Have you ever convinced yourself that this is the year you’re going to get out of your reading slump, but then you just can’t seem to get around to it? Well lucky for you, now is your chance! Students for a Just Society launched its first-ever book club this semester and I’m here to tell you all about it.
I want to start off by saying that this is not your mom's book club. While yes, we do indulge in snacks and maybe even a little gossip, criminal justice reform is at the heart of most of our conversations. Our inaugural book for this semester is The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton–his name might sound familiar to you if you keep up with our events. Students for a Just Society, in collaboration with other campus organizations, hosted Hinton as a guest speaker last March. He shared his story about his 30 years on death row and his eventual exoneration, which is precisely what this book is about. With much grace and intelligence, Hinton recounts his entire experience from pre-arrest to his fight for freedom.
Regarding the actual book club experience, we try to cover around 5 chapters a week and engage in discussions about the content of the assigned readings. Five might seem daunting, especially if you have a heavy workload, but the chapters are short and make for an easy read! Some recent club conversations have covered how/why the justice system failed Hinton so significantly, and the racial prejudices that contributed to his placement on death row. I have to say, my favorite part of book club so far is that everyone always has something insightful to share; it makes for a very enriching experience.
If you want to be a part of the book club but you’re concerned about the commitment, have no fear–attendance and participation are very relaxed. If you can’t make it to every meeting that is completely ok! Our club leaders make it very clear that this is an opportunity to improve your college experience and expand your passion for criminal justice reform. I want to be very clear that this club is not here to contribute to your stress or crazy workload.
My time with this new venture has been wonderful, and I can only hope that we widen our circle in the coming semesters. Criminal justice reform expands far beyond SPA, and we welcome anyone interested in the subject regardless of major. What's great is that there is no minimum amount of knowledge required, we are all there to learn from one another! All in all, SJS book club is a great extracurricular activity to add to your schedule, especially if you don’t have a ton of free time to commit fully to an organization. It is a relaxed and friendly environment (sometimes with cookies), and a great place to meet new people who share similar interests.
If you’re interested in joining, we meet almost every Monday at 6 pm; however, the location is always changing. While we are almost finished with this semester's book, be on the lookout for what's coming next! Our Instagram, @sjsatau, has all the updates and a link to join the GroupMe. I hope to see you there, it's guaranteed to be a great time!
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