On April 11 Malden Reads hosted their annual Mayor-led book discussion. This year Malden Reads focused on the book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Along with the book discussion, they also communicated with Anne Ernst from Charlottesville Virginia, who is one of the founders of Cville One Book, via Skype. Cville One Book hopes to provide 2,500 young people with copies of The Hate U Give. This “double feature” event was coordinated by Jodie Zalk in partnership with the Malden Public Library.
The discussion was led by Mayor Christenson so people in the community have the opportunity to share their thoughts together about the book and have a dialogue. Zalk states that “[Malden Reads is] happy to provide an opportunity to bring people together around a good book – and to have a civil dialogue around issues”.
The Skype chat with Ernst was held because in Charlottesville, Virginia, where protests over removing a statue of Robert E. Lee occurred on August 2, chose The Hate U Give as their community read for their “one city, one book” program and Malden Reads thought it was important to hear about their program.
Zalk said that The Hate U Give was selected as a springboard for discussion because “[Malden Reads] wanted to focus on understanding the perspective of youth, addressing the challenges of racial and income inequalities, listening to others with different viewpoints, and finding one’s voice and the courage to stand up for what one believes in.”
This book has had a significant impact in Malden, connecting with many of the students at MHS, as MHS has had several book discussions, film screenings, and special events this year, including inviting MHS students from the Black Culture Club to see the author, Angie Thomas, speak at an event in Cambridge.
Mayor Christenson states “[He] is proud to say that [he] has participated every year.”
He explains why he decides to participate in this event every year by saying “One reason is [his] love for reading which was instilled in [him] by [his mother]. Another is being able to read a book with the community which has been one of [his] favorite experiences during the past six years.”
Mayor Christenson states that “[He] thought [The Hate U Give] was a powerful story.” He also adds saying “The book is timely and touches upon topics such as race, activism, using your voice, criminal justice inequities, and the importance of family.” All of the topics in the book are of great importance to the community in Malden. He states “The significance of the book is to serve as a way to initiate and engage in dialogue around sensitive issues that we might not otherwise talk about as a community.” Mayor Christenson hopes to be back next year for the annual discussion, he encourages all in the community to read the book.
One of the participants of the discussion with the Mayor wass Chris Kosta, who is on the Malden Reads Steering Committee. Kosta states that she did not go as a Malden Reads member but also as a concerned Malden resident who is against racism and to support Charlottesville's' choice of the book. She mentions that “[Malden High School] has a greatly diversified group of students. By reading books such [The Hate U Give], and [All American Boys by Reynolds Brendan Kiely], [students] can comprehend the issues that minorities face and [they] can work together to try and stop the hatred that is exhibited in these books.”
Another participant at the discussion was June Macdonald, who is also on the Malden Reads Steering Committee. This group chooses which books they read and plans events to follow the themes of the main book. She decided to attend the discussion because she had read the book and wanted to hear how it affected other people. She listened to most of the audiobook back in February and plans on going back to the hard copy and finishing the rest of the chapters that she had not finished yet. She also plans on returning next year because she is an active participant at Malden Reads events.
Overall, the discussion went well and Malden Reads looks forward to hosting their next event.
