Fall of 2024 marked the first semester that Girls Who Read (GWR) was present as a club on campus. As an all-women’s book club with more than 150 members, Girls Who Read has made strides from its origin only two semesters ago. Since its beginning in the fall, the club has amassed roughly 180 members, reading books such as Powerless by Lauren Roberts, Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings, Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh and The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden.
These books are voted upon by the Girls Who Read club members once a month, and page numbers are then assigned for discussion by the executive board. At weekly meetings, women on campus come together to talk about the chosen book’s plot and play games relating to the content of the reading.
For Co-President and Co-Founder Leah Cardinale, Girls Who Read holds a personal significance.
“We’ve poured a lot of love and dedication into GWR, and I am so proud of the community we’ve created for booklovers on campus,” Cardinale said. “I feel like our organization is so much more than your average book club.”
In addition to fostering a reading community, the club also hosted a Week of Giving.
“All the proceeds we raised from our fundraising events earlier this month went to the Malala Fund, which is working for a world where every girl can learn and choose her own future by pushing for policies that strengthen girls’ right to secondary education,” Cardinale said.
From March 31 to April 5, the Girls Who Read Week of Giving fundraised around 500 dollars for the Malala Fund. These efforts included hosting a bake sale, as well as a blind date with a book event. This week also featured a Readathon, and club member’s families pledged a certain amount of money towards the club’s philanthropy for each chapter their daughter read.
“Leah Cardinale and I founded Girls Who Read out of a shared love for books and the hours we spent bonding over the stories that shaped us,” Co-President and Co-Founder Madigan Reens said. “We wanted to create a space on campus where other girls could experience that same connection, and we’ve been blown away by the response”
As the club continues to develop on campus, executive leaders of Girls Who Read are looking to make an impact on a nation-wide scale.
“Looking ahead, we’re excited to grow our engagement and participation, especially with our philanthropy,” Reens said. “We’re even working on expanding Girls Who Read into a national organization with chapters at other schools. This is just the beginning.”
With the end of the school year around the corner, Girls Who Read is finalizing its activities for the rest of the semester. Their most recent read, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, will be celebrated with a tea party on April 29.
“I am so glad I joined Girls Who Read this fall,” Lulu Cassedy, the current Girls Who Read Director of Administration, said. “This club has given me the opportunity to take on a leadership role in my freshman year and make many friends who enjoy reading like I do. I have also gotten the opportunity to get to know girls who are older than me and make friends across all different grade levels.”
The start of this club last semester has brought about a vibrant community of booklovers at the University. Next semester, the executive leaders of Girls Who Read are hoping to expand their membership by attracting new students to join the book club.
