By Sam Frearson Tubito

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been part of a book club. Wherever I’ve lived, books have been my bridge into connection. They are my way to meet people, exchange ideas, and share the joy of reading. In the last two places I’ve called home, I didn’t just join book clubs; I ran them.

In Modena, it was through the International Women’s Association. In Madrid, through the International Newcomers Club. Both were small but vibrant communities, full of curious, generous women who brought their perspectives from all over the world. Our gatherings were as much about the conversations sparked by the books as they were about the friendships that quietly formed between the lines.

But moving on from those places meant moving on from those circles too. When I packed up my life, I also had to pack up the book clubs. I hadn’t anticipated the hollow feeling that would follow. The loss of community. I realised that it wasn’t only about leaving a city; it was about leaving behind something I had helped to curate and nurture. Something precious.

Two years ago, I joined Families in Global Transition (FIGT), an organisation that connects people with cross-cultural lives. At one of my very first “Coffee & Connect” sessions, our president, Hannele Secchia, casually mentioned a book club. My ears pricked up immediately.

How wonderful, I thought — a global book club! One where you never have to say goodbye to the people you’ve shared so many pages and conversations with.

It turned out I had misunderstood. There wasn’t a global book club at all. But there was a gap. And in that moment, I knew exactly how I could fill it. I offered to start and run one for FIGT.

That was a year ago. Since then, our group has read historical fiction, TCK (Third Culture Kid) memoirs, and books that speak to the challenges and beauty of cross-cultural life. We’ve even had the privilege of welcoming one of our very own members, author Mariam Navaid Ottimofiore, as a guest speaker when we read and discussed her TCK novel The Guilty Don’t Say Goodbye.

Our discussions travel across time zones. Members log in from kitchens, living rooms, and cafés all over the world. We share not just what we think about the books, but pieces of our own lives — the memories a story stirs, the parallels to our own journeys, the cultural nuances we notice because of where we’ve been.

And here’s the best part: I’ve moved again since starting the FIGT book club. But this time, I haven’t had to say goodbye. The community has moved with me. It stays, steadfast, wherever we are. We just keep building, adding more layers of trust, connection, and shared understanding.

Belonging isn’t always about a place. Sometimes, it’s about the people who choose to keep showing up for each other — no matter how many borders we cross.

And that’s a story I never want to close.

Our next meeting is on September 11th, when we’ll be reading There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak — a lyrical and deeply human story that intertwines memory, myth, and migration. I can’t wait to see what conversations it sparks.

Sam Frearson Tubito is a third-generation Third Culture Kid who has lived in 16 countries and writes about home, identity, and belonging. As the founder of the FIGT Global Book Club, she connects readers across time zones, using stories as bridges between cultures. Sam’s upcoming memoir – Beneath A Borrowed Sky – explores what it means to build — and carry — a sense of home while raising her own cross-cultural family.