OCU BOOK DISCUSSIONS
START WITH A WONDER



Image courtesy of OCU

From staff sources


The Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma book discussion series at Oklahoma City University will continue with “Wonder” by R.J. Palacio at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 in Walker Center room 151.

The discussion series is titled “Hope Amidst Hardship.” It is made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council.

“Wonder” is about a boy who is born with a facial deformity and must attend public school for the first time after years of being homeschooled. At his new school he struggles with verbal and physical abuse from bullies.

At each session in the five-part series, a humanities scholar makes a presentation on the book in the context of the theme. Small group discussions follow with experienced discussion leaders. At the end, all participants come together for a brief wrap-up.

Those who are interested in participating are encouraged to preregister and borrow the reading selections and theme brochure by calling Harbour Winn at (405) 208-5472, e-mailing him at hwinn@okcu.edu or dropping by the Dulaney-Browne Library room 211 or 207.

Winn, director of the Center for Interpersonal Study through Film & Literature at OCU, hopes the series will help participants find a “commonality of hope and perseverance.”

“Recognizing ourselves in others, even as we read of hardship, is a major reason we find reading enjoyable,” Winn said.  “Hardship comes in many varieties, and the books in this series offer varied examples but present a common theme: there is hope along the way. Sometimes this hope comes from deep within ourselves. Sometimes it comes from others in unexpected ways.”

Remaining dates and books in the series include:

Oct. 13 — “Where the Heart Is” by Billie Letts

Oct. 27 — “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd

Nov. 10 — “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom