Human library: Don’t judge a story by its book

by Pam Hennigan
Contributor

The Human Library came to WCC’s Bailey Library March 7, giving patrons a chance to “check out” people and listen to their stories. To learn more, I became one of those patrons.

Upon entering the library, I was greeted by a volunteer staff of students from intercultural communications classes. From there I was directed to a dividing wall with titles of stories and cards I could use to check out books — that is, the people serving as books.

The Human Library gives listeners a chance to ask authors questions and have one-on-one conversations.
I was introduced to my “book” and taken to a table in the library to listen. There were about a dozen or so tables and each were filled with books and readers, and you could tell right away that this was something special.

Book one

The first book was called “Neglected English and Ended up in an English Country” by Koukoura Kpabeba. He started by asking me if I knew any language beside English. I know a few phrases in French and Spanish, and the alphabet in American Sign Language.

Kpabeba told me how, in high school, he had to take an English class, and he hated it. The words sounded harsh, and he thought “I am going into accounting, I don’t need English to do math.” He skipped class, or slept, or anything other than pay attention to his teacher. His teacher ended up speaking to his parents about the situation, and his mom told him he needed to learn English because: “You’ll never know how life will turn out”.

It turned out his brother and mom had enrolled him in a program that allowed him to come to the United States to study, and he quickly found out the hard way that he needed to learn English.

In Togo, where Koukoura is from, French is the official language, but many of the cites there also have their own language, which he also learned. He said many of the readers he had were surprised to find out he spoke five languages. He said it was important to share his story because he wants to “inspire other people to learn another language. You’ll never know how life will turn out.”

Koukoura is studying Supply Chain Management at WCC.

Book Two

The second book I checked out was titled “Finding Strength in the Desert; Living Out of My Car and Going Out of My Mind” by Leanna Hoyer.

Hoyer asked me about my sense of adventure, and I told her it’s pretty lacking. She told me that she loves adventure and that it took her far out of here element into the desert in Nevada.

She was working with AmeriCorps and was sent with a team to the Mojave Desert. They were then sent them to the freezing mountains where they all had to sleep in their cars. Hoyer quickly discovered that adrenaline and endorphins were her best friends, as the need to adapt to doing labor-intensive work in 117-degree heat.

Her first job was helping to clean out a river where an endangered species of fish lived. Being from Michigan she loved being in the freezing water, while her teammates looked at her confused.

Her team was later moved to the Great Basin National Park to work on trail maintenance. There she had met another team from Utah where she had made a lifelong friend.

Hoyer’s constant battle with herself, trying to keep up with her team who had really neglected her and her struggles to adapt, had really taken a toll on her health and well-being. She told me it was when she and her friend had gotten lost in the desert, and finally made it back to the camp that she realized that she didn’t have to keep beating herself up for not being like her teammates. She knew she was strong in her own element and she had finally admired her own strength.

Hoyer said she wanted to share her story because she wants others to learn the lesson that she had struggled with. “Don’t base your strength off others’ abilities. Environments are difficult, but you can get through if you put your mind to it.”

Hoyer has an associate from WCC in Environmental Science and is planning on attending Northern Michigan University to study biology and zoology.

Some takeaways

Bethany Kennedy were among those at the event. She said the day had such a positive response and how a few of the readers were so surprised.

One person had said they will never look at a stranger the same way, everyone has a story.

“It’s so powerful to hear other people’s stories, and to break down biases, stereotypes, and build that human connection in a safe space,” said Kennedy, director of Access Services and one of the organizers of the Human Library. “It can really help to build the campus community” she had said.

On my way out, I stopped at the volunteer table to chat with Martaveius Taylor who is majoring in business advertising and marketing. He had checked out a few books and said it was a very inspirational experience.

“Learning others experiences and what they have gone through. It makes you more hesitant to judge,” he said. “You never know what others have gone through, and to have patience for others.”

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