Thank you to everyone who attended Barron Public Library’s Book Club Discussion! This first book club community conversation is a result of Barron Public Library being selected to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries initiative from the American Library Association (ALA).
The conversation about I Am Malala by Malala Yousfzai was a great success. Discussing her life and the challenges Malala has faced so far in her twenty-four years of age had participants reflecting on their own lives, the importance of education, and discrimination in education based on gender, culture and socioeconomic status. Interesting perspectives were shared about the American education system and the things that have or have not changed over time.
Some participants remarked there was a different form of gender discrimination when they went to school based on what was considered an acceptable career path for women at the time while others were specifically discouraged in class based on their gender and subjected to sexist remarks from faculty.
Going forward attendees plan to do additional research on ways to influence change in education (locally and beyond) and they discussed how they could work together to actualize these ideals.
Be sure to check out the next Book Club selection and join us for a discussion at 5PM the last Thursday of each month.