The Sherrod Library will be hosting a book club over Zoom on Feb. 22 and on April 5.
The club will be reading the 2019 novel “The Other Americans” by Laila Lalami. The virtual discussion will be led by Evan Schmoll, who is a part of the library’s reference and instruction services, as well as a lecturer for ETSU. The first 40 people to register will receive a copy of the book free of charge from the library.
“It will be a good way to include everyone without it having to be an assignment or another type of studying thing – something fun,” said Schmoll.
The book follows a Moroccan immigrant family in the Mojave Desert in California after a member of the family dies in a fatal hit and run. The book deals with the aftermath of a hurt family and the people around them.
“I really want to do a lot of diverse books so that’s why we chose ‘The Other Americans,’ said Schmoll. “It comes from a lot of different points of view and a lot of different backgrounds, and I think it will provide a lot of really good talking points in discussion areas.”
In the book club, students will be able to interact with each other and meet other students while discussing the novel.
“It’s another kind of extracurricular activity that doesn’t require a lot from you,” said Schmoll. “If you like to read – great; if you don’t like to read – it’s still kind of fun to hear what other people have to say about it and will hopefully spark an interest in reading. Either way, it’ll be fun for everyone that attends.”
Schmoll hopes that after the pandemic, the event will be hosted in person.
To learn more about the book club, visit the library’s calendar of events and click on the book club link. To register for the club, email Evan Schmoll at schmoll@etsu.edu.
