The Hidden History of Book Clubs

What if the book club wasn't just a cozy tradition, but one of the most powerful tools for change in women's history? In this episode of the Brit Lit Book Club, we trace the story of women's reading communities from the salons of ancient Greece and 18th-century France all the way to Oprah's Book Club and BookTok, and uncover just how much of the world women built from a circle of chairs and a shared book.We explore the founding of Sorosis in 1868, born from a woman being turned away from a Charles Dickens dinner. We dive into the Black women's literary clubs of the 19th century, including the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs and their unforgettable motto, Lifting As We Climb. We look at how suffragists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton called the women's club "the school of politics for women." And we spend time in our beloved Britain — with the Brontës on the Yorkshire moors, Jane Austen in Bath, and Agatha Christie in Devon, tracing the radical literary tradition that runs through the very landscapes we explore on the Book Club Tour.This is the first episode in our Women's History Month series. More episodes coming all month long.In This Episode:The ancient roots of communal reading — from Greek symposiums to Roman litteratiThe women who ran the literary salons of 17th and 18th century FranceHow working-class reading societies in Britain crowdfunded libraries before crowdfunding existedThe founding of Sorosis (1868) and the General Federation of Women's Clubs — over a million members strongThe Black women's literary clubs that fought lynching, built schools, and changed AmericaHow the suffrage movement grew directly from the women's club movementThe Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, and Agatha Christie as literary revolutionariesOprah's Book Club, Goodreads, and BookTok — the tradition continuesHow the Book Club Tour carries this tradition forward todayMentioned in This Episode:Sorosis — founded by Jane Cunningham Croly, 1868The General Federation of Women's ClubsThe National Association of Colored Women's Clubs — founded 1896, Mary Church TerrellIda B. Wells & Anna Julia CooperBenjamin Franklin's Junto (1727)Pandita RamabaiThe Brontë sisters — Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell HallJane Austen — Persuasion, the Pump Room in BathAgatha Christie — Devon & the Jane Austen & Agatha Christie TourOprah's Book Club — Toni Morrison's Song of SolomonReese Witherspoon's Book ClubBookTokUpcoming Book Club Tours:🇬🇧 British Book Club Tour — July 2026 & June 2027🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Book Club Tour — June 2027🇫🇷 French Book Club Tour — July 2027Visit thebookclubtour.com to learn more or book your spot. Custom trips for your own book club are also available!Connect With Us:Instagram: @thebookclubtourWebsite: thebookclubtour.comIf you loved this episode, please leave a review — it helps more British literature lovers find the show!Love this podcast? Imagine walking the Yorkshire moors where the Brontës found inspiration, visiting Jane Austen's writing desk at Chawton, and exploring Shakespeare's birthplace with fellow book lovers. We do all this and more on The Book Club Tour!Follow along with our adventures, or join us! 🌐 Explore our tours: thebookclubtour.com 📸 Instagram: @thebookclubtour 👥 Facebook: @thebookclubtour