Students, faculty, and staff gathered during Club Lunch on Wednesday for the first meeting of Gann’s Community Reading Series. This monthly meet-up is a rare opportunity for students and Gann adults like to share a book that isn’t part of a curriculum or require essay writing – it’s a novel chosen for the simple pleasure of reading.
The first book, chosen by Director of Humanities Cate Bleyl and English faculty member Tucker Kuman, was Culpability, Bruce Holsinger’s 2025 novel.
Participants registered ahead of time, allowing Ms. Bleyl and Mr. Kuman to craft each group to include a good mix of students and adults, English teachers and math and STEM teachers, and arts faculty as well as Gann staff.
After a brief intro and some conversation prompts, the room became instantly animated as each group began their discussion of this popular book. There was no shortage of ground to cover. This modern family drama is centered on a fatal accident involving a self-driving vehicle and the aftershocks of that event. The book touches upon plenty of hot button topics within the AI debate (including a chatbot that acts a friend/confidante to one of the teen characters), and Culpability raises questions about responsibility, privilege, and the decisions we entrust to technology. After the small-group conversations, a representative from each table shared highlights with the room.
It was a wonderful first meeting and all are welcome to join in the future. The next book will be The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
