by Rod Jones
The Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma book discussion series at Oklahoma City University will conclude with “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in Walker Center room 151.
The discussion series is titled “Hope Amidst Hardship.” It is made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Humanities Council.
In “Tuesdays with Morrie,” beloved college professor Morrie Schwartz has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. His student, Mitch, makes regular visits to his home where he interviews Morrie about his life and thoughts about life and death. As the disease slowly takes control, Mitch hears profound lessons, like in learning how to die, we learn how to live.
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.”
“Recognizing ourselves in others, even as we read of hardship, is a major reason we find reading enjoyable,” Winn said. “Hardship comes in many varieties, and the books in this series offer varied examples but present a common theme: there is hope along the way. Sometimes this hope comes from deep within ourselves. Sometimes it comes from others in unexpected ways.”