Shoeless Joe
by W. P. Kinsella
The Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma book discussion series at Oklahoma City University will kick off with Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in Walker Center room 151.
The discussion series is titled “Play Ball.” It is made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council.
Kinsella incorporates the 1919 Black Sox Scandal with the ghost of Shoeless Jackson returning to an Iowa cornfield to play ball with other long-dead historical figures. Along the way, the protagonist kidnaps author J.D. Salinger and builds a ballpark on his land in response to magical messages: “If you build it, they will come.”
At each session in the five-part series, a humanities scholar makes a presentation on the book in the context of the theme. 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 Harbour Winn at 405-208-5472, e-mailing him at [email protected] or dropping by the Dulaney-Browne Library room 211 or 207.
Winn, director of the Center for Interpersonal Study through Film & Literature at OCU, hopes the series will help participants find a “commonality of hope and perseverance.”
“Through the common territory of the diamond on which these human dramas are played, they accomplish a great deal more in chronicling American dreamers and showing us how to live our lives authentically,” Winn said.