Thursday, August 12, 2010

Ignorance is not bliss.

The Book Club theme for the 2010-2011 school year grew out of the book that will be our first selection this year (which I will keep secret until the first Book Club meeting for suspense-building purposes and because it's just more fun that way). The book deals with the struggles of a 17-year-old boy who is trying to exist in two different cultures at once. He worries that he is betraying his family and friends when he seeks a better education, and he feels very much a fish out of water at his new school. The book is funny, honest, and sometimes sad.

When I read this book, something was really brought home for me: While we Americans share a common country, we have very different American experiences. Therefore, this year, we will read books written by or about people for whom the American experience is not a "typical" one (immigrants or children of immigrants, persons living in very urban or very rural areas, people who have disabilities, for instance). The goal will be to learn about people whose experiences are different from ours and seeing that, despite our differences, we are all pretty alike at the core. I will need a great team on the selection committee as we decide what experiences to explore and which books to read, so consider helping out in that capacity.

Our first meeting of the year will be Wednesday, August 25, after school, in the library.

I hope to see you there!