How the whole state came to read a book together - and the lively discussions of it happening now

By CHRISTIE VILSACK
March 9, 2003
DES MOINES, IOWA

A few of the students facing me in the multi-purpose room of Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City are my age, but many are considerably older. Like most classes, some have devoured the book, others haven’t quite finished and still others haven’t quite started.

They have all come willingly to this life-long learning class to discuss Leif Enger’s novel “Peace Like A River.”

Andy Robak of Sioux City says he read the book as a favor to Fiona Valentine, head of public relations at WITCC. He teaches electronics, and he doesn’t read many books, but this one moved him and he’s eager for discussion.

These readers want to concentrate on the character Jeremiah Land, father of the boy who is running from the law after he’s accused of murdering thugs who threaten his family. They talk about the choices he’s forced to make – loyalty to his son or doing what is legally and/or morally right.

They talk about sacrifices older generations make for the young. They wonder about the miracles in the book, and they speculate about Roxanna. By introducing her into the plot, has the author given this motherless family a different kind of miracle?

At first I’m a little nervous leading this discussion. It’s been four years since I’ve taught college freshman English at Iowa Wesleyan. During our coffee break, I discover that these students, all over age 50, drive from Nebraska and from small Iowa towns as far away as Holstein, 40 miles east.

This first novel by Leif Enger, a Minnesotan, was chosen by the “All Iowa Reads” selection committee as a kickoff project for Iowa’s new “Center For The Book.”

Two years ago, during a visit to the Library of Congress, I discovered that Iowa was one of seven states that were not affiliated with the national Center for the Book. We had no statewide organization to promote reading, writing, libraries and regional writers.

That seemed unacceptable in a state that prides itself on being one of the most literate states in the nation. Now 16 organizations in Iowa have come together to form the Iowa Center for the Book, housed at the State Library in Des Moines.

We wanted our kick-off project to be an opportunity for Iowans to read and discuss a recently published book written by a Midwesterner, set in the Midwest. We wanted a book that would engage Iowans from middle school on up. For several years city libraries around the country have spearheaded efforts to invite citizens to read and discuss a book in common. We think we are the first state to do so.

My literacy goal this year is to discuss the book in as many settings as possible.

The venues where I’ve discussed the books speak volumes about the importance of this endeavor and the value of an undertaking this large. And we’ve only just begun.

I led my second discussion of the book over the Iowa Communications Network – the fiber optic cable system which links the state’s schools, colleges, libraries, hospitals and other public facilities for interactive classes and meetings. Dale Ross, president of the Iowa Commission on Libraries and a veteran professor of English at Iowa State University, joined me in leading this discussion while 111 participants in 27 sites around the state listened.

Our participants were mostly librarians and library activists who are planning events surrounding this same book for their communities. Dale and I engaged in conversation about the themes of the book for about 30 minutes, and then we opened the discussion. Some of the participants will be leading conversations in their libraries or with groups locally. The Ankeny, Boone and Des Moines’ Franklin Avenue libraries are just a few that have already led discussions for their patrons.

Another discussion of the book I’ve had was a phone conversation I had with Jeannette Eyerly, a Des Moines writer and pioneer in writing adolescent fiction. I noticed in the church bulletin that she leads the Newman Book Study Group. I suggested that Enger’s book might interest them because of its many references to faith, prayer, miracles and the Bible.

She said she was struggling to finish the book. She didn’t think it was well written. The characters were not believable. How could 8-year-old “Swede” have written the ballad about outlaw Valdez and hero Sunny Sundown that parallels the action of the novel?

After our own book talk over the phone, Jeannette agreed to finish the book and I agreed to look at it more critically, and to encourage those who don’t like it to add their voices to the conversations about it.

Last week I led another discussion at Bremwood Lutheran Home in Waverly, where troubled teenagers come from all over the state to live and go to school until they can return to their families. The high school students in Shirley Clark’s class there tackled this challenging book and finished it the day before I arrived.

Jeremy, a junior in high school, introduced me. In October, when he was still living at Bremwood, he wrote to our office asking me to discuss a favorite book with his class. We sent a classroom set of “Peace Like a River,” and they worked for several weeks to prepare for my visit.

This book resonated with Bremwood’s young people, especially because the matter of how families work or fail to work is central to their lives. It was no surprise that they wanted to discuss the character Davy, the runaway charged with murder. Serious, soft-spoken Jeremy was firm in his belief that Davy did what he had to do to protect his family. His classmates – most of them young men – agreed.

I thought I’d have to do most of the talking, but it turned out that I was just there to direct traffic. I’m sure their conversation continued long after I left.

Of course, that’s the point of asking people to read the book. I’ll never know what connections are made, what discussions take place, what convictions are solidified or how reading this book changes minds. I do know that the students took the book seriously and the 20 adults in the room had the good sense to be quiet and listen to them.

I’ve also been invited to the state’s minimum-security prison in Rockwell City, the result of an e-mail I received from a dedicated teacher there. Nancy Bleuer wrote that her Pre-GED class has read “Peace Like a River.”

“Some of these men have never read a novel,” Bleuer wrote. “Three of the men have never read a book. I cannot express how eye-opening this book has been for them. We read along to an unabridged tape. The students feel very strong about the themes of family, loyalty and freedom.

“The reading level is extremely high for them,” she continued, “but if I tell them it is a little difficult for me, too, they don’t mind. One man has made himself the designated dictionary guy. He is flipping through that thing left and right… The book helps them think outside of their own troubles, has shown them why books become popular, and has given them insight into the reason others read for relaxation.”

Nancy says one man is sending his wife the book title, so they can talk about it. Another student told her he’d continued to think about the book outside of class. They are proud of themselves and their teacher is certainly proud of their effort.

My next stop is Mount Pleasant, where I’ll discuss young Swede’s ballad in the book – and how the writing process can sometimes get the better of those of us who work with words. I’ve received permission from the publisher to excerpt Swede’s unfinished ballad from the book for use with middle school kids. We’re going to read and discuss the ballad and then I’m going to invite them to finish it and send me the results.

So, what’s the point of engaging the citizens of a state in discussing a common book?

Sometimes folks of different generations, religions, races, genders and political persuasions have a hard time knowing what to say to one another. Leif Enger’s book gives us a chance to explore concepts that are central to our everyday lives.

Talking about what it means to be a family is a valuable exercise, especially now while our legislature debates whether a gay couple can adopt a child or whether two adults living together should be allowed to raise a child together.

In a society where children resort to guns and violence in schools, it is worth talking about Davy, his love of hunting, his fierce independence and his aversion to authority.

In a country considering war, it is worth defining how we go about finding peace in our own lives and in our own communities. It is worth talking about the influence of a higher power in making personal and national decisions.

In a society bombarded by brief electronic messages, it is valuable to take time to read a book that challenges our vocabulary, our perception of right and wrong, that asks us for a brief time to believe in miracles.

By the way, I hope you’ll read it or listen to the tape and organize a group to discuss it in your local coffee shop, library, church, living room, school cafeteria and dorm – or across the dinner table with those you love.