JOIN AMNESTY BOOK CLUB, A COMMUNITY THAT READS, LEARNS AND ACTS TOGETHER FOR A BETTER WORLD.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
STORIES TO INSPIRE CHANGE
📖 Meet new people who love books.
We are a welcoming community that believes storytelling can change the world.
⚖️ Learn about human rights.
Each of the books we choose features themes and characters that highlight current and urgent human rights issues.
🌎Make a difference in the world.
We don’t just read and talk about books. We also take action together to fight injustice and make the world a better place.
AMNESTY BOOK CLUB 2024 SELECTIONS
Jan/Feb
THE SLEEPING CAR PORTER | Suzette Mayr
Mar/Apr
YELLOWFACE | Rebecca F. Kuang
May/Jun
WHAT STRANGE PARADISE | Omar El Akkad
Jul/Aug
THE STORY OF US | Catherine Hernandez
Sep/Oct
BAD CREE | Jessica Johns
Nov/Dec
THE IMMORTAL KING RAO | Vauhini Vara
WHAT AUTHORS ARE SAYING
Stories are one of our few sites of equal meeting, a place to nurture compassion and to understand one another better. I’m grateful to play a small part in Amnesty’s efforts to bring people together to share our stories.
OMAR EL AKKAD
Author of American War & What Strange Paradise
It is an honour to have The Story of Us in Amnesty’s Book Club’s lineup. I look forward to discussing the book’s themes of building meaningful bridges between seemingly disparate communities and inspiring others to do the same.
CATHERINE HERNANDEZ
Author of Scarborough & The Story of Us
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION GUIDES
WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING
It’s wonderful that the Book Club provides an opportunity to participate in events that allow us to see inside the mind of the author and learn a little about them as well.
COLLEEN MORRISON
Amnesty International Book Club Member
Thank you, Amnesty, for continuing to be the voice for those without voice, for educating those unaware, and for giving hope through actions.
LESLIE BULLARD
Amnesty International Book Club Member
I have donated to Amnesty for many years. Finding out that Amnesty also runs a book club just increased my admiration for the organization.
JEAN HILLABOLD
Amnesty International Book Club Member
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does the Amnesty Book Club work?
- Amnesty’s Book Club has more than 13,000 members across Canada and around the world. You can join and attend online events, join a local Book Club Chapter, and/or start your own Chapter. You can also share the Amnesty book selections with your own local book club or group of reading friends.
- Once you’ve read and discussed the books, consider how you can defend human rights. Each Discussion Guide features ideas for taking action and learning more about the themes and campaigns featured in the book.
- After you’ve finished discussing the book and taking action, tell us about it. By sharing your experience, you will inspire more good deeds across the country and around the world!
What is provided to members?
- Exclusive invitations to online and in-person events that bring readers and the authors together
- Free Discussion Guides where we explore themes and how they apply to the real world
- Ideas for taking action and getting involved with Amnesty’s human rights campaigns
- Printed copies of the Discussion Guides are also available if requested.
- Volunteer opportunities on the Book Club Committee
- An active online and in-person community to share stories, ideas, and experiences
Who should join the Amnesty Book Club?
Everyone can join! Amnesty Book Club can take many different forms and sizes. Here are a few examples of where you might find members to make up your Amnesty Book Club Chapter:
- Existing book clubs
- School classrooms
- Sports teams
- Family
- Friends
- Coworkers
- Religious groups
- Civic groups
- Neighbours
How can my existing book club participate?
Amnesty Book Club is perfect for existing book clubs! By becoming members and taking action to defend human rights, the Amnesty Book Club will add another layer of meaning to your club and make a difference in your community.
How do I find the books?
There are several different ways to get books for your Amnesty Book Club:
- Talk to your local public or school librarian about requesting enough copies for your group
- Get an online version of the book, if possible
- Ask your local independent bookstore if they would be willing to donate books to your group or offer a bulk order discount.
- Check out used books sold online
- Share a few copies of the book among the members of your group
- Buy one copy and meet to read it aloud. This works beautifully in school classrooms!
How do I share news about my book club activity?
We can’t wait to hear about your Amnesty Book Club adventures. Please share your Amnesty Book Club story with us at bookclub@amnesty.ca. Using the information you provide, we will highlight Amnesty Book Club activities on our website, social media and by email.
In addition, you can contact your local newspaper, radio stations, and TV stations to share your Amnesty Book Club experience. They may want to talk to your group—and you may start a chain reaction of human rights action.
What if I don’t have time to read the book?
Don’t worry if you don’t have time to read the books. That shouldn’t stop you from joining the Amnesty Book Club. We can’t promise there won’t be spoilers revealed during our events or Discussion Guides, but we promise you’ll find them interesting and engaging. Above all, Amnesty Book Club is a community of readers who are passionate about human rights. If it’s not possible to read the whole book, read what you can and attend our free online author event to learn more about the book, enjoy the discussion, and take part in defending human rights.
Do I have to read the books in order?
No, you don’t need to read the books in order. We select six books per year (one book every two months). If our current selections don’t resonate with your local book club, please feel free to pick and choose from the list as you’d like. You can also check out our Book Club archives for an extensive list of previous Book Club selections with their accompanying Discussion Guides and recorded author events.
