Two Bridges Regional Jail inmates participate in a book club discussion on Wednesday, June 22. (Charlotte Boynton photo)
Inmates at the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset recently participated in a six-week book club program funded by a grant from the Maine Humanities Council.
The program is part of Maine Humanities Council’s Discussion Project, which is designed to support projects serving those who are deeply isolated from each other and the community by encouraging conversations across social, economic, and cultural boundaries.
The grant was sought by Dawn Wheeler, site coordinator of the Bath campus for Merrymeeting Adult Education Program.
The book club at Two Bridges Regional Jail began June 1 and concluded Wednesday, July 6. The club, which is made up of all male participants, was facilitated by Anne Schlitt, of the Maine Humanities Council. The participants are reading “Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In,” by Phuc Tran.
Two Bridges Regional Jail inmates watch video of Phuc Tran, author of “Sign, Gone,” the book they are reading for a six-week book club on Wednesday, June 22. (Charlotte Boynton photo)
“Sign, Gone,” is a memoir that covers Tran’s youth and beyond and beyond. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Tran and his family immigrated to America arriving in a small town in Pennsylvania. It is a story of how one man’s experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy reveals redemption in books. In his journey for self-discovery, Tran finds solace and kinship in classic literature and punk rock. Through the years he navigated immigration, isolation, teenage rebellion, assimilation, and the expectations of his parents.
Each member of the book club was given a copy of the book to read and then discuss each week.
During the club meeting on Wednesday, June 22, participants enthusiastically talked about their enjoyment of the book and said they would encourage everyone to read it. Some of the comments included: “I feel like I have met the guy by reading the book, I can read his personality;” “We have all gone through some of his experiences;” and “I understand where is coming from, I’ve been there.”
Two other books the book club dipped into during the six-week series were “Tattoos on the Heart,” by Gregory Boyle, and “Felon,” by Reginald Dwayne Bettes.
