Book Club connects students, faculty
Karlyle Stephens
Mesa Legend
Soon enough, there will be real AA like meetings being organized for the many who can’t resist usage of their electronic devices anymore than a drunkard can a bottle of gin. If such a thing began and became successful, the bunch who’d still be in denial of having any actual addiction would probably still want to attend just to cure their feelings of isolation. They may remember or even be surprised at how much better real life communities feel than the ones that only their thumbs feel on a screen. But before this kind of tech-drunk society can reach this extreme, there is still time to reemerge spaces where people come together in person to communicate and share.
This is one reason the Mesa Legend would like to encourage students and staff members to join the Book club here on campus. In the so called age of connectivity and selfies, so many find themselves disconnected from others, and most ironically themselves. MCC’s book club, now in its eighth year, is a stimulating community which offers the exact opposite. “We have a generation of people who are losing their communication skills,” says the book club’s coordinator Kate Mohler. Also a professor of English here on campus, Mohler noted the importance of in person contact. and of how important it is for people to be able to see the consequences of their words.
In addition to engagement and communication benefits, Mohler selects texts that raises social awareness or material that she says will help people learn about themselves. The club recently read a book called “Quiet” about introverts versus extroverts. Mohler said it was a success because students and staff members a like were able to identify themselves with some of the book’s interesting ideas. “Every book has a topic i always hope speaks to people across the campus” said Mohler, who is passionate about the current state of immigration among other things.
The book club is currently reading “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario.
The book is nonfiction and recounts the quest a young honduran boy takes to find his mother eleven years after she migrated to the US to find work. It’s these kind of timely and engaging subjects that people can expect to discuss at MCC’s book club. Students also receive extra credit for their participation Students will also not have to worry about purchasing a book. Through a partnership with Changing Hands Bookstore, members are often provided free copies of the chosen book. “All the book club provides is a support system, a gathering place, free refreshments, and books that will help people learn about themselves,” said Mohler. The club will meet for 2 more dates this fall in the Southwest reading room on the third floor of the library: October 7 and November 4 at 2:45 to 4:15pm.
