How It Works

The Caltech Alumni Association offers an online book club for Caltech alumni and the Caltech community. A new book will be chosen every other month by alumni, faculty, or staff hosts. You’ll have two months to read the book before our discussions. Hosts will post interesting and stimulating questions for discussion in our private forum. The discussion boards are online and always open, so you can participate and add to the conversation whenever it is convenient for you. Sign up, create your profile and you’re ready. You do not have to commit to read every book.For technical assistance please contact info@pbc.guru info@pbc.guru. The Caltech Alumni Association has partnered with PBC guru to provide this online platform. For general inquiries, please contact nfo@alumni.caltech.edu

Our May to July Selection:

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Mapping the Darkness:

The Visionary Scientists Who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep

by Kenneth Miller

The Books

Below are a few examples of the kind of books the group may read. We will vote between several options each period and select a book based on reader interests.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often will books be read, what is the time commitment and what are the expectations?

A new book will be selected every two months. The texts will be chosen by faculty, staff and alumni. There are no strict expectations on members for this virtual community; if you are particularly busy, participate as your time allows. The goal of this program is to connect Caltech alumni and friends through reading.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the book club?

Currently, the book club is entirely online. If you are interested in hosting an in-person book club meeting sometime in the future, please contact info@alumni.caltech.edu

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for Caltech alumni, faculty, staff, parents and Associates. You are responsible only for obtaining a copy of the book.

How do I get the books?

Participants can get books for free at their local library or purchase them.

How do book club discussions work?

The book club will have a moderator from Caltech and PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderators will pose questions to the group, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members are encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.

How do I make a forum profile?

Enter your email to join the book club and provide some basic contact information. We are using a private forum provided by PBC Guru to host the virtual book club so it's easy to connect with fellow Techers. After you complete the sign up, PBC Guru will send you a link to the forum and you can begin to post right away!

What exactly is PBC Guru and what do they have to do with the Caltech Alumni book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. The Caltech Alumni Association is teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for Caltech alumni, faculty, staff, parents and Associates. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.

I've already signed up. How do I log in?

If you are already a member, you can click here to log in.

What if my question isn't answered?

Feel free to send an email to info@pbc.guru and we will be happy to help.