One Book Montana
When I first heard about One Book Montana, I was skeptical. Reading is such a private, personal act; what good is it to share with a state? Then I was asked to lead a discussion on the book in Gardiner. So I plowed through Mildred Walker's "Winter Wheat," at first frustrated because it felt like the books I'd had to read in high school.
But our discussion in Gardiner earlier this month was extraordinary. Over 50 people attended the evening session, including the entire high school English class. Some of the older folks had grown up in very similar situations: on a wheat farm, in a one-room schoolhouse, etc. For others, the book powerfully portrayed a key element of the Montana lifestyle: that landscape is tied to work. That tie is often forged in childhood and lasts a lifetime.
But not for these kids. In the 21st century, kids rarely work a landscape. They don't slave away on a wheat farm. Parents have worked hard to give them that luxury. But has that loosened their tie to their home? Several of the students proclaimed they intended to leave Montana to find work. It was a frank, heartfelt, caring intergenerational discussion, of a sort I've never heard anywhere else.
A few days later, the Montana Center for the Book announced next year's selection: James Welch's "Fools Crow." I'm looking forward to the experience.
What do YOU think? Drop a line to info@johnclaytonbooks.com. To receive these posts via email, write to johnclaytonoutreach-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. (You need not put any text in the message.)
But our discussion in Gardiner earlier this month was extraordinary. Over 50 people attended the evening session, including the entire high school English class. Some of the older folks had grown up in very similar situations: on a wheat farm, in a one-room schoolhouse, etc. For others, the book powerfully portrayed a key element of the Montana lifestyle: that landscape is tied to work. That tie is often forged in childhood and lasts a lifetime.
But not for these kids. In the 21st century, kids rarely work a landscape. They don't slave away on a wheat farm. Parents have worked hard to give them that luxury. But has that loosened their tie to their home? Several of the students proclaimed they intended to leave Montana to find work. It was a frank, heartfelt, caring intergenerational discussion, of a sort I've never heard anywhere else.
A few days later, the Montana Center for the Book announced next year's selection: James Welch's "Fools Crow." I'm looking forward to the experience.
What do YOU think? Drop a line to info@johnclaytonbooks.com. To receive these posts via email, write to johnclaytonoutreach-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. (You need not put any text in the message.)
