Tough Guy Book Club is an international single-title book discussion club that was formed in Melbourne, Australia in 2012 and now has over 157 chapters including all Australian states and territories, plus Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Myanmar, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It operates as a Registered Not-for-Profit Charity, and is run by unpaid volunteers. All chapters meet at 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month.
Membership is open to men only, aged at least 18.
The name of the club was chosen partly in jest but also simply as an acknowledgment that being a lover of books and reading and being a fully-functioning male are not mutually exclusive.
Foundation The inaugural chapter was in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne. It was founded by Shay Leighton in 2012, and in 2015 became a Registered Not-for-Profit Charity.Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission, Profile: Tough Guy Book Club The second chapter was opened in Portland, Oregon, USA.Shay Leighton, Innovative Reading Engagement and Tough Guy Book Club, youtube
Patron In December 2024 the Governor of Victoria, Professor Margaret Gardner, became the Patron of the Tough Guy Book Club.Governor of Victoria: Patronage organisationsTGBC: Governor of Victoria Becomes TGBC Patron
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