Think back, if you will, to an incomprehensibly ancient year: 2002. Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” is the number one song in America, soaring from boom boxes and, if you’re fancy, generation 1 iPods. Low-rise jeans and fedoras are the fashion order of the day. The launch of social networking behemoth Friendster is about to rock our worlds. And, most importantly, adults in Beechview gather at the Library to socialize, share some snacks and chat about a book with their neighbors.

It was the first meeting of Books on Broadway, CLP-Beechview’s oldest running book club! Leap forward in time to 2022 and Friendster is long dead, low-rise jeans are unfortunately coming back into style, and Books on Broadway is still going strong.

This year, Books on Broadway turns 20 years old! Some snazzy stats: It has seen 5 Pittsburgh mayors, 3 Beechview branch managers (including the book club’s founder, Audrey Iaccone) and the major renovation of the CLP-Beechview building in 2014. While there are surprisingly few repeat authors for 20 years of reading, the most read authors are Anna Quindlen and Fannie Flagg with 4 selections apiece (David McCullough, Nicholas Sparks and David Baldacci all tie for second place). The book club has read 211 titles, from Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross (the first selection) to Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn (the most recent—we’ll be meeting to discuss it on July 30th).

After pausing for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Books on Broadway resumed in November 2021 and is back in the book-chat saddle. All are welcome to join us monthly on Saturdays at 1 pm at CLP-Beechview, and you can find upcoming dates on the website here. Stop by the Library to pick up the next selection—if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can listen to Nickelback on your way.