The Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma book discussion series at Oklahoma City University concludes with “Annie John” by Jamaica Kincaid at 7 p.m. March 7 in Oklahoma City University’s Walker Center room 151.
The discussion series is titled “Young Adult Crossover Fiction: Crumbling Borders between Adolescents and Adults” and is made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council.
With “Annie John,” Kincaid tells the semiautobiographical tale of a young girl coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s in Antigua. Growing up in what may seem a paradise along the ocean, Annie exalts in the all-consuming devotion of her mother’s time and care, at least until she turns 12. Then her life changes in ways often mysterious to her: she instinctively rebels against authority both in the figure of her mother and in the cultural assumptions of her colonized British island education. She revolts from her mother’s unconditional adoration and the trunk that symbolically stores the totem objects of her past. Torn between love and hate, attraction and revulsion, Annie wrestles with the need to escape from the mother she once knew and now begins to mourn.
At each session in the five-part series, a humanities scholar makes a presentation on the book in the context of the theme. For this book, the speaker will be English professor Karen Schiler. Small group discussions follow with experienced discussion leaders. At the end, all participants come together for a brief wrap-up.
Those who are interested in participating are encouraged to preregister and borrow the reading selections and theme brochure by calling Tracy Floreani at 405-208-5707, e-mailing her at [email protected] or dropping by the Dulaney-Browne Library room 211 or 207.
