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Reading turned into hobby by campus discussion group
The Advocate
During lunchtime on a warm Tuesday afternoon, Samantha Mayfield was sitting on a bench in the Main Mall reading a book.
"I love reading," she said.
The book is "The First Part Last" by Angelina Johnson, a short fiction about a teenaged dad. She came across this novel in the library and thought she just had to read it.
"I don't ever think that my schedule is too busy to read," said Mayfield, who is studying medical billing and coding at Mt. Hood Community College. "It's like an escape."
However, this ambition for reading leisurely may not be the case for many students, according to political science instructor Janet Campbell, who organizes the Read for Fun meetings every term.
Read for Fun is an activity where one reads a designated book and discusses it with others. One reason Campbell started Read for Fun was she noticed in her classes that "the reading levels among students are low."
"When you get good at (reading), it's not hard, it's relaxing," said Campbell. "It's a skill you have to keep practicing."
Anyone can join in Nov. 5 for the next Read for Fun meeting. They will be discussing "A Long Way Gone," by Ishmael Beah, in the Bob Scott Room from noon to 1 p.m. The book is a nonfiction memoir of the Sierra Leone conflict from a boy soldier's perspective. All the books are pre-read by Campbell.
"It's like a communal read," said Campbell.
Most meetings last about 50 minutes and have about eight to 10 participants, including students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members.
"It also demonstrates that reading doesn't stop at school," said Campbell.
She makes sure the books are a relatively easy read, interesting and teach something to the reader.
Past books include "1984" by George Orwell and Sherman Alexie's "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian."
This reading group is approaching its third year. It originally was part of the Teaching and Learning Cooperative and received a grant from the school.
"But people were busy and it went away," said Campbell.
She changed the name to Read for Fun and decided to hold the meetings just once a term instead of every two weeks.
Campbell has enjoyed reading books throughout her life, but really started loving it during graduate school.
She spent about 10 years living overseas, and has traveled to more than 40 countries. One of her favorite authors is Graham Greene, a British writer who wrote about class issues in Britain, which reflects the three years Campbell spent in Scotland working on her doctorate.
Campbell also said reading is a relatively cheap and easy way to experience different cultures and intimate lives of other people, such as traveling without the expenses.
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