The My American Meltingpot Book Club is Almost Here!

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

I am so excited! Next week, May 1, marks the official launch of the My American Meltingpot (MAMP) book club! On that Wednesday, I will officially announce the first selection for the club.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the MAMP Book Club members will read books by authors of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds who tell stories that explore cross-cultural connections. Books are selected because of the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the story told and the possibility for a transformative experience after reading. Both fiction and nonfiction titles will be selected.

What Color is Your Book Club?

I decided to launch the MAMP book club because 1) I love reading. 2) I love this Meltingpot community and wanted to find another way for us to come together in community. 3) I want to support authors who are telling stories that illustrate the beauty and potential in cross cultural connections. 4) Book clubs rock!

The funny thing is, based on anecdotal evidence and some Google searches I’ve done, a lot of book clubs are racially segregated. This is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It’s just a thing. Since the election of our 45th president however, there has been an uptick in book clubs for white people who want to unpack their privilege and learn about racism without forcing a Black person to teach them. Plus, book clubs for Black women have always been popular. Considering the roaring success of the Well-Read Black Girl book club, I’d say it doesn’t seem to be a trend in peril. I’m not sure where that leaves Latina, Asian-American and Native readers when it comes to book club trends.

But what about folks who want to be in a club with a culturally diverse group of like-minded, book-loving people who want to read stories that reflect our diverse lived experiences, criss crossing racial, ethnic and cultural borders? Am I talking about myself? You bet. Am I talking about you too? I hope so.

If you love devouring good, diverse books – and let’s be clear, a good book could mean it was short-listed for a Pulitzer Prize or short-listed by Oprah – and then talking about those books with smart, thoughtful friends, all the while munching on something tasty inspired by the text, then you should join the MAMP book club. It’s a virtual club, so anyone can join, but in the future we’ll be hosting some in-person events as well.

Here’s how you can participate:

Step One:

Sign up for the MAMP newsletter to get notified of book club selections (before the general public), discounts, special announcements and giveaways related to the book club. I promise you won’t get more than one newsletter a month from me. If you don’t want to get the newsletter, you can simply stay tuned to the blog and our social channels to find out what the book selections will be.

Step Two:

Join the private Mamp Facebook group. Once you’re part of the group, you will be able to join the book club discussions, which will happen on a specific pre-determined date. Yours truly will be leading the discussion Live, sometimes with special guests.

Step Three:

Purchase or borrow the book of the month. Read it. Love it. Take notes. Underline your favorite passages. (Note, you’ll generally have about 1 month to read the book.)

Step Four:

Attend the Facebook Live discussion to discuss the book with me and the other MAMP book club members. Share any questions you have for the author.

Step Five:

Tune in to the MAMP podcast to hear me interview the author of the book club selection, where I will ask her questions given to me by the book club members. (see Step Four above).

Rinse and repeat, the following month. Of course you don’t have to read every book club selection. And maybe you can’t make it to the Facebook Live event where we will be discussing the book. No worries. The Live event will be recorded. And you can always pop in to the Facebook page to read other people’s comments and post your own.

Dear readers, I hope you are excited about the My American Meltingpot book club as I am. I guarantee you’re going to love our first selection. I can’t wait to tell you about it. And at the end of the day, I truly believe the book club is another way for me to further my mission to celebrate diversity by sharing stories of diversity in action. This book club is a passion project for me, but also, it’s another way for me to use my platform to resist. I hope you’ll join me.

Peace!