Just Show Up (JSU) Book Club is a book club without homework where people gather to read, listen, and discuss great books together.
Steps to Start Your Own JSU Book Club
1. Invite Club Members. We suggest 4 or more committed people to join in-person or on Zoom.
2. Schedule a regular time to meet. We suggest meeting weekly or bi-weekly.
3. Pick books and authors you want to read. We suggest reading 2–5 books by an author.
4. Get one audio audiobook version of your selected book. For example, you can use Audible.com. Also, have digital or print copies of the book for everyone in your group to read along. You can read out loud if there is no audiobook.
5. Balance your reading/listening time with the discussion time. Generally, keeping your reading time about 10–60 minutes and your discussion time 10–60 minutes is a good place to start.
6. Allow each person to speak for 1–5 minutes, depending on the size of your group. We recommend using a timer and alarm.
JSU Book Club Guidelines
1
Mention your name and where you are from.
2
Everyone speaks same amount of time (use timer) or you can skip.
3
Share what you learned or disagreed with.
4
Reference specific page numbers.
5
Use “I, me, my” instead of “we, us, our, you, your” when you share representing yourself and not others.
6
If you have a question, mention it and discuss privately afterwards.
Benefits of JSU Book Club
Finishing books by just showing up
No (or optional) homework!
Learning from authors & participants
Building learning communities of all subjects
Reading together increases private reading
Reading & listening simultaneously help focus on the content
Enhances understanding & knowledge
Download the Just Show Up Book Club Slides and use them to lead your discussion.
