The Oak Crest Book Club

It is becomes apparent just from walking the campus that reading is an essential part of life for many Oak Crest residents. Most of the men and women carry around a book at all times and their rooms are filled with them. It is no surprise, then, that the last Tuesday of every month, members of the independent living community at Oak Crest come together to discuss a previously chosen book of interest. Oak Crest is very much like a college campus in that they have clubs that cater to nearly every interest imaginable. The book club we attended was comprised of mostly women and was regularly attended by about fifteen to twenty independent living members. The members discuss books that interest them and vote on each month’s selection. The three books that were chosen for our time there were James McBride’s Song Yet Sung, Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Each book brought up very different discussion topics among the residents. Song Yet Sung surprised most of the book club members in its discussion of slavery in Maryland. Slavery is often seen as a primarily southern institution and many people believe that Maryland is too far north to have had much of an influence on the matter. Song Yet Sung proves that Maryland played an influential role in the American struggle over slavery. The Namesake brought up issues of identity for the children of immigrants in America. Many of the residents had parents who were immigrants and could identify with the main character in the struggle to exist in the American culture without losing the traditions of their ancestry. They shared interesting stories and insights related to the perspective of the novel. The last book, Huckleberry Finn, was a choice that was made based off of our class syllabus. The residents were shocked that we were reading that book in college because they saw it as a children’s book. The discussion shows that the residents found it humorous and entertaining, but missed much of the social commentary that Twain hid under the amusing plot.

Overall, the residents broadened our perspectives of the novels we read with their personal stories. They have experienced so much in their lives and have so much knowledge to share. We enjoyed exchanging opinions and anecdotes with the Oak Crest book club, and it gave a chance for two different generations of readers to connect. It was a truly enlightening opportunity for both students and residents alike.