Turning the page: How a local book club became a lockdown lifeline for teen girls in Ontario
When their library gathering space—and book source—shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local reading club for teenage girls could have closed its own chapter.
But founder Tanya Lee decided to mail out materials to the 15 young members—and soon realized how important it was to keep it alive.
“They told me how me mailing those books really helped with their depression during the pandemic, because they weren’t allowed to go out,” Lee told CTV News Toronto. “They lived in high-priority neighbourhoods where the COVID-19 rates were really high.”
With schools shuttered and social connections severed, the group decided to move the “A Room of Your Own” club meet-ups online. Before long it became an escape from the stress of COVID-19 and the accompanying isolation.
“Everyone was feeling so lonely, we didn’t really have much to do,” said Ali Chamberlain, 14. “The books and being able to talk about them—I’d get so excited about the book club.”
Soon, hundreds of other young women from across the country began to join in, and Lee put out the call for corporate sponsors to provide books to the growing group. Chapman’s Ice Cream donated 600 novels and Lee is hoping more companies will answer the call.
Every book featured by the club has a strong female protagonist, providing the members with identifiable characters from every walk of life.
“The books we’re reading are stories of empowerment of women that we can really relate to,” Chamberlain said.
“I like them a lot better than the ones we read at school,” echoed Soleil Bignall, 15. “I also like the fact that it’s mainly female authors.”
The members have had a chance to meet many of the writers, including Michelle Obama, who they met on the former First Lady’s book tour in 2019.
Since the pandemic hit, authors have joined their twice-monthly meetings virtually, giving the teens a chance to interact with them online—and develop other social connections at the same time.
“It’s a great experience to be able to meet authors, read a bunch of books, talk about them with people who also read the book, and are enthusiastic about it,” said Amelia Zdaniuk, 13.
But it is clear, said Lee, that for many the club became a lifeline during lockdown—providing social support and creating connections that will last beyond the pandemic.
“I knew it would help, but I didn’t know the extent to how much they needed that,” she said.
“We’re reading books that we really didn’t know we needed,” said Chamberlain.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.