Durham Book Club aims to open books, minds and access

Summer is heating up with the opening of WUNC’s Youth Reporting Institute.

The youth reporters’ first field assignment was to cover the final meeting of the Durham Book Club. DBC student leaders quickly filled the Durham Library conference room and immediately began interviewing the YRI group.

Current advisor Stephanie Mulligan spoke with YRI’s Twumasi Duah-Mensah, who explained the purpose of the 2020 launch and how it helped students connect while stuck at home.

The program evolved from Zoom meetings and fundraisers for free book distribution to a group of middle school students running an organization themselves. Xay Salifou said he has learned a lot from helping to run DBC.

“Before, I only received books,” said Salifou. “But now I actively contribute to how these books are selected and distributed, what activities we plan and develop ideas for new activities.”

One of the most important aspects of book selection, says Salifou, is that “every book must be different.”

“We want to choose from unique authors – of different races and sexualities – and we want to make sure we choose books that are diverse,” he said.

Duah-Mensah said what struck him was the group of middle school students’ determination.

“The nuances that they balance in terms of the genres that they choose to capture people’s attention… That was pretty impressive,” Duah-Mensah said. “That certainly wasn’t the kind of thoughts I had about books at that age.”

Eighth-grader Jemma Lee of Durham said the Durham Book Club is more than just a discussion group.

“The Durham Book Club community – I mean, it’s huge,” Lee said. “There’s about 150 people who have joined, and I think it’s kind of crazy how much of an impact we can have on the Durham community.”

The book club now has over 300 students between the fifth and ninth grades signed up for books. Students can choose from five libraries to participate in small group discussions and get a chance to connect with other people their age outside of school.

But student-to-student connections aren’t the only opportunities DBC offers. Lee says one of the best experiences with DBC was the chance to interview author Kwame Alexander after reading his novel “Crossover” for Battle of the Books.

“It was the coolest thing because he was so nice,” Lee said. “And I got to interview him about these New York Times bestsellers he wrote.”

Ninth-grader Mira Riffer even represents the organization in the Diverse Books for All Coalition, a group made up of over 50 organizations across the country that aim to give more children access to diverse books.

Smith says that’s exactly what the Durham Book Club’s free book program is all about.

“With the book club, we hope to provide more access to students who love to read but don’t have access to reading,” Smith said. “We also hope that through the book club, students who may not be as keen on reading will find books they really enjoy.”

Students interested in joining the book club can learn more on the club’s website or email [email protected] to learn more about the leadership team.

As for her first assignments, youth reporter Parys Smith says the experience opened her eyes to the possibilities of being a young leader.

“We need to give these kids the space to take the lead,” she said. “They have the space to take the lead without pressure.”

YRI’s 2024 is already off to a strong start, so be sure to stay tuned for everything else they discover as their stories come together over the summer. Follow @wuncyouthvoices on Instagram and TikTok to stay up to date with YRI all summer long, and be sure to listen to the hour-long special broadcast at the end of summer.