About the
Guerrilla Book Club
Someone found a book unexpectedly—somewhere you wouldn't normally expect to find books. Let's say it was lying on an otherwise unoccupied park bench. Inquisitively, that person—let's say that person was you—picked it up and found a bookmark within it. The bookmark was addressed to you. Well, it wasn't addressed to you in the creepy sense that it had your name with your picture. It was addressed to you in the sense that it was addressed to the person who picks it up, and you happened to be that someone who picked it up.
What happens next is entirely up to you.
The Guerrilla Book Club began on a challenge. The challenge was open-ended: to do something good in the world. The Guerrilla Book Club is an experimental pay-it-forward-style movement. It was designed to challenge everyone who comes across it to engage with a stranger in a deeply personal and meaningful way—by giving them a book.
The challenge to do something good in the world turned out to be a gift—an opportunity to create this movement. In the same way, this challenge to share a book with a stranger is an opportunity to share something deeply personal without needing anything in return. Plus, you'll just feel good about doing it.
May the stories that show up as a result of this movement serve your highest and greatest good!
Challenges are opportunities
Founder's note
At the time of this writing, this project has become personally and symbolically indicative of so many life-changing months. These events aren't just ongoing for me; it seems to be happening everywhere, for everyone, across the globe. It's exhausting!
This project began unexpectedly in April 2016. An audience of strangers awarded me with $400 and challenged me to do something good with it. I spent the rest of April writing down and scratching out ideas. Then, sometime in May, the initial idea for the Guerrilla Book Club finally took shape. By June, the movement was launched. By all means the challenge should be over. The money is spent. The website is live. The books were paid forward. The initial challenge is indeed over, but the opportunity keeps unfolding.
With every passing month, my commitment to building this movement deepens, but I couldn't have done it without enlisting the help of some dear old friends, who haven't let me down no matter how hard I've tested their generosity, and many new friends, who seemed to show up suddenly—serendipitously—like they knew their help was needed right here right now.
To all of you, Agents, a big thank you. And to each of you individually, thank you. Your name should be here if it's not: Elena. Christina. Light. Katia. Andrea. Annie. Thu-Nhi. Kein. Elizabeth. Stephanie. Alvin. Jerry. Michael. Mary Kate. Liz. Greg. Pilar. Mom. Dad. Deborah. Sarah.
Whether we can see it or not, we are all brought together by one thing or another, good circumstances or bad circumstances, to make a difference in each other's lives. My hope is that the Guerrilla Book Club becomes a movement of good circumstances, where everyone can really show up for each other. Let's go make a positive difference in the world.
Agent McSueño
August 2016
Nice to hear from you
Questions, comments, suggestions, and inspirations are welcomed.
