University of Wisconsin’s Go Big Read selection committee is looking for new book suggestions for next year’s new theme: immigration and communities.
Every year for the past four years, Go Big Read has developed a theme and then nominated books centered around that theme. The chancellor ultimately chooses the final book.
Though next year’s theme of immigration and communities is broad, it offers a variety of connections and opens the door to discussion on campus, Shelia Stoeckel, a senior academic librarian, said.
“There are current issues about immigration, but there’s also us being able to talk about our stories as a country of immigrants,” Stoeckel said. “Some of those stories might be really old or really new and we are always trying to think of some fiction to add as well and this year’s theme might lend itself to some fiction ideas too.”
Previous themes have been social justice, women in education and bullying, Stoeckel said.
This year’s Go Big Read theme of racial equality centered around Bryan Stevenson’s book, “Just Mercy.” There are currently over 170 courses at UW that use the book in their courses, she said.
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Joe Salmons, a German professor said the new theme already builds off of this year’s theme. and is currently being taught in courses across campus, Salmons said. There are huge social justice issues connected to immigration, he said.
“I think I was really struck by the choice of topic and one of those things was that it could build upon Stevenson’s book,” he said.
Salmons said once the book is chosen it will definitely be something that he will use one way or another in his courses.Considering next year’s theme, he said it will be hard to find one book to encompass all the ideas that relate to immigration and communities.
“It’s so rich, there are so many different ways you can take it,” Salmons said. “Whatever book is chosen, increasing the level of awareness about immigration is going to be very valuable to the university, the city and the state.”
Gerald Porter contributed reporting to this story.
