2024’s Paideia Summer Read, as chosen by the Paideia Board, is Oscar Hokeah’s “Calling for a Blanket Dance.” Published in 2022, the book itself is a narrative surrounding the intergenerational nature of cultural trauma.
“Calling for a Blanket Dance” follows Ever Geimausaddle, a young boy whose family is part Mexican, part Native American, and details their story as they try to find strength in familial and personal identity. An excerpt from a publisher’s note says that Ever is “a boy in a splintering family [who] grasps for stability and love, making all the wrong choices until he finds a space of his own.”
Paideia Program Director Kathy Reed spoke on how the book was chosen, what it brought to the Paideia syllabus, and how it can help relate to other books.
“We always try out a number of books and really want the community to play a role in our book choice for the summer read,” Reed said. “We thought that including more indigenous voices would flow nicely through the syllabus and with the overarching question of ‘What is the Common Good?’”
First-year students will read “Calling for a Blanket Dance” as their introduction to Paideia 111 during Fall Semester 2024, and have the opportunity to speak with Hokeah during the Fall Convocation on September 4 and 5. Luther’s Fall Convocation allows first-years, upperclassmen, and faculty alike to ask questions, get a signed copy of their book, and experience a special event within the first few weeks on campus.
Beginning in 1977, incoming Luther College students have prepared for their first year by reading a book over the summer. The first book was Homer’s “Odyssey” until 2001, when Sophocles’ “Antigone” was chosen. Finally, the idea was born to select a new and unique work for each class year. Previous summer reads include “Solito: A Memoir” by Javier Zamora in 2023, “The Line Becomes a River” by Francisco Cantú in 2019 and 2022, and “The Best We Can Do” by Thi Bui in 2020 and 2021.
Alexys Harwood (‘25), a junior on campus, reflected on her own experience with the summer read, and the 2022 Fall Convocation. She talked about how she felt the convocation went and the impact it had on her Paideia experience.
“I remember at first that I wasn’t particularly interested or excited about having to read over the summer,” Harwood said. “But after reading “The Line Becomes a River” and having the opportunity to speak with Francisco Cantú, I felt like I understood not only our Paideia theme better but the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border better.”
Liz Clement (‘26), a transfer student who took Paideia 111 this year, shared her excitement for the upcoming summer read and its ties to “Solito: A Memoir.”
“I enjoyed the narrative that ‘Solito’ brought to immigrant communities and how it conveyed a different perspective than one that is often seen in the media, especially regarding children,” Clement said. “I am looking forward to seeing how ‘Calling for a Blanket Dance’ expands on the narrative of Mexican and indigenous children and their struggle in America. I hope that it introduces the first years and transfers to the kinds of problems Paideia works to grapple with.”
Expanding on what previous classes and alumni have learned from Paideia, Reed hopes that this book will invoke thought and communication within the Decorah and Luther communities.
“What I want people to take away from this book, especially those who have taken Paideia before, is just how strong of a narrative it is,” Reed said. “It is one of those books that makes you want to turn the page and keep reading, and I know that many people, especially college-aged students, can relate to some of the themes that are present within the book.”
Courtesy of the Paideia Program, copies will be mailed to first-year and transfer students in June. For anyone interested in “Calling for a Blanket Dance,” copies will be available near the end of spring in the bookstore.
