Book sparks discussion of history’s racial divide By Eric Beidel The Winchester Star Berryville — The 2-year-old book club had a smaller-than-usual turnout Sunday as storm clouds threatened. But that didn’t stop the serious discussion about race and its effect on children throughout history. The Josephine School Community Museum Book Club in Berryville had just finished reading "Jip: His Story," a book by author Kathryn Paterson, who also wrote the popular children's book "A Bridge to Terabithia." "Jip" follows a boy who ends up on a Vermont farm after falling from a wagon just before the start of the Civil War. He knows nothing of his past, which comes back to haunt him in more ways than one. Jip comes to find that his father is a slave master and his mother a slave. Therefore, he is a slave. Paul Jones Sr. and his grandson, Paul Jones III, follow along as Helen Boyd reads from the book “Jip: His Story” during the Josephine School Community Museum Book Club’s discussion of author Kathryn Paterson’s work of historical fiction on Sunday afternoon at the museum in Berryville. (Ginger Perry) Boyce Elementary School teacher Adeela Al-Khalili led the discussion on Sunday around a picnic table outside the museum. Gail Souther and Helen Bond joined her. Just as Jip discovers more about himself and a mysterious outcast that he befriends, the book reveals much more about the time period and human nature than expected, Al-Khalili said. For instance, Jip was dropped off the wagon by his mother, hoping that by abandoning her child, he would be free. "To think that a mother had to make that decision," Al-Khalili said. "Who gets to go? Who stays?" Jip’s father comes looking for him, but not with parental longing. The father wants the boy back as a slave. Jip escapes and finds his way to Canada. When the Civil War breaks out, Jip decides to join up with an African-American regiment fighting for the Union. "Jip’s journey of discovery is really something," Bond said. "He goes from the son of an African slave to a slave himself." Jip, though, has a harder time coming to terms with his father the slaver than he does his mother the slave. "[Paterson] is a good children’s author," Al-Khalili said. "There are so many levels touched on without preaching or getting up on a soapbox." The club members realized after reading the historical-fiction novel that slavery was just as big of a business for the North as it was for the South. In New England, bounty hunters tracked down runaway slaves for pay. At the same time, slaves found hospitality throughout the North along the Underground Railroad. The three book club members liked the story so much, they might use it next year as they plan another day geared toward children. The club had just one child at Sunday’s meeting. Unfortunately, he was too young to read or understand the book. "We’re working on some other ideas to get kids more involved," Bond said, including partnering with schools. The book club meets every two months. Sometimes, they discuss a book they’ve read. Other times, they put on a play. Last year, the group hosted a discussion about Bill Cosby and some of the harsh comments he had made publicly about black communities. Nearly 100 people turned out to the small school building in Berryville for that debate. At its next meeting, on Aug. 10, the club will discuss "The Ditchdigger’s Daughters: A Black Family’s Astonishing Success Story" by Yvonne Thornton. In October, they plan to read and discuss a biography of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. *** For more information on the Josephine School Community Museum Book Club or the museum at 303 Josephine St., Berryville, call 540-955-5512. http://www.winchesterstar.com/article_details.php?ArticleID=7563 http://www.myspace.com/pifox http://www.geocities.com/pifox1/index.html D.L.M.FOX