Every Wednesday from 10 AM-1 PM, a group of ESOL students who were enrolled in the Upper Manhattan Adult Literacy program, but who for one reason or another could not continue, get together to talk about a book they are reading. This month the book is To Kill a Mockingbird, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee.

They meet with their former NYPL teacher at the Atrium, part of the Lincoln Center Campus, on the Upper West Side. They meet because they love to read and to talk about what they are reading! They meet to see how much they understood in the pages they read at home, and they meet because they love to share their ideas with each other.

They know that talking about literature in English will benefit them in a host of different ways—they get to argue, they get to hear different points of view, they get to talk about new vocabulary and idioms; they get to analyze themes and symbols, and they get to share their ideas in this, their second or third language, which they probably learned years ago, but which is still a challenge to them.

"I really like it when I can reflect on my individual thoughts during the discussion and listen to other opinions. It's great that we have the chance to listen to opinions from all generations,” said a member of the group.

What better way to improve their English skills than to meet and to talk about literature!

In one of the 6 sessions, they even acted out the trial of Tom Robinson, the defendant. They took on the roles of Judge Taylor, Prosecutor Gilmer, Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and of course Maybelle, the victim and Tom Robinson, the accused.

What do the students have in common? Certainly not their cultures: They hail from such countries as diverse as Pakistan, Columbia, Spain, Turkey, Syria, Germany, Brazil, and Benin.

Certainly not their ages: They range from 30-something to 70-something, and all decades in between!

And certainly not their professions: Those range from fashion journalist to engineer, from a musician to to a scientist.

But they do it because they are motivated to read… and to read a prize winning American novel… and to learn about American culture through the literature of this, their adopted country.

One student explained, “For me this book group is an opportunity to get together with people of different countries and cultures to read classic literature like "To Kill a Mockingbird" which helps us understand the background, the culture and the human right issues (racism) in the United States, a problem that is still present in our society. It's interesting to see how prejudice about skin color can pervade people’s lives… which is very sad…”

Another said, “I was so happy when I was invited to join this book group. I always loved my classes at NYPL and the way that [Elaine] used to teach us, through wonderful books that I will always remember. I don't have patience for classic ESL classes anymore, but I need to practice my English and this book group is the perfect opportunity to improve my English in a smart way!"

“I'm my music band spokesman and I need to know how to entertain the audience (during our performances) without losing focus or being boring, so that was actually what brought me to the library… And when we finished the last cycle at the library, I was sad because that was the only opportunity for me to learn about America's history, the lives of black people in old days, and people’s mentality in America (different from our African one),” said a student from Benin. “So,” he continued, “I even didn't check my schedule before saying 'yes' to the new reading group, because I knew that I would make it possible, no matter when it met!”

When thinking about the narrator of this book who is an 8-year-old little girl, one student said, "I like this book because it shows how important education could be when you have a father with a sense of justice."

Students were encouraged to watch the original film with Gregory Peck when it appeared on TV at the end of November. Of course, they wanted to compare the film and the book, which made for another fascinating discussion.

And what about the future? They want to continue, they want to invite a few more students (but keep the group under 10, however), and they want another good book to share. Maybe it will be Go Set a Watchman, the prequel to TKAM. Maybe it will be Beloved by Morrison, or Catcher in the Rye by Salinger. Who knows?

What they do know is that they will continue to meet in this student book group! Thank you, NYPL, for bringing them together in the first place, and inspiring them to continue their learning!