The Big Read Oakland

Academy of Achievement

Saturday, March 21st, 1pm.  CSU East Bay Oakland Center, 1000 Broadway, Ste. 109, Oakland, CA.  Across the street from the Oakland City Center BART station. 

Author Ernest Gaines joins us via satellite for a special discussion of his book A Lesson Before Dying. Hear what the man himself has to say about a book that has effected so much of our community. At the end, book clubs and individuals will have the opportunity to ask Gaines their burning questions about the novel.  

Some Ernest Gaines’ quotes:

“Question everything. Every stripe, every star, every word spoken. Everything.”

“Sometimes you got to hurt something to help something. Sometimes you have to plow under one thing in order for something else to grow.”

“The mark of fear is not easily removed.”

“There will always be men struggling to change, and there will always be those who are controlled by the past.”

“Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?”

Thursday, March 12, 6:30 pm at the Oakland Public Library Main Branch, West Auditorium:

Ernest Gaines’ novel will be explored through its themes, history and rich characters as Dennis Chester, CSU East Bay Professor of African American literature, leads a community discussion on A Lesson Before Dying!  

   If you haven’t read the novel, pick up your complimentary copy tomorrow!  If you have read the book, get ready to ask your burning questions and hear insight from fellow community members!

The Big Read Oakland team is also excited to share a special screening of the National Endowment for the Arts-directed interview with local author, Amy Tan! This rich program explores Tan’s storytelling, culture and history. 

 This event is offered at NO CHARGE and EVERYONE is invited! In our night dedicated to reading, we are looking forward to joining avid readers and new readers from across the Bay in celebrating literacy together!

This past Friday we screened At the Death House Door to a room full of Big Read followers and newbies. It was a beautiful film, though dark in subject matter, that gives an up-close account of the capital punishment process through the eyes and audio diaries of former ‘death house’ chaplain, Rev. Carrol Pickett.  This film began a dialogue that will be continued this evening at our Race on Trial lecture with CSU East Bay Philosophy Professor, Barbara Hall.

BARBARA HALL, Ph. D., Asst., Professor in Philosophy at CSU East Bay, specializes in philosophy of law, African-American philosophy, ethics and social theory. In addition to her doctorate in philosophy from the University of Arizona, she holds the J.D. degree from DePaul University Law School in Chicago. Dr. Hall teaches courses on Critical Legal Reasoning, Modern Philosophy, Clear Thinking, Fundamental Questions, and Race and Social Justice.

Some great links on race and justice in capital punishment:

• Death Penalty Info on executions by race of defendant and by race of victim.
• Wikipedia: Capital Punishment in California
• “Two Justices Clash Over Race and Death Penalty:—Washington Post Article from October 2008.
• ProDeathPenalty dot Com
• Official -Students Against the Death Penalty- Website
• No Death Penalty dot Org, Oakland Chapter

Only a few events away from our Saturday afternoon with Gaines on 3/21! Get in touch with us for information on picking up a copy of the novel, event info, and more!

A little update on how the Big Read is shaping-up.  It has been a wildly successful experience so far, finding community collaborators who have not only donated lots of time, but have helped transform our Big Read project into a program for all minds, tastes, and ages.  We are so thankful to Daunielle Rasmussen of Rough N’ Ready Theater Players for all of her hard work and dedication to direct and deliver an outstanding and incredibly moving (lots of tears in the audience) adaptation of A Lesson Before Dying.  The turnout was strong and the acting was event stronger, as we witnessed the powerful art of our Laney College communtiy actors.  Bravo!!

If you were at lastnight’s event and didn’t get to grab a book before they were all gone and would love some more information about what we’re up to, come find me tomorrow night at the Oakland Museum of California at our Big Read table outside of our screening of the Independent Film Channel’s original documentary, At the Death House Door.  Check out the trailer below and we will see you tomorrow night!