By Trey McConnell
Valencia Voice

As the journalism, literature and psychology departments continue with the semester’s mandatory read, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,” by Mark Haddon, Professors Ken Carpenter and Jack Smart hold book discussions for students and faculty alike which delve into the deeper meanings of the novel.

The second meeting, which occurred Oct. 14, drew the most participants and proved to be a successful informational discussion where participants sat at tables of five or six and truly discovered the novel.

“I got to discuss in depth how Christopher thinks and how he interacts with the world,” said Sang Ho, West Campus student, about the book’s main character. “Mainly, I understand now how he is different and what he does to be as normal as possible.”

The discussion was held in Carpenter’s journalism center, 220 of the Student Services Building, where he had 18 boxes of pizza and a stocked refrigerator of assorted beverages.

Tables were placed throughout the central part of the newsroom, inside a side conference room, and even outside in the hallway to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Of the 43 students that attended, some were visiting for extra credit while others just needed help catching up on the novel or tackling the unique faculties of an autistic teenager.

“‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ is a complex novel that deals with a character I’m not familiar with,” said West Campus student Jason Anderson. “The book discussion really opened up the true identity of the protagonist, and it definitely helped to hear it from other student’s perspectives.”

There are four more meetings scheduled; one more in Carpenter’s room and the last three taking place in the library. For more information or a look at the detailed schedule, visit www.vcccarpenter.com and click on the ‘Get Into Reading’ link.