We have partnered with Middlebury to create a virtual book club for alumni, parents and friends, covering lifelong learning, personal growth, novels and other topics. The book club will connect through a private forum where all participants can discuss the current book and interact with each other. Joining is completely free to you; you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. The book club will read one book every two months.

1. Connect with fellow Middlebury alumni, parents and friends: Our book club will introduce you to fellow alumni across industries, generations, and geographies all while gaining different perspectives while reading the book.
2. Reading is Good for You: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships [1]. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, your emotional intelligence, and your creativity [2].
3. Embrace Lifelong Learning: The facilitated book club will provide the opportunity to read and discuss books that you may not have read otherwise.

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

We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two months. The texts selected will be lifelong learning, personal growth, novels and other topics and take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read you should be fine.

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

No, the book club will be entirely online. You can participate anywhere you have Internet access and on days and times that are convenient to you.

Is there any cost to participate?

Participation is free for all alumni, parents, and friends!

How do I get the books?

Participants can purchase them through their preferred retailer or check out their local library's e-book or audiobook collection.

How do book club discussions work?

The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be 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?

We're using a private forum to host the virtual book club so it's easy to connect with fellow alumni, parents, and friends of Middlebury. During our sign up process, you will enter the information to auto-generate your free profile. After you complete the sign up, we'll 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 book club?

Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for alumni, parents, and friends. 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 the log in button above.

What if my question isn't answered?

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