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BSC BookTalk series announces 2018 selections

Published: Dec 11 2017
The Bismarck State College BookTalk series begins Jan. 7 with a community discussion on “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines.
 
This first of three discussions on selected Sundays in 2018 runs from 1 to 3 p.m. in the BSC library at 1400 Schafer Street.
 
BookTalk at BSC will explore the theme, “And Justice for All,” with two more books, “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich on Feb. 4, and “Men We Reaped” by Jesmyn Ward on March 4.
 
The January selection, “A Lesson before Dying,” is set in a small Cajun community in the late 1940s. Jefferson, a young black man, is an unwitting party to a liquor store shoot out in which three men are killed; the only survivor, he is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Grant Wiggins, who left his hometown for the university, has returned to the plantation school to teach. As he struggles with his decision whether to stay or escape to another state, his aunt and Jefferson's godmother persuade him to visit Jefferson in his cell and impart his learning and his pride to Jefferson before his death. In the end, the two men forge a bond as they both come to understand the simple heroism of resisting and defying the expected.
 
Gaines brings to this novel the same rich sense of place, the same deep understanding of the human psyche, and the same compassion for a people and their struggle that have informed his previous, highly praised works of fiction.
 
Books are available at local libraries and booksellers. Discussions are open to all. For more information, call 224-5450 or visit bsc.libguides.com/booktalk/2018.
 
The annual BookTalk series is funded by the BSC Library and a grant from the BSC Foundation.