Looking for a good read and want to share your thoughts with other Stanislaus State campus community members? Luckily, Stan State is home to three different book clubs, the Penumbra Book Club, Social Justice Book Club and the Undocubook Club, each of them having an emphasis on certain subjects.
Penumbra Book Club
Autumn Andersen is an editor and the book club manager for Penumbra. Andersen is also a member of Penumbra’s readings and blog teams. While Andersen and the rest of the Penumbra team have been involved in a number of projects since 1989, their book club was just started in the summer of 2021. 
Penumbra’s book club aims to encourage students to read for fun, that is outside of the reading they do for classes. Andersen shared that Penumbra’s book club is “a fun way for people to get to know each other especially with COVID.”
The Penumbra’s Book Club currently meets once a month. This month, the group is currently reading Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, which is a non-YA coming of age story. Penumbra’s book club plans on continuing this book through the spring 2022 semester. 
If you are interested in joining Penumbra’s book club, simply follow these directions:

• Register using this Google Form (The first four Stanislaus State students to fill out the form will get a free copy of the novel sent to them)

• After you fill out the form, a Zoom link will be sent to your email.
• Once emailed confirmation, start reading the book of the month.
• On the date and time of the book club, click the Zoom URL emailed to you to join and officially enter the conversation.

You can also find additional book recommendations on Penumbra’s Club page which include links to the Goodreads page for each recommendation. Penumbra also offers advice on where you can shop for books sustainably,  encouraging readers to buy books from small, diverse-owned bookstores.
To keep up with Penumbra and their future plans for the book club you can follow them on their Instagram, Twitter and Facebook social media accounts as well as checking their webpage frequently. 
Social Justice Book Club
The Social Justice Book club is held by the Warrior Cross Cultural Center (WCCC). According to their website, the mission of the Social Justice Book club is to “highlight literature and authors that promote overall acceptance, social justice and collective healing.”
The social justice book club had its initial launch in spring of 2020 and they usually meet once per book.
Carolina Alfaro is the director of the WCCC. Alfaro discussed how both the Social Justice Book Club and the Undocubook club were created because “we needed both conversations.” 
Although the Social Justice Book club’s registration is closed for the fall 2021 semester, you can keep up to date with any announcements on spring 2022 registration by following the WCCC Instagram. For updates on the Social Justice Book club you can also email the WCCC at [email protected]. 
In the past the Social Justice Book club has had the author of the book they are reading come in to the meeting as a special guest to talk about their book. 
The Social Justice Book club has read 5 books so far:

• How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi
• Hermosa, by Yesika Salgado
• Asian American Dreams, by Helen Zia 
• March, by Andrew Aydin and John Lewis
• More than Organs, by Kay Ulanday Barrett

The Social Justice Book club provides the books for the students who register early and they also try to offer E-book options for those who want it. 
Undocubook Club 
The Undocubook club is held by the Undocumented Student Services and meets bi-weekly on Thursdays. According to their website, the mission of the Undocubook club is to “bring accessibility to literature to our community and promote acceptance.”
Polet Hernandez is the Undocumented Students Coordinator. Hernandez explained that although the topics of some of the books they read can be “triggering and intimate,” it is important to read them because “that’s where the healing starts” as one of the goals of the Undocubook club is to “heal pain from the past.” 
Hernandez shares that another goal of the Undocubook club is to promote empowerment through books.
You can keep up to date with news about the Undocubook club by following the Undocumented Student Services Instagram. You can also email the Undocumented Student Services for updates regarding the Undocuboook club at [email protected].