History Reads Book Club

Offered in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History, the History Reads Book Club is perfect for readers wanting to learn more about the natural, social, cultural, and political history of Illinois. Titles may include fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and books by Illinois authors. History Reads meets quarterly in February, May, August, and November. Meetings are at 7pm and are typically* offered both in the Conference Room at the library and online via Zoom. People can join a book club at any time and do not have to attend previous book club meetings to participate. We are happy to have you whenever you can attend!

Those wishing to attend via Zoom need to register in order to receive the Zoom link. Those attending in person do not need to register. Upcoming book club meetings are listed to the right. Click on the date you would like to attend to register online. You may also register by calling 309.590.6168 or by visiting us in person at the library Help Desk on the second floor.

The Library receives extra print copies of book club books leading up to the date of the meeting. To reserve one of the extra print copies of the next title to be discussed, contact the Help Desk by phone at 309.590.6168 or by email to reference@bloomingtonlibrary.org. Digital copies of each title (eBook or eAudiobook) may also be available through the Libby or Hoopla Apps. 

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*The August 2025 meeting will be offered in person in Community Rooms 1-3 at the library, and will be offered as a live stream on YouTube. This meeting is receiving special treatment because spotlight title for that month is "Reasonable Doubt" by local author Steve Vogel. "Reasonable Doubt" focuses on a true crime event which occurred in Bloomington, IL, in 1983.

February 4, 2025

 Abe & Fido: Lincoln's Love of Animals and the Touching Story of his Favorite Canine Companion by Matthew Algeo

In early 1861, as he prepared to leave his home in Springfield, Illinois, to move into the White House, Abraham Lincoln faced many momentous tasks, but none he dreaded more than telling his two youngest sons, Willie and Tad, that the family’s beloved pet dog, Fido, would not be accompanying them to Washington. Lincoln was afraid the skittish dog couldn’t endure the long rail journey, so he decided to leave the mutt behind with friends in Springfield.

May 6, 2025

 Living Downstream: An Ecologist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment by Sandra Steingraber
Sandra Steingraber was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that has afflicted other members of her adoptive family. Writing from the twin perspectives of a survivor and a concerned scientist, she traces the high incidence of cancer and the terrifying concentrations of environmental toxins in her native rural Illinois. She goes on to show similar concentrations of environmental toxins in other communities throughout the United States, where cancer rates have increased.

August 5, 2025

 Reasonable Doubt: A Shocking Story of Lust and Murder in the American Heartland by Steve Vogel
In 1983, a mother and her three young children are found hacked to death in their beds in Bloomington, IL. The apparent weapons, an ax and butcher knife, are found nearby. A month later the husband and father, who was away on a business trip when the bodies were found, is accused of the killings. Police believe he methodically murdered his wife and children before he left.

November 4, 2025

 The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City's Soul by Scott W. Berg
In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the “big one” — a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. It had been bone-dry for months, and a recent string of blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department’s already scant resources. Then, on October 8, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate O'Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings, along with insufficient preparation and a high south-westerly wind, combined to set the stage for an unmitigated catastrophe.