The League of Women Voters of Whitewater is pleased to announce the continuation of our book discussions that explore issues regarding the League’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy.

The 2024 National Book Award winner and finalist for the Booker Prize, James: A Novel by Percival Everett, is a re-imaging of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved Jim.  The powerful, thought-provoking novel is written in three parts, and we will be discussing each part separately. 

Part I:  Tuesday, February 18 @ 6:30 pm, at the home of Dr. Dwight Watson at 220 S. Church Street – Tara McKenzie-Peoteer, Whitewater High School teacher, will lead the discussion including such topics as comparing the text to Huckleberry Finn and the historical and contemporary use of the “n” word.

Part II:  Thursday, March 20 @ 6:30 pm – Greg Stewart, Whitewater High School teacher, will continue the book discussion with emphasis on the teaching of historical time frames and concepts such as cake walks, minstrels, slave narratives, and the Civil War.

Part III: Thursday, April 17 @ 6:30 pm – UW-Whitewater professor, Dr. Tamara Lindsey, will lead the final session with an emphasis on topics such as emancipation, liberation, freedom and social construction theory that suggests reality and knowledge are shaped by societal agreements and shared assumptions.

A limited supply of books is available at The Book Teller.  Call 262-269-9109 to hold a copy.  For questions or further information please call Deb Gamble at 262-953-1946. 

We invite all in the Whitewater community to join us in the discussions of the book of which The New York Times writes “below the packed dirt floor of Everett’s moral sensibility, James is an intensely imagined human being.”  Let’s delve into that world together.

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The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Visit our website at https://my.lwv.org/wisconsin/whitewater-area and like us on Facebook!