Hello all! Here is my reflection for Stevenson’s talk while on campus. Comment if you agree/disagree or just want to chime in on the conversation.
This session was a discussion of this year’s Buckeye Book, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. Having completed the book over the summer, it was my first experience hearing an author speak on their book and the message/meaning they conveyed through the text and in conversation. His speech touched upon something that I think is very crucial for all citizens of the world to believe. He says, “To live in fear is the first step to promoting injustice”. I did not think of this while reading the book but the more I think about this statement, the more I believe and support it. The book and session address past and present issues regarding the justice system in the state of Alabama that are very relevant for many people in the U.S. and around the world. In my opinion, the purpose of the Buckeye Book Community is to create a discussion and foster different viewpoints of the themes included in the text. I was very glad that Stevenson was welcomed to talk at The Ohio State University because while reading his book I focused on the narrative of how he overcame living in fear, if he ever did, rather than how those living around him overcame living in fear. More specifically, I maintained my focus on how Stevenson surmounted the challenges provided by his community instead of focusing how the community united with Stevenson to overcome these challenges. His visit to the university expanded my view on the narrative of the text to a more broader scale rather than just focusing on Stevenson himself