Read for a Good Cause with Goodreads Book Club

The right book can literally change a life. This founding philosophy has guided Goodreads from the start, and now we want to give back in a tangible way. We are proud to say that this summer the Goodreads Book Club has partnered with First Book to donate to children in need.

The stats on illiteracy in North America alone are staggering. Many kids can't get their hands on a book when they really want one, because many schools and families lack the means to purchase books. Our inaugural Goodreads Book Club is about bringing readers together: Now we've expanded that core goal to bring books to children that desperately need them.

Here is our pledge: We are donating 1,000 books to kids in need for every 10,000 Goodreads members who add A Visit from the Goon Squad to their shelves. As of today, there are already more than 25,000 who have read or plan to read Jennifer Egan's evocative Pulitzer-winning novel, so we have already promised 2,000 books! Help us reach the next campaign benchmark by adding the book and inviting your friends to join the Goodreads Book Club.

Our partner, First Book, is a stellar nonprofit organization that serves children with the greatest need by distributing books throughout the United States and Canada to schools and community programs in low-income communities. Their commitment to bringing children a steady supply of new books is very much aligned with the Goodreads mission to get people excited about reading. As First Book notes on its Web site, "Studies show that interest in reading more than triples among children who received new books from First Book."

Our initial goal is to donate 5,000 books—which means we need 50,000 people to add A Visit From The Goon Squad by August 2, when the Book Club concludes with a live video chat with author Jennifer Egan. If more than 50,000 people add the book before the end date, we will honor our pledge and donate up to 10,000 books!*

This is a fun, easy way for you to help us give the gift of the written word to thousands of kids who need it.

Help us spread the love!

To celebrate our partnership with First Book, we're giving away 10 paperback copies of A Visit from the Goon Squad, signed by the author Jennifer Egan! Enter to win »








* Books added by illegitimate accounts will not be included in the total number of adds. We reserve the right to disqualify accounts from unverified sources.