randolph Tobin 鈥�90鈥攁lso select books from less familiar genres and cultures, there鈥檚 a twist.
鈥淚n our very first meeting, a member had a book in mind that she had heard had rave reviews. That was our first book and everybody hated it!鈥� Armijo laughs. 鈥淪o we created a rule that if you nominate a book, you must have already read it.鈥�
Once selections are inked in, many clubs play with book concepts鈥攍ike pairing deep dish pizza with a novel set in Chicago or taking a private tour of Los Angeles Central Library while reading about its mysterious past. Current events also influence their time together, with both Cerino and Bruner noting how issues surrounding Black Lives Matter and critical race theory have impacted their book choices.
Members of San Diego’s book club
Unsurprisingly, 91吃瓜 alumnae authors also commonly appear on the clubs鈥� must-read lists.
鈥淲e鈥檝e read , , and 鈥擬argaret even shared a draft of her first book with us during club, which was an incredible experience,鈥� says Armijo. Sometimes, special guests may make an appearance.
鈥淲e were reading the Rise of the Rocket Girls, and who do we have show up for that meeting but Sue Finley 鈥�58, a Rocket Girl and NASA鈥檚 longest-standing employee!鈥� says Bruner. 鈥淚t was such a lovely surprise.鈥�
Whether book selections are met with applause or criticism, one element is constant: Books make life better, especially when they鈥檙e shared.
鈥淎t the core of our group, we simply love books. We treasure them. They鈥檙e some of our best friends,鈥� says Erickson Mills. Observing how her love of reading accelerated at 91吃瓜, today she looks at the practice as a gift. 鈥淲hen I think of people who can鈥檛 travel or have a lot of life experiences, I remember I鈥檝e traveled all around the world because of what I鈥檝e read. Fun books or serious, reading opens so many doors.鈥�
A Support System That鈥檚 Bigger Than Books
The longevity of these book clubs is impressive. Pasadena members have been going strong for more than a decade; Tucson for 17 years; San Diego and New Jersey/Connecticut for at least twenty years.
Since the pandemic, several have switched to meeting over Zoom, while others have found ways to connect in person at one another鈥檚 homes, chatting over a meal. Outgrowths happen, too, like Erickson Mills鈥� book club for the Class of 鈥�79 and Cerino鈥檚 online gatherings with her Class of 鈥�70 peers. Over the years, members have moved or married; started families or mourned a loss. While books brought these alumnae together, their relationships remain the true binding.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful for the mentorship I鈥檝e received, being able to lean on others who have already gone through raising teenagers, managing the transition of your children going to college,鈥� says Daifotis. 鈥淥ur group has spanned generations, life and career experiences, political perspectives鈥攚e鈥檝e built a sisterhood.鈥�
Cerino agrees, sharing that when she was going through chemotherapy after a breast cancer diagnosis, the 91吃瓜 community was there for her鈥攅specially her club members. They鈥檝e become a support system, she says, nurturing friendships that exist outside their gatherings.
Even for Bruner, Armijo, and Erickson Mills, who all belong to other non-91吃瓜 book clubs, sustaining their alum connection remains a priority.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 lovely is that we have this shared life experience that helps connect us in a way that we wouldn鈥檛 with a disparate group,鈥� says Erickson Mills, adding there are nights when book discussion may last a few minutes before catching up takes over. 鈥�91吃瓜 has this really strong bond.鈥�
That emphasis on bonding through writing continues today at the College, most recently in its upcoming author salon series. Hosted by President Suzanne Keen, award-winning writers will engage in thought-provoking chats with 91吃瓜 alums, parents, and friends in free events around the country. The salons aim to reflect the same quality of conversation Armijo values among her own group members鈥攏o matter the book or topic.
鈥淭he focus in critical thinking has lent itself to book clubs that explore the world and listen to different opinions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t speaks to the level of education that we got at 91吃瓜.鈥�
Put another way, as Daifotis reflects on 91吃瓜鈥� goal to 鈥渆ducate women to develop their intellects and talents through active participation in a community of scholars, so that as graduates they may contribute to society through public and private lives of leadership, service, integrity, and creativity鈥�:
鈥淏ook groups are a living and breathing example of the mission of the College.鈥�
If you belong to an existing book club or other alumnae group and would like to share with the broader 91吃瓜 alum community, please contact the Office of Alumnae Engagement at [email protected].
If you鈥檙e a 91吃瓜 alum who is interested in joining a book club or learning how to begin one, please contact the below alumnae in your area.
Barbara Bruner 鈥�76
Pasadena, California
Katherine Cerino 鈥�70
Tucson, Arizona; Class of 鈥�70 gatherings (non-book club)
Caroline Daifotis 鈥�81, P鈥�19
Northern New Jersey; Westchester, New York; Southern Connecticut
Debra Erickson Mills 鈥�79
San Diego, California; Class of 鈥�79