The value of having a group of people read the same book

The basis of any literature class is usually a common text, providing an opportunity to collectively study a writer’s techniques, to explore the questions raised and to make connections to other touchstones in our lives.  It is the value of reading and discussing literature within a community.  So too for a book group.   Selecting those common texts is often tricky, however.  In the school, teachers must consider accessibility, richness of language, significance of issues, and, of course, whether the text will offend.  My experience in book groups, particularly the small one that I was in for 17 years, is that while everyone is open to stretching with books one might not have chosen if left to one’s own devices, the reality is that we are all adults and life is too short to spend time reading something that doesn’t interest you.

I raise this topic because I have just finished reading the common book for the high school where I used to teach. Finding a title for 3,000 students, ages 14 to 18, not to mention 200+ faculty members is a daunting task.  The novel chosen for last summer - done so in haste - was a controversial choice and not in a good way.  I am therefore happy to report that this summer's read, I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch, is an excellent pick for a number of reasons. The book focuses on young people, reflecting their concerns, pastimes and struggles.  It is an easily accessible read for teenagers, written in the voices of people their age.  It is particularly appropriate for an IB school with its window on life in another country as well as its clear call to action.  The book demonstrates how one person can significantly effect positive change in the life of another. 

The memoir chronicles the pen-pal relationship of the upper middle-class white American Caitlin and the dirt poor Martin in Zimbabwe.  Told in alternating chapters, it begins when they are preteens and covers a 6-year correspondence that develops first into a friendship and then into a life-altering experience for Martin.  Caitlin’s early chapters are not particularly captivating as they recount her various crushes, changing best friends status and fashion interests – but they ring quite true as the authentic preoccupations of someone her age and station in life.  Martin’s chapters are significantly more interesting and provide a stark contrast.  For awhile, he hides his horrible poverty from Caitlin in his letters, but the narrative reveals that simple things she takes for granted, such as an exchange of photographs or currency are near impossibilities for Martin.  Ganda, his four siblings and two parents share a one-room house with another family, a curtain down the middle providing the façade of privacy. Martin works hard every year in school to be the number one student, setting his long-term sights on attending college in the U.S., but he constantly faces financial obstacles.  Only those who can pay for school can attend and Martin’s family cannot afford to send all of their children.  The situation worsens when Martin’s father loses his job and Martin no longer has tuition money.  In a fluke of timing, Caitlin decides to send Martin the money she made from babysitting one night ($20), which, as it turns out, pays for the entire next semester.  Martin gradually lets Caitlin know how much her money has meant to him, which prompts her to send more and to eventually get her mother involved in helping to first financially contribute to the Ganda family and later to help Martin get a scholarship to Villanova.

There isn’t anything very literary about the book, but Liz Welch, presumably the professional contributor, has done a nice job of folding the alternating voices into a coherent narrative.  If one wanted to discuss the book as a book, there are a number of points to consider.  The epilogue reveals that Caitlin is now 30; the book was published two years ago when she was 28.  Much of the writing, then, was done long after the events.  How much was reconstructed from the letters, how much was accurately recalled, and how much was creatively reconstructed – and to what degree does the answer matter?  You could also talk about the book’s intentions and how those shaped the narrative.  The publisher and authors seem to want to provide a feel-good story that inspires readers  - and I think they accomplish that – but every once in a while I wondered, as did some of Caitlin’s mother’s friends, if Martin and his family were taking advantage of the American family.  Nevertheless, it was a good read - and not just for teenagers - that is a reminder of the great disparity of wealth and opportunity that exists in our world.