Evanston Township High School sponsors Book Club for teen students. (books N clubs).

On a recent Monday afternoon, in the micro-resource center located on the second floor of Evanston Township High School, a group of teenage students are engaged in an engrossing conversation. The resource center is one of the school's two libraries that house a fine collection of fiction and nonfiction literature. The students make up the Books `R' Us book club, a discussion group for teenage students in Evanston, Illinois. The relaxed, casual atmosphere of the center provides the ideal setting for their afternoon discussion.

Virginia Ayers, chairperson of the school's Media and Technology Department, started the reading group in the fall of 1999 "because we didn't see enough students reading for pleasure," says group facilitator Traci Brown. "We thought that maybe teenagers, like adults, needed opportunities to talk about what they read."

News of the book group spread quickly by word-of-mouth and the recommendation of dub members. When sophomore Ana Camacho learned about the group through an announcement in the daffy bulletin, a school newsletter that provides listings of sports events, activities, workshops, college information and community events, she was simply ecstatic.

"I spoke very little English when I first came to the United States from the Philippines," admits the 16-year-old student. "This book club helps me to expand my reading and English skills."

Books `R' Us is a positive forum to discuss books and issues that relate to teenagers. Open to Evanston High School students of all grade levels, members of the book dub read on their own and meet every other Monday to share their thoughts and opinions freely without fear of being judged by their peers.

"I love it," declares senior Patrice Hoffman. "Not only is it great to read and express my ideas, it's great to hear feedback from others who feel the exact same way I do about a certain part of the book or a certain character. I enjoy having the opportunity to read stories I normally wouldn't read. The book club helps me to be more open towards literature."

Senior Tamara Usher enjoys the freedom offered by her reading experience. "Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I am able to delve into a new world of different experiences, which allows me to forget about any personal dilemmas that I may have. This is a way for me to tune out of everyday life and simply portray myself as a character in the book."

Under the keen guidance of Traci Brown, the book club has analyzed and discussed several books by a number of different authors, including Native Son by Richard Wright, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. "Our group writes their own discussion questions and each member is directed to lead a discussion of a certain part of the book," says Brown. "They really love this part, because they get to be the teacher or the person in charge of leading the discussion."

In a recent discussion of What Girls Learn by Karin Cook, students debated whether it was appropriate for a neighbor to bring a lasagna casserole to the home of a sick family friend. "I wouldn't bring food over to someone's house if they were sick," says Patrice Hoffman. "That's like saying they are dying, or something."

"Yeah," agrees Joselyn D'Haiti, a high school junior. "You only bring food over to someone's house after the funeral, if someone has passed away. Then people bring food for the entire family to eat."

The group also debated whether the neighbor should have brought flowers, candy or paid their respects with something a little more festive. Such discussions offer tremendous opportunities for student members to hone their public-speaking and analytical-thinking skills. For shy students like Laronica Jones, it helps build confidence and self-esteem as they are drawn into the discussion. "I learn from the more vocal members," says Jones. "We all learn from one another in this group."

The page meets the stage

In addition to novels, the group looks at plays and attends staged productions of the written word to enhance their literary discussions. Seeing the school production of Native Son heightened the students' appreciation of the classic novel. And when the group attended the stage production of Winesburg, Ohio at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, they were among the few select audience members who had actually read the book written by Sherwood Anderson.

"Of the many students who come to the production, often there is not a single person who has read the book," says actor Patrick Saab. "It's kind of nice when students know what's going on." After evaluating the book and then attending the performance, group member Jessica Brown, believes that Winesburg, Ohio bore a striking resemblance to her Illinois hometown. "It's a small town," Brown observes. "Everybody knows everybody else, and we're all trying to leave and go somewhere else. It reminded me of Evanston."

Prime-time reading

Though the book club is an extracurricular activity, the students manage to devote prime study time to their reading selections. One of only two young men in the group, Ricky McLean makes time to read after completing his homework assignments. Tamara Usher organizes her time so that she can stay on top of the groups meetings, because she thoroughly enjoys the book discussions. Despite Patrice Hoffman's hectic senior schedule, she reads a few chapters of each book during her free periods and relaxes at night by reading before she drops off to sleep. "I'm dedicated to this club," says Hoffman. "I always plan ahead for the meetings."

For Joselyn D'Haiti, however, the group represents much more than a series of regularly scheduled monthly meetings. "Since I was young, I've always loved to read," D'Haiti says. "I get to discuss every aspect of the book, and in the process I can learn something new. The books we read are chosen by us and they're usually very interesting. The book club is almost like a close-knit family, and the one thing we all have in common that holds us together is our love of books."

Contact the Club:

Evanston Township High School
Books `R' Us Book Club
1700 Dodge Avenue
Media & Technology Department
Evanston, Illinois 60204
Contact: Traci M. Brown
773-370-3338
[e-mail]