Progressive Book Club Launches

The Progressive Book Club describes itself as a tool for "building a powerful movement for change." Their offerings of books include books on politics, the environment, human rights, literacy and other progressive topics of interest. It works like other Book of the Month clubs - including a hook of purchasing three books for a dollar, and then four books over the next few years.

According to the New York Times, the competitor to the Progressive Book Club, The Conservative Book Club has reached a membership plateau - meaning that there is a market for books with this particular political bent. Another novel feature of the Progressive Book Club is that it will have a social networking component on the website - putting readers in touch with one another.

This will be the first time a book club has offered such a feature. Who makes the monthly selections of the club? A panel including Barbara Kingsolver, Erica Jong, Michael Chabon, John Podesta, Katrina van Heuvel, and Todd Gitlin will be reviewing and selecting these offerings. Titles featured on the homepage of The Progressive Book Club include The Real McCain written by Cliff Schecter, Anything for a Vote written by Joseph Cummins, Disappearing Destinations written by Kimberly Lisagor and Heather Hansen, and Founding Faith written by Steven Waldman.

There is speculation as to whether the club will outlast the Bush Administration. It seems logical to believe that it will - no matter which of the presidential candidates takes office next year there will be people who believe that social change is a vital component of democratic society. Moreover, The Progressive Book Club will find that the academic market holds steady. Third, the problems we face in our world today - of poverty, lack of adequate health care, human rights violations, the environment, etc. are unlikely to disappear just because there is a new person in the White House.

Finally, it should be noted that the club does not simply offer books that are written against the Bush Administration. If it did this, then it would probably lose its appeal when the presidency changed hands whether it be to McCain or Obama. Rather than catering to Bush-bashing books, the Progressive Book Club has a smattering of offerings on all topics for social change - thus appealing to a wider audience than those disgruntled with the current administration. The Progressive Book Club appears to be a good deal and to offer a niche in the market catering to anyone interested in progressive topics.