In his final days, John Lewis wrote in an Op-Ed for The New York Times, “Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.”
If we want to change the world, we must vote this November. But we can’t wait until November. We must start now by checking our voter registration status, helping others to vote, supporting the United States Postal Service, and creating voting plans.
On Bookstagram readers influence each other to buy books, to read outside of their comfort zones, to stockpile house plants, and more. And I know that if we put our heads together we can influence each other to vote.
That’s why I created #BookTheVote. It’s my goal to make sure that never a day goes by where you log onto Instagram without seeing a reminder to do all we can to increase voter turnout this year.
You can join in a buddy read (seriously, some of the best conversations I’ve had this year about the election and current events have taken place in our buddy read group chats!). Post some voting themed content! Or answer a voting Q&A. And stay tuned because soon I’ll be announcing even more ways to get in on the #BookTheVote fun.
#BookTheVote Buddy Reads
What’s a buddy read?
#BookTheVote buddy reads are casual, low-stress ways to meet new friends who share your love of reading and voting. Book selections are varied so there’s something for every reader.
Interested readers will be connected in an Instagram group conversation, read a book following a set schedule (Although if you get hooked on the book and read ahead, that’s great! Or if life gets in the way and you fall behind, also totally fine.), and chat along the way. Weekly conversations will typically include prompts that can be answered even by those who haven’t caught up to the reading that week.
You can join one buddy read or all of them – it’s up to you! Below you can find out more information about past, present, and future buddy reads.
September
In September we’ll focus on reading about Presidential candidates, both real and fictional. One track of buddy reads will read Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris’s memoirs, Promise Me, Dad and The Truths We Hold. Readers can join the conversation for one or both memoirs.
Promise Me, Dad Schedule
Chapters 1-6
Chat on September 3rd
Chapter 7-Epilogue
Chat on September 10th
The Truths We Hold Schedule
Preface-Chapter 4
Chat on September 17th
Chapter 5-Epilogue
Chat on September 24th
Memoirs aren’t your thing? Join our buddy read of Allison Winn Scotch’s Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing. Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing is about a female Senator with presidential ambitions. But when an old friend writes a scathing op-ed about her, Cleo will have to do some serious damage control if she still wants to run for President.
Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing Schedule
Chapters 1-8
Chat on September 8th
Chapters 9-17
Chat on September 15th
Chapters 18-29
Chat on September 22nd
October
As Americans begin to cast their ballots we’ll read about the history of voting as well as the life of a leader in the civil rights movement.
We’ll kick off the month with a weekend reading sprint dedicated to Erin Geiger Smith’s Thank You for Voting. Thank You for Voting provides a history of voting, an explanation of topics from gerrymandering to the Electoral College, as well as ways to increase civic participation in your own community. And parents, there’s a young readers’ edition, too!
Thank You For Voting Schedule
Chapters 1-4
Chat on October 3rd
Chapters 5-10
Chat on October 4th
And of course it’s inconceivable that we’d have a conversation about voting that doesn’t include a focus on the life and legacy of civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, so we’ll also read Jon Meacham’s new biography of the congressman, His Truth Is Marching On.
His Truth Is Marching On Schedule
Overture-Chapter Two
Chat on October 6th
Chapters 3-5
Chat on October 13th
Chapter 6-Afterword
Chat on October 20th
Stay tuned for information about post-election #BookTheVote buddy reads!
Past Buddy Reads
August
We kicked off our #BookTheVote buddy reads in August by reading Brandy Colbert’s The Voting Booth. The Voting Booth is about teenagers Marva and Duke who meet while voting in their first election. Duke runs into a problem while trying to vote so Marva decides to spend the day trying to help him with his ballot.
The Voting Booth Schedule
Pages 1-98
Chat on August 11th
Pages 99-191
Chat on August 18th
Pages 191-293
Chat on August 25th