Pomona College has partnered with PBC Guru to create a virtual book club for alumni, families, faculty, staff and students, covering a variety of topics in which participants show interest. Book club members connect through a private forum where all can discuss the current book selection and network with each other. There is no cost to join; you just need your own copy of the book. We will read one book every two months to give all participants time for each book.

1. Embrace Lifelong Learning: The facilitated book club will broaden your career and provide new insights to get results in making you more effective in areas including leadership, communications skills, and achieving a fulfilling life.
2. Reading is Good for You: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships [1]. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, your emotional intelligence, and your creativity [2].
3. Connect with fellow Alumni: Our book club will introduce you to fellow alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of Pomona College across industries, generations, and geographies all while gaining different perspectives while reading the book. The network you will be building may help you with career advice, introduce you to new people, and find your next opportunity.

How often will books be read, what is the time commitment and what are the expectations?

We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two months. The texts selected will be lifelong learning, personal growth, novels and other topics and take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read you should be fine.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the book club?

No, the book club will be entirely online. You can participate anywhere you have Internet access and on days and times that are convenient to you.

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for all alumni, families, faculty, staff and students!

How do I get the books?

Participants can get books for free at their local library or purchase them.

How do book club discussions work?

The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.

How do I make a forum profile?

We're using a private forum to host the virtual book club so it's easy to connect with fellow Pomona members. During our signup process, you will enter the information to auto-generate your forum profile. After you complete the sign up, we'll send you a link to the forum and you can begin to post right away!

What exactly is PBC Guru and what do they have to do with the book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with alumni associations, professional societies and organizations. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for alumni, families, faculty, staff and students. You can learn more about them on their website www.pbc.guru.

I've already signed up. How do I log in?

If you are already a member, you can click here to log in.

What if my question isn't answered?

Feel free to send an email to info@pbc.guru and we will be happy to help.