MAY 18, 2021 - LeVar Burton, who for 23 years encouraged children to read on the PBS show Reading Rainbow, has launched an online book club for grown-ups on the new social reading platform Fable. Burton shared the news on May 11th in a video posted to the Fable YouTube page, and that same day announced via Twitter that his first selection would be the James Baldwin novel Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Burton said in the video, “For over 30 years, you know I have shared the power of storytelling with readers of all ages [...] and now, you and I can explore our love of the written word through some of my favorite books and authors together as a reading community on Fable.”

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Burton shared two other titles already picked for the club: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and a collection of works entitled The Fire This Time, edited by Jesmyn Ward. Of these initial selections Burton remarked, “Obviously, there are hundreds of books that have shaped my identity as a reader, and these three are really representative of an important aspect of that journey for me.” New titles will be announced every three months for members of the club, which is part of Fable’s premium subscription service.

The LeVar Burton Book Club joins the podcast LeVar Burton Reads as a way to share a passion for reading and community, giving Burton the opportunity, he says, “to continue to introduce my audience to new authors in the service of widening our perspectives.” He added, “I couldn't ask for anything more.”

You can learn more about the Fable reading community and the LeVar Burton Book Club in particular at Fable.co.