KINGSTON BOOK CLUB

We are a book club based in Kingston, Jamaica that focuses on reading texts that challenge us and expand our perspectives. We see knowledge as a good in and of itself. Our primary focus is on building and maintaining a community of interesting people by connecting them with fresh ideas.

"

Seek ye first the good things of the mind and the rest will either be supplied or its loss will not be felt."

~ Francis Bacon

We meet every Saturday at 10 AM within the city. Our meeting spots can vary depending on the week - from a cafe to a park. We confirm the location within our WhatsApp group chat ahead of the meeting.

This Week's Short Reading

This week we're taking a break from our main book to read short articles/essays. Please read the following before Saturday's meeting:

US's New Scramble for Africa is Biomedical Imperialism Mouse Heaven or Mouse Hell? Neuroplasticity: Rewiring Your Brain

Membership Guidelines and How to Register

We have the following guidelines for membership:

  1. You are above the age of 18.
  2. You are willing and able to read the selected text and keep in step with the group's progress.
  3. You can maintain responsible and civic conduct. Also that you're kind and respectful. This is non-negotiable.
  4. You're able to accept that perspectives can vary and are willing to handle that in a productive manner. This one is huge because we'll inevitably have debates.
  5. (Nice to have) You are able to purchase the selected text. This can look like an expense of maybe ~$12 USD or ~$2000 JMD per book.
  6. You are able to attend our meetings on a regular basis. They are held weekly, but we do permit some lenience for extenuating circumstances. Building the habit and community is really important though.

If you meet the above criteria and would like to register for the group chat you can complete the following form:

Register Here

Gallery

KBC Hills & Valleys Camping Trip #1 KBC Hills & Valleys Camping Trip #2 Book club meeting 8 KBC @ Jamaica Book Festival Zanya Book club meeting 3 Kimberly KBC Meeting #2 Book club meeting 3 Book club meeting 3 Book club meeting 3 Jenell and Jordan Book club meeting 3 Book club meeting 3 Social media boss Renée Our first meeting!
KBC Hills & Valleys Camping Trip @ Holywell - April 3rd, 2026

Upcoming Events

APR 18, 2026
Short Form Reads
APR 25, 2026
Why Nations Fail (Chapters 11 & 12)
MAY 2, 2026
Why Nations Fail (Chapters 13 & 14)

Why we're doing this

There's a downright scarcity of spaces in Kingston (maybe Jamaica overall) that select for and encourage bright, curious, and interesting people to indulge in the kind of stimulating activities that are meaningfully enriching to them.

Kingston Book Club serves to fill that gap. Being more ambitious, we want to do that and provide the kind of space that enables people to grow and be challenged and find other people that are into that kind of thing too.

Expanding on that even more, we want to push people to Think, while also not holding any ideas too close to their chest. We are building whatever the opposite of a monolith of thought is. Think of this as some cerebral run club. Whatever the dorky analog to a 5k is, we do that every week so you can hit some intellectual goals, and then more.

Blogs

FAQ

  • Smart.
  • Interesting.
  • Brimming with agency.
  • Open to update on their beliefs once presented with strong evidence.
  • Humble enough to recognize that there is a whole universe of knowledge that they'll never come close to scratching the surface of.
  • Persistent and stubborn enough to make an attempt to anyway.

The above set of bullet points wasn't determined a priori. Meaning, it isn't prescriptive. It describes what the modal member looks like currently. It's our job, collectively, to preserve that ideal going forward.

Our meetings are 2 hours in length and start on-time. We usually reserve the first 20-30 minutes for an icebreaker or mental warm-up that serves the purpose of getting new members acquainted with existing ones and also just getting everyone into a good mood.

We follow this up with 1 or 2 pre-selected prompts from earlier within the week. This can occupy anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the number of debaters. It's really important that everyone is attentive and we do select a winner based on who most effectively sways the audience to their POV. It's fun!

The main block of the meeting is dedicated to open-ended discussion questions - usually 2 or 3. This will look like the moderator dishing out a thought-provoking prompt to the members and then the point being discussed. We try to keep the conversation flowing and it's really important that we give the floor to whoever has the ball.

Finally, the last 20-30 minutes of our meetings is reserved for socializing and taking group photos. Don't leave right after the discussions are over! At this point we might also have some refreshments that other members have brought.

The ball is sacrosanct. It's how we recognize the main speaker at a given point in time and we always defer and listen to the holder of the ball. This ensures that everyone can get their point out. The ball holds great power in a meeting so its use demands responsibility - no hogging please. The ball might come in a variety of forms and textures - smooth, round, oblong, spiky. The ball represents order within our meetings.

The ball also squeaks.

No. Online meetings typically devolve into muted mics and cameras turned off with maybe a narrow selection of people actually engaging. The main aim of this club is community so we'll keep it face-to-face. Also, in-person is more soulful.

I'd encourage you to follow our social media instead where you can read along with us. The WhatsApp group is intended for those who can attend.

Instagram

That's completely fine. We will keep you updated on our progress on whichever text is being read so you can read along with us. It is required that you have read the particular sections up for discussion to participate in our meetings though. It's also expected that you will be able to attend at some regular cadence. If you haven't made it to a meeting in 2 months for instance then this would be counter to the idea of membership.