When one pictures a typical book club, one imagines a meeting of old women in cable-knit sweaters sipping tea while reading Pride and Prejudice. But at Boulder High’s most talked-about book club, these students are trading in Jane Austen for texts akin to “Marxist Supernanny.”

I cannot tell you exactly what book club is, it has to be described by one of its veteran members. Théa Kuczynski, ‘25, shares her definition of the club, “In its most base form, book club really is just a book club, but we focus on leftist literature to spark political discussion and action. We’ve turned into a little community of people within the school who want to understand our conditions and how to change them.”

This club, while teacher-supervised is driven by student-focused conversation, keeping the topics relevant and engaging for all. Wendell Lewis, ‘25, “What makes book club special to me is that it’s a space to learn about what we want. At the beginning of the semester, our sponsor had a meeting where he just asked what we wanted to know about. Topics that we usually discuss range from neoliberalism, conservatism, local and national politics, labor rights, and sometimes conspiracy theories.”

Started by the class of 2024, the book club has only grown. This niche clique has become a community of its own. As Kuczynski shares, “It really is a unique club, just because there are not many people willing to talk about political engagement in the way we do. I honestly feel as if I’ve grown really close with most of the people who are a part of it, and it’s super fun to connect with like-minded individuals.” The club meets every Thursday after school and it is open to anyone willing to engage in the conversation. 

This book club was designed with the sole purpose of creating a space to inform and inspire. Lewis shares why he believes students should join the club, “I definitely feel like I’ve learned a lot about politics by being a part of it, which is why I think people should join, even if they aren’t super political because oftentimes people (especially Americans) are not told the whole story with regard to the world of politics.”

Oftentimes, youth are not provided with the vital access and information to make informed political decisions, however, Boulder High’s Socialist Book Club is striving to change that. In book club, every member has a space to speak their mind and form informed opinions of their own.