The Big Read at Kansas City Public Library

Here at Big Read Central–Midwest Division, we are doing something no other NEA Big Read grant recipient has ever done. We are charging into local businesses and demanding they join Kansas City Public Library, Park University and the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in The Big  Read.

Big Business has responded and they want to be Big Readers, too.  We’ve had overwhelmingly positive response from Kansas City mainstays Hallmark, Commerce Bank, Missouri Bank & Trust and our own Downtown Council.

Today the Big Read: Corporate Edition kicked off with two discussion groups, one for Commerce Bank and one for the Downtown Council. The DTC gang gathered in the sumptuous bar of the Muehlbach Marriott Hotel and sank their teeth into some great wine, hors d’oeuvres and A Farewell to Arms. Everyone had thoughtful analysis to offer and probing questions. Not the least of which was “honor”–who has it, who displays it and how, exactly, can one define honor during wartime?

Other issues raised were the character of Catherine–is she whiny, weak and malleable or crafty, strong and manipulative? Hemingway’s “affectless” prose–is it difficult or easy to read? How much work does Hemingway want his reader to do or is this pared down style the mark of a writer still learning his craft? This group was also intrigued by Hemingway’s use of imagery and description and his unique literary style. Comparisons were made with contemporary authors Charles Bukowski, Ken Kesey, and Cormac McCarthy.

The Downtown Council proved they were every bit as dedicated to owning a novel by one of Kansas City’s favorite sons as they are to reclaiming downtown and polishing this sophisticated jewel in the Heartland.

Thank you, DTC, for insightful questions and informed commentary on this classic of American Modern writing.