I never thought much about Calvin Coolidge until 2005, when I moved to downtown Northampton, mere blocks from his presidential museum. But after visiting the museum, I suddenly had more questions.

For example, Coolidge is known as the quintessential conservative; so why was he a supporter of women’s suffrage?

How did the face of the Republican Party evolve from the anti-slavery Abraham Lincoln to the trust-busting progressive Theodore Roosevelt to Coolidge, the personification of limited government?

Why did Coolidge support a severely restrictive immigration law? Why did he defend the right of Black Americans to run for office, and support increased federal funding to the historic Black college Howard University? How did all these views fit together?

And what happened for Coolidge to get that stunning Sioux headdress?

Some questions could be answered with a little internet research, or by reading a Coolidge biography. Others didn’t have pat answers. The more I read, the more complex Coolidge became. I soon concluded that to really grasp Coolidge’s place in the American story, I had to read about the presidents before and after him.

I needed to understand the political and economic convulsions that were transforming the Grand Old Party, along with the nation, while our Massasoit Street neighbor was navigating his way into the party’s highest ranks. And I needed to connect how his legacy shaped the future course of both the Republican and Democratic parties, long after he passed away at The Beeches.

Years later, I joined the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum Standing Committee. We came up with an idea to promote the museum and help educate people about Coolidge: host a presidential book club. Read a book on each president. Start with George Washington. Go in order until we get to Donald Trump.

Dozens of western Massachusetts community members (and a few from farther away participating by Zoom) have taken part in our first journey through the presidents. We began in 2019. While the journey took a little longer than planned because of the pandemic, we finished two months ago, richer in our knowledge not just of Coolidge, but of the presidency, and of America itself.

It’s been an emotional journey, at times exhilarating, maddening and disturbing. Twelve slaveholders. One emancipation. Eight sudden deaths (one of which elevated Coolidge to the presidency). One resignation. Three impeachments. Three weddings. Several philanderers. Brutal expansionism. Many wars. Many economic booms and busts. Many bitterly divisive presidential campaigns.

One America, still standing.

If you are interested in taking the same journey, you’re in luck. The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum Presidential Book Club begins its second series on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

We will start with the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Washington: A Life” by Ron Chernow. (If you don’t think you can finish the entire book by then, feel free to jump ahead to page 559 as Washington’s presidency begins. No judgments!) The book is available in multiple formats, including audiobook, and can be borrowed from Forbes Library.

Book club meetings will take place on the fourth Monday of every month. (We’ve been known to skip August and December.) We gather in the Coolidge museum, though you will also be able to participate remotely on Zoom. To join the book club email list and receive information about book selections and meetings, please email coolidge@forbeslibrary.org.

We are blessed in Northampton to be one of the few communities in America with a presidential library and museum. It may be a strange twist of fate that one of the most progressive cities in America is home to the library and museum of an American president beloved by conservatives. But one need not like Coolidge’s record to derive knowledge from the history he made.

We at the Coolidge museum strive to be an unbiased resource to anyone interested in learning more about the Coolidge presidency, which began exactly 100 years ago. We are planning a series of educational events in the coming years to commemorate the “Coolidge Centennial.” But there’s no better way to start your presidential education than by joining our Presidential Book Club.

Bill Scher is the vice president of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum Standing Committee.