Reading Beyond the Pages: A Youth-Led Book Club
Could you tell us a little about yourself and your role as a student running a book club?
I am Zirong, and currently a Humanities Scholar at Victoria Junior College. This book club that I am running is part of this youth-led think tank called Zeitgeist. What sets me apart is that, as a student, I have a broader reach to other students around my age who may be interested in topics such as international affairs and geopolitics. Hence, my target audience is primarily students studying in Singapore. Of course, another element would be that, as a young man (hopefully I am considered young), I still have a relatively good amount of space to make mistakes and learn along the way.
What first drew you to reading and starting a book club? Was there a moment, person, or book that sparked this journey?
Reading helps me understand different dimensions and facets of the world altogether. The first thing we should do is acknowledge the complexity of this world. It is not so clear-cut, as if everything is either black or white. There are grey areas, and the next question we might ask is: what type of grey? The different lenses that authors take give us, to some extent, clues about the world we live in.
To me, I perceive the book club as an extension of my own interest. In the current “market” of books and all things related to reading, we do see some book clubs emerging in Singaporean society. However, the big catch is that many of those are exclusive and highly limited, making it difficult for many youths to attend. What makes my book club different is that we are youth-led and youth-targeted. While we welcome people of different ages, youths are future leaders and should be our priority.
There wasn’t a specific moment or person per se. However, a figure of inspiration would be a Hong Kong cultural critic named Leung Man Tao. His biggest trademark would be the numerous readings, book launches, and academic discussions he helped host. For that, I seek to learn from what he does and bring it to Zeitgeist. Book clubs are not monologues, they are dialogues.
Which experience from running the book club stands out as especially meaningful or memorable?
What would be memorable is seeing many of my friends taking an interest in what I am doing. I do understand that reading culture has been contaminated with a false sense of performativeness. Real and true readers are not bound by such perceptions, because we genuinely enjoy reading.
One thing that I envision is seeing an overwhelming number of people attending, packed to the brim. Wouldn’t that be amazing? To see so many people interested in reading about current affairs and non-fiction in general.
What challenges have shaped your journey as a student leading a book club? How do you navigate or work through these challenges today?
The biggest challenge that I faced was some level of backlash. For example, I did have someone come up to me and tell me that the poster I created was misleading. Was it? It could be up to interpretation. While not everyone can understand what I am doing, I try to filter those comments out.
The best advice I would give to anybody is to focus on your goals, not others. You are yourself. Why should I let what other people think affect me?
What’s a common misconception you’ve heard about book clubs or student-led initiatives that people often get wrong?
A common misconception is that student-led initiatives are not long-term and have very little impact. That is, however, not true. While Zeitgeist is primarily focused on policies and discussions surrounding geopolitics, we shouldn’t perceive these initiatives as useless. Other student initiatives that deal more directly with social issues such as an ageing population or loneliness do have an impact on the people they try to reach.
This false perception could largely be shaped by a lack of willingness to think more deeply about or understand student initiatives.
What advice would you give to others like yourself who are just starting out with a book club?
In Singapore, the culture is very much against anything that brings a level of risk. Risk equates to danger, and hence people think you shouldn’t do it. But why should we condone and live our lives according to that formula? Everything that one seeks to do has some level of risk. Instead, one should focus on the goal and believe wholeheartedly that you can do it, no matter what.
Envision the goal so vividly that you cannot tell whether it is a dream or reality. That is the extent of faith one should have when doing anything. With that being said, one definitely can succeed.
What are you currently working on, or what’s coming up next for your book club?
In the next few months, we will try to do one book per month. The titles are undecided, primarily because we have just started hosting a few sessions, and feedback from our participants is crucial for me to assess what we could improve on.
What people can look forward to includes inviting authors to host dialogues and talks with our participants, as well as seminars and lectures by prominent academics and thinkers in Singapore. We would like to bring the best thinkers of our age in Singapore to the heartlands and to more youths.
🆙 Next: Zeitgeist Book Club: Sharing & Discussion
📖 Featured Book: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man by Ambassador Tommy Koh
📅 30 May 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | *SCAPE L^IFE Jungle (Level 2)
🔎 Find out more: https://www.instagram.com/zeitgeist.sg
