A Book Club that's 105 Years Old?

The club was part of a broader wave of women's study group that emerged after the Civil War and offered intellectual outlets for women.

Can you imagine a book club that's 105 years old? I was surprised to hear about this one!

I met Mary Bliesmer, a member of the Thursday Reading Club based in Mankato, Minnesota. She was on vacation in my area and popped into one of my book signings and she told me about her group.

Here's something interesting about this club. Mary told me that only one member reads the book and then presents it to the others at their meeting. I've never heard of this before, but it works well for their group. As it turned out, we arranged a time for me to meet with them virtually to discuss my book, All the Broken Angels.

In doing research on the group, I discovered that the founders were women with active minds seeking meaningful engagement in a world that offered few intellectual outlets. The club became a space for self-education, mutual respect, and cultural enrichment—a place where women could learn from one another and build community through shared inquiry.

As reported in The Free Press, the club was part of a broader wave of women’s study groups that emerged after the Civil War and flourished into the 1920s. These groups were closely tied to the women’s suffrage movement, reflecting a growing desire among women to claim intellectual agency and participate more fully in civic life.

My thanks to Mary and the club members for the opportunity to spend time with them and for the chance to be a part of a longstanding book club.