Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / Community Voices / Let’s create a community book club

Let’s create a community book club

January 11, 2016 by Raina J. Johnson 8 Comments

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates and "Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods," John Gurda's most recent book. (Photo by Adam Carr)

“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and “Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods,” John Gurda’s most recent book. (Photo by Adam Carr)

Raina J. Johnson is a freelance writer and an avid reader. She recommends a community-wide book club with a focused reading list to provide a new way to view city problems, engender empathy and create greater bonds between neighbors and businesses.

Every year I challenge myself to read more. In 2015, I got a late start on my goal but with six months left in the year, I read about a dozen books — the most since I was an undergraduate student.

Of the books I read, many were in the category of social justice in terms of race and mass incarceration. Largely dubbed “The Year of the Activist,” 2015 saw a surge of movements from Black Lives Matter to LGBTQ rights to stopping illegal raids and deportations — all of which led me to read books focused in those areas.

The books were both very engaging and terrifying sad. They made me challenge my own biases when it comes to various social justice concerns. I kept thinking, how can I best serve Milwaukee as an individual and work to discover creative solutions to lessen the wide racial and economic disparities?

Then I wondered what it would look like if the city literally got on the same page to brainstorm ideas, conduct research on best practices in other cities and celebrate the joy of reading; leading to the creation of a guide for city officials, residents and businesses to create profound change.

I was fascinated by the idea of neighbors and businesses coming together to read and discuss. I found an option used nationally and in a few cities in Wisconsin called One City, One Book.

Based solely on what I read in 2015, I am sharing my top five picks for a community-wide book club in Milwaukee. These books personally challenged me to work towards solutions and also helped me empathize with other people.

“The Making of Milwaukee” (Milwaukee County Historical Society), by John Gurda

You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. John Gurda, the Milwaukee historian, delivers a masterfully written, well-researched and aesthetically pleasing display of Milwaukee’s history and an in-depth look at the neighborhoods. A true “can’t miss” book for Milwaukee to rediscover what makes the city so great.

“Between the World and Me” (Spiegel & Grau), by Ta-Nehisi Coates

There isn’t a bad thing I can say about this book. Coates, a journalist, recently won a National Book Award for this nonfiction book that is a letter to his teenage son who is growing up in the era of Trayvon Martin. Coates recounts the killing of his friend, Prince Jones, by the Prince George’s County police department in 2000.

“The Odd Woman and the City: a memoir” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), by Vivian Gornick

I picked up this book because of the unassuming cover. Immediately, I was drawn to the character’s wandering mind and journey to self-discovery, friendship and relationship with the urban environment. With a focus on community relationships, Gornick’s memoir made me appreciate the richness of Milwaukee’s architecture and diversity.

“Almost Crimson” (Curbside Splendor Publishing), by Dasha Kelly

Milwaukee native, national spoken word artist and founder of Still Waters Collective, Dasha Kelly made her novel debut with Almost Crimson. Her novel draws the reader in with sheer power — the words spin a beautiful web of redemption and discovery while tackling intricate issues of identity, severe poverty and depression. Kelly’s Crimson can surely bring about empathy and be a catalyst for difficult conversations.

“Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York” (The Overlook Press), by Gail Parent

When talking about investing in the future of Milwaukee, we cannot forget the value millennials bring to the conversation. Parent delivers a laugh-out-loud funny and smart tale of Sheila Levine, a 30-year-old unsatisfied, slightly overweight woman working to pay off a mountain of student loan debt with hopes of finding Mr. Right. Meeting disappointment at every turn, Sheila decides to commit suicide. I know it sounds awful, but truly, this book is hilarious, and made me consider the plight of other millennials struggling to eat something other than packaged Ramen.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Community Voices

About Raina J. Johnson

Comments

  1. Suzanne says

    January 11, 2016 at 6:47 pm

    The books listed are the types of books that interest me. I would like to join a community book club. Please send me information on a community book club. I thank you!

    Reply
  2. Christopher Cox says

    January 11, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Thanks for a fine post and a fine suggestion. As a new arrival to Milwaukee, I would love to learn more of its history, its neighborhoods, its sad and joyful chapters, its challenges and dreams.

    Reply
  3. F says

    January 11, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    This is a great idea and the books are great suggestions. I’d add the title MEET ME HALFWAY by Jennifer Morales.

    Reply
  4. Suzanne says

    January 11, 2016 at 8:52 pm

    Would like to add email address to notifications.

    Reply
  5. Elaine Maly says

    January 12, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    I’m in! This is a fabulous idea.

    Reply
  6. Narrator says

    January 14, 2016 at 8:03 pm

    From start to finish, this entire concept is intriguing and more importantly achievable! Raina J. Johnson, continue to inspire us, and “Between the World and Me”, sounds like a great beginning! Thank you……

    Reply
  7. Jennifer Morales says

    January 15, 2016 at 9:58 am

    Thanks to “F” for suggesting my book, Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories. I wanted to let readers know that I’m offering any book club or other group that commits to reading Meet Me Halfway sometime during 2016 a free, virtual author visit (via Skype, FaceTime, etc.). I love to talk to readers about the book and the issues it raises about race, racism, and crossing lines of gender, age, and neighborhood. See my blog post, “A Gift for Your Book Club,” on my website: http://moraleswrites.com/a-gift-for-your-book-club/ for details.

    Reply
  8. Raina J. Johnson says

    January 15, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments on this post. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

UPDATE: Housing leaders say rental assistance funds are still available for Milwaukee County residents

5 things to know and do the weekend of Jan. 27

These students don’t have to miss school to see the doctor. They can just go down the hall.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in