Books and Brews: the lone book club of Chapman

Alexandra Patrascu leads Chapman Books and Brews, which was founded in 2021 and strives to revive a love for non-academic reading. Photo by EMILY PARIS, staff photographer

Once a month, a small group of students gather on campus with ambient music playing and snacks littered on the table to take part in a centuries old tradition of hosting a book club. They are brought together, like most student organizations, by a shared interest. 

For this group, that interest is books. This past October the book up for discussion was Jennette McCurdy's memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” 

Chapman Books and Brews, the university’s only student book club, is helmed by senior graphic design major Alexandra Patrascu. The club, founded in 2021 and which recently experienced a third turnover in executive leadership, seeks to give students a space where they can read and discuss books without academic pressure. 

“There really isn’t a club just for reading (on campus),” Patrascu said. “I feel like a lot of (clubs) are about production or creating something.” 

But for Patrascu, Chapman Books and Brews meets monthly in Doti Hall to enjoy relaxed and insightful conversations about their chosen book. Executive members often create prompting questions in case the discussion over stalls. Patrascu told The Panther the goal is to create an environment where people can reconnect with a love of reading that might have been lost to the madness of exams and unfailingly bland textbooks. 

Patrascu told The Panther that choosing the club's monthly book is a democratic process, even though the club’s number of members errs on the smaller side. Several factors must be considered, including length and accessibility of the language. 

“I bring a giant jar with a bunch of paper and we have people write what they want to read," Patrascu said. “We (remove) the books we don’t want to engage with or don’t want to discuss or might not be accessible to others.” 

This past semester “I’m Glad My Mom Died” and “The Song of Achilles” were the club’s picks. Patrascu told The Panther a recent reinvigoration for reading drew the club to choose two books that were popular at the time. 

“Some people just want to get back into reading,” Patrascu said. “Right now, reading has had a boom in cultural interest. As much as I despise it, BookTok has done a lot to get people back into reading.” 

For sophomore psychology major Panchali Dipankar, who serves as the club’s vice president, reading is not only fun, but also an important part of understanding our society.

“I feel like the world has become more and more polarized,” Dipankar said. “You can tell politically, there's the left and the right and it’s becoming more and more distant. I think reading books is a good way to bridge that gap and help people learn more about other people’s experiences.” 

Patrascu told The Panther that while there are people that want to read more popular books, she hopes the club will begin reading lesser known books, as well as short stories or poems. 

“I would love for people to break out of their comfort zone,” Patrascu said. “I’m pushing myself constantly to break out of my comfort zone with reading.” 

Patrascu and Dipankar hope Chapman Books and Brews will continue growing over the next year, while still offering booklovers a space to have meaningful conversations. 

Sophomore data science major Radhika Puri, who serves as treasurer of the club, said that having a book club on campus is vital. 

“I know a lot of people are interested in the idea of a book club,” Puri said. “It helps people stay in touch with a lot of the different genres we talk about.”

Some may say that reading is dead, a forgotten hobby or a victim of the rise of television and social media. But Chapman Books and Brews keeps trekking, proud to wear the mantle of Chapman’s only book club. Hopefully, they won’t be the last.