Last week, Chancellor Biddy Martin announced UW-Madison will launch a new common book program next fall called Go Big Read,"" designed to encourage exchanges and connections between students and alumni.
The program capitalizes on an idea that has been abandoned in the networking age of new media: reading real books can contribute to a sense of community in a way that Facebook can't. Sure, in some ways literature can be less accessible than a Facebook profile, but the ideas it shares are deeper and related to fundamental aspects of humanity. Even fiction strives for a kind of truth, be it about how we function as a society or about our personal relationships with one another.
For this reason, I really hope Go Big Read will be a success on campus. In some ways, I'm very optimistic. After all, UW-Madison has one of the 15 largest libraries nationally and is home to some of the best-read undergraduate and graduate students in the country. Because of the school's massive resources and huge role in the greater community, Madison is a breeding ground for genuine intellectualism in a way that very few cities across the country can claim to be.
The success of Go Big Read, however, all comes down to the books chosen. Looking at some other schools' common book programs I noticed that Cornell's pick for 2009 was ""The Grapes of Wrath."" Now, I love the classics (including Steinbeck), but I find it difficult to believe a 500-page book about the Depression will receive maximum involvement from students.
It's tricky since many of the books people consider when thinking about the selection criteria - well-written, conducive to teaching and learning, etc. - are the same books we were all supposed to read in high school (but in many cases didn't). At the same time, it would be silly to sacrifice quality for accessibility, particularly when the whole point of the project is to get people thinking and discussing ideas.
Therefore, it seems like the ideal book for Go Big Read would be something that should be required reading for all high schoolers, but somehow isn't. That's why the book I'm going to suggest is ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X.""
Now, I admit that ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X"" may not be much shorter than ""The Grapes of Wrath,"" but it represents the view of someone who is often marginalized when we look at history, even civil rights history. We've all had to read Steinbeck, whether it was ""The Grapes of Wrath"" or ""Of Mice and Men."" Likewise, we've all read ""To Kill a Mockingbird,"" and while it's a beautiful book, it's strange that a book by a white person on racism is more widely required by teachers than a book by one of the civil rights movement's core leaders.
Out of all the books I've read in my entire lifetime, none has made me think or challenged me more than ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X."" And, despite Malcolm X's controversial beliefs, the book teaches tolerance.
So if you think you might participate in Go Big Read next year, do yourself a favor and pick books that are different and contentious. Pick books like ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X,"" instead of novels that remind you of skipping study hall in place of reading.
Are you a fan of the classic book club selections and don't support having to read new books to discuss? E-mail Frances at provine@wisc.edu.
