Amid all the required reading at the University of Southern Maine, there’s always room for one more book, purely for pleasure.
That’s the message of USM Reads. The book group is open to any member of the campus community – student, staff, or faculty. Members gathered on Monday, February 3, at Glickman Library in Portland to discuss their latest book, “James,” by Percival Everett.
“James” puts a new spin on Mark Twain’s classic novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The original story was published in 1885 but set in antebellum Missouri. Huck is a young white boy who runs away from an abusive home with help from Jim, an enslaved Black man. Published last year, Everett’s version is told from the latter’s perspective.
“If you’re in a minority, whether that be race or sexuality, you’re constantly having to respond to what the dominant culture is saying about you,” said Vincent Herrington, a senior majoring in English. “This is a book that has to embody that.”
Herrington was one of the first people to share their observations about “James” when discussion began. The university president, the provost, and several department heads were also in attendance. But regardless of titles, everyone in the room interacted on the same level as readers.
Dr. Jane Kuenz moderated the discussion. She taught American literature before stepping away from the classroom to serve as interim dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Herrington had been one of Kuenz’s students and relished the chance to learn more from her. The reunion was happy on both sides.
“It’s the thing you miss about being a dean. I don’t teach,” Kuenz said. “I was an associate dean before this, which meant I always taught at least one class, and it was the highlight of my week.”
The crowd of more than 30 people congregated around a handful of tables. Kuenz directed each group to generate a list of memorable moments from their reading. As the groups took turns sharing their lists, the mention of a simple pencil sent a murmur of agreement through the room.
James had longed for a pencil to keep a record of his experiences. The only way to get one was for a fellow slave to steal it, which earned him a severe beating. The pencil took on the emotional weight of the scene, making it a potent symbol both to James and his readers.
“This is a professor trick,” Kuenz said. “The pencil is specific, but it can lead to different things. Everybody had an opinion about the pencil.”
That level of introspection as a team sport was exactly what Provost Adam Tuchinsky intended when he came up with the idea for USM Reads. He wanted to create a community for book lovers, free from concerns about grades and papers. His vision has been validated by strong participation, particularly from students of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
“As provost, I hope to continue to partner with deans, faculty, the president, and staff to find ways to bring the community together that reflect our mission and bring some collective joy outside of the hard work we are all engaged in,” Tuchinsky said. “And most importantly, get to know one another.
Dean of Libraries and Learning Zach Newell was key in turning Tuchinsky’s hopes into action. He and his staff organize and host the meetings. Copies of the book are held in reserve for weeks in advance to give guests enough time to do the reading.
USM Reads held its first meeting last October with a discussion of “Nihilistic Times: Thinking with Max Weber” by Wendy Brown. At the second meeting in November, the featured book was “The Weir” by Ruth Moore. Final exams and winter vacation account for the long gap until “James” came up for discussion.
The next book on the schedule is getting special treatment. USM Reads will tackle “How to Read a Book: A Novel” by Monica Wood on March 6. Wood lives in Portland and will be joining readers for a full morning of discussions at the McGoldrick Center on the Portland campus.
Even monthly meetings aren’t enough to satisfy Herrington’s ravenous reading habit. “Light in August” recently became a new favorite after researching William Faulkner for an internship. For all the joy that Herrington gets from a private relationship with books, USM Reads offers a welcome change of pace.
“There’s such a difference between the experience of reading a book on your own and then getting to have a huge discussion with a bunch of people, hearing your own thoughts reflected and completely different perspectives reflected,” Herrington said.