
We always hope that One Read participants make connections with each other, enjoy celebrating the power of a book and learn something in the process. Columbia resident Patty Jo Long attended a One Read book discussion of “The Tiger’s Wife,” and she felt moved to write about experiencing a little bit of magic. She graciously agreed to allow us to share some of her words with you, and part of her essay appears below. (Please note that her essay includes a few plot spoilers if you have not yet finished the book.)
I went to a meeting yesterday–I don’t go to meetings often because–because I don’t like them. But there are exceptions for all things. What lay ahead for me was a glorious example. I was at the library to pick up a couple of books I had on reserve and ran into a friend–then another friend appeared, then a third, all coincidentally–it was fate. They were all headed for the meeting and quite persuasive in their arguments for me to go, too. The topic was Columbia’s One Read book, “The Tiger’s Wife…”
The group of thirty or so eagerly jumped right in, no one monopolized, and almost everyone had something to say. It reminded me of a long ago college English class I sat in on conducted by a professor I admired who had the shyest freshman in the back row responding enthusiastically within fifteen minutes. Read More