Emma Watson Continues to Use Her Celebrity for Good

If you’re anything like us, you were also jumping for joy when you heard that UN Women Goodwill ambassador Emma Watson gave us one doozy of a New Year’s present: a feminist book club dubbed “Our Shared Shelf.”

Watson first shared the idea for the club on her Twitter page and after an overwhelming show of support, has selected My Life on the Road, the memoir by friend of Take The Lead and women everywhere, Gloria Steinem as the first read. If we flashback to last summer when Take The Lead co-founder, Gloria Feldt sat down with Steinem for a Virtual Happy Hour to chat about the book and so much more, it’s not hard to see why we are so psyched when Watson chose it as her first pick.

To sign up for the book club, all you have to do is register at Goodreads and join the group. Watson explains the format of the club on the group’s home page:

The plan is to select and read a book every month, then discuss the work during the month’s last week (to give everyone time to read it!). I will post some questions/quotes to get things started, but I would love for this to grow into an open discussion with and between you all. Whenever possible I hope to have the author, or another prominent voice on the subject, join the conversation.

In addition to the selected reads, the online group has also produced a lively discussion board connecting feminists around the globe with thread topics ranging from basic introductions to Book Suggestions to “Why did YOU become a feminist?” Read some of the posts and you’ll discover pretty quickly that no matter what kind of life this club will have; good things will come of it. Pardon me while I set a countdown to the last week in January because you can bet your copy of My Life on the Road that I’ll be tuning into that discussion.

About the Author

LAUREN MODIANO is the Editorial Assistant at Take The Lead. She first joined the team as an intern in 2015 shortly after hearing Gloria Feldt speak to a group of students about the role of women’s leadership in today's world. It was clear that Take The Lead was the perfect home for her combined passions for women’s advancement, social justice, and writing. As a recent Yale graduate, Lauren hopes to use her experiences to help make gender parity a reality and bring other young women the practical tools they need to unleash their potential.