Booked for Good

Somewhere between our libraries, our newsletters, and all of our conversations about what storytelling actually does for a person, the lilipad Book Club was born. It's now been running for nearly one year as one of the quieter, steadier parts of our Berlin community, and we wanted to take a moment to introduce it properly to anyone who hasn't joined yet.

Our book club serves the adults who make lilipad possible: our monthly donors and our long-standing volunteers.

WHAT IT IS

Each cycle, we pick a theme and members vote for one of three book options within the theme. Our focus tends to be fiction, with the occasional autofiction or autobiography. Members read on their own time, then come together for an in-person discussion, with a recap and reflection also shared through our Substack newsletter for anyone who couldn't make it in person. The lilipad team selects the theme each round, drawing directly from the questions and conversations already alive in our work: displacement, memory, identity, and the political and personal weight of a story.

THEMES WE'VE EXPLORED SO FAR

Since launching, we've built discussions around:
‍
‍Childhood
Escape
Palestine
Sci-fi
Fascism
Ghost
Body

‍Each theme has opened up a different angle on the questions at the heart of lilipad's work. What does it mean to lose a home and imagine another one? How do memory and identity survive displacement? How can fiction hold on to what direct testimony perhaps can't?

who can join

Membership is a benefit for our monthly donors and long-term volunteers. If you give monthly or volunteer with us at any of our sites, you can have access anytime, just reach out to us at info@lilipadlibrary.org! 

Becoming a monthly donor is simple, and there's no minimum amount; every bit helps, and you can pause or stop your donation anytime. Each book you read and each donation you make helps us share the joy of reading with a child growing up in a vulnerable community. You can become a monthly donor here!

If you've been thinking about becoming a monthly donor or signing up to volunteer, this is hopefully one more reason to make it official! You'll be welcomed into a small, thoughtful corner of the lilipad community. We'd love to see you at the next one.