Join us for a discussion of this year's Read Between the Ravines featured book,"Reading with Patrick" by Michelle Kuo.This inspirational memoir touches on themes of education, race, and justice.

Registration form below.

Book Description:

In this stirring memoir, Kuo, the child of Taiwanese immigrants, shares the story of her complicated but rewarding mentorship of one student, Patrick Browning, and his remarkable literary and personal awakening. Fifteen and in the eighth grade, Patrick begins to thrive under Michelle's exacting attention. After two years of teaching, Michelle feels pressure from her parents and the draw of opportunities and leaves Arkansas to attend law school.

Then, on the eve of her law-school graduation, Michelle learns that Patrick has been jailed for murder. Feeling that she left the Delta prematurely, Michelle returns to Helena and resumes Patrick's education—even as he sits in a jail cell awaiting trial. Every day for the next seven months they pore over classic novels, poems, and works of history. Little by little, Patrick grows into a confident, expressive writer and a dedicated reader galvanized by the works of Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Walt Whitman, W. S. Merwin, and others.

In her time reading with Patrick, Michelle is herself transformed, contending with the legacy of racism and the questions of what constitutes a "good" life and what the privileged owe to those with bleaker prospects.

This program is part of Read Between the Ravines

Lake Bluff Public Library and Lake Forest Library are proud to present their joint nonfiction reading program called Read Between the Ravines. This Two Communities, One Nonfiction Book program brings together Lake Forest and Lake Bluff with the purpose of enhancing nonfiction literacy and inspiring discussion around real-world issues. Learn more at readbetween.org.