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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Budding Writers -> 
Kristin Hannah’s‘The Great Alone’
    2018-11-14  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Each semester I host an English book club for the staff students at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). This is the fourth consecutive semester we have done so, broadening our collective worldview through the cultural and linguistic challenges which these English novels pose. Meeting biweekly to discuss the themes which are raised within the pages, there is a minimization of structure, whereby discussions revolve around impulse coupled with interest. No parameters have been set to either limit or push conversation, not fencing in, or out, any ideas which wish to be shared. I can say that without a doubt, it is my favorite activity I do within the scope of my job, as I embrace this practice of collaborative idea sharing through authentic language learning.

This semester’s book is Kristin Hannah’s “The Great Alone,” a story which “weaves together the deeply personal with the universal.” Set in Alaska during the 1970s, it approaches issues such as isolationism of self, defining feminist identity, intricate family dynamics, and complex interpersonal friendships, all creating a story which mirrors the multifaceted nature of our own reality. None of this is simple, and we would be lying to ourselves if we said it was.

And through Hannah’s characters, including insights into their own thoughts as well as witnessing interactions with each other, we are reminded that life poses a series of questions, oftentimes asked by ourselves, while at other times, tested by those with whom we cross paths.

There are 12 members in our book club, including myself, but just as everyone else, I do not play the role of “teacher;” rather, I am an equally active participant reading along and sharing ideas. Through our biweekly interactions, a leader is not necessary, as everyone involved has a high degree of English ability, and more importantly, an understanding of the intrinsic nature of human complexity. Life in Alaska during the winter is not easy, and the characters are tested both physically and emotionally, forming new relationships while questioning others, all in an attempt to simply make it through. This is the paradigm of life, and Kristin Hannah beautifully illustrates it through her words, painting a picture which extends outside Alaska, and into each of our own personal orbits.

The book club provides an opportunity for students to utilize their English acquisition through a platform which doesn’t place an emphasis on standardization. We are all individuals with unique sets of circumstances which have brought us to where we are and who we are today.

To try and measure that through inauthentic means would be unfair to both ourselves as well as the book. It is not the words, but rather the underlying meanings which help us identify with the characters in the novel, each with stories of their own which have gone on to shape their identity. The same is true of each of the book club members, and I am grateful for their participation, reaching beyond traditional learning approaches and embracing truth as it pertains to education.

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