Social Justice Reading Group Launches

NECIC will sponsor a new book club with a focus on social justice. The Social Justice Reading Group will hold their first meeting Wednesday, March 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Loft at Main Street Books, 104 N. Main St., Mansfield. The group is open to all.

Several community members had been coming together regularly to discuss social justice books, said Phil Mazzocco, who will be moderating the group.

“I thought if we are going to do this, and if we draw an audience, let’s turn it into a series,” he said. “There are ten or fifteen books I’d love to read with a group and discuss that relate to community and social justice.”

The chosen book for this meeting is The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman. “The thing I like about this book is the author doesn’t take a stand on any of these issues. He says these are necessary arguments and there’s no right or wrong answer,” said Mazzocco.

Mazzocco noted that everyone could learn from each other, even those with a different point of view. “The focus is to bring people together with different points of view. And by reading a good book and discussing issues, they may either find common ground or at least raise awareness on certain topics that are relevant to the community and injustice.”

Main Street Books will offer a discount on each book selected by the group. A new book and meeting time will be selected at the end of the March 7 meeting. More information may be found at the group’s Facebook page.