Kilbourn Public Library Book Club

The October book selection for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is Parkland by Dave Cullen.  Parkland is this year's Go Big Read book selection. Go Big Read started 11 years ago and has grown to be one of the largest college common reading programs.  It has united UW-Madison and local communities in reading and discussing timely topics, all with a goal of gaining a better understanding of each other and the issues.  Taking on the different voices and perspectives of the March for Our Lives Movement's key participants, Parkland is an in-depth examination of a pivotal moment in American culture.  Cullen guides us into the hearts of the Douglas students as they cope with the common concerns of students everywhere.  As a celebration of the passion exhibited by these astonishing students, who channeled their anger into a movement, this book explores hope after tragedy and is an inspiring call to action.

The Kilbourn Public Library is partnering with UW-Madison and the Madison Public Library to bring you online book discussions about this year's Go Big Read book, Parkland, by Dave Cullen.  These discussions will be happening on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm, Thursday, October 29 at 1 pm,  Tuesday, November 10 at 7 pm, and Wednesday, November 18 at 1 pm.  We will have the link to sign up for book discussions available on the Kilbourn Public Library website.

 

Who do you think is the intended audience of Parkland, and why? 

How do you think the book would be different if it had been written by the students themselves, rather than a third party?

Throughout the book, Cullen explores the different ways that Parkland students responded to the trauma they experienced.  How did their responses vary?  

Cullen also discusses the "weird hierarchy of victimhood " (92) among both students and parents.  Why do you think this happens?

Though Parkland focuses primarily on the activism of students, Cullen also draws attention to adult activism targeted towards gun safety.  How do the adult approaches to activism in the book differ from the way that the Parkland students approach activism?  How did the parents support their children's activism? 

The students of Parkland used social media extensively to spread their message, from the first time Cameron used #neveragain (42) through regularly posting tweets that drew millions of impressions(176).  What made their use of social media so successful, and what were the drawbacks?

Let us know what you think of Parkland by David Cullen.