Arrowhead Students Can Go on a Blind Date With a Book

Check out the display that Liz Munkwitz—a modern lit teacher and leader of the book club— made in the North Campus library: “Blind Date with a Book.” 

To get into Valentine’s day spirit Munkwitz set up “blind dates” with books. A blind date with a book entails picking a book without knowing the cover, only knowing a small description such as “mystery, intricate details, comical relief, whammy of a plot twist.” 

The blind date with a book trend is present at the large bookstore chain Barnes and Noble, with this, however, you must purchase the book before getting a real taste of it. 

The Arrowhead Library is offering the same fun of a blind date, without the commitment of purchasing the book. This idea of trying new novels without the same level of commitment is pushing the message that readers don’t have to connect with every book. 

At Arrowhead, the book clubs put out book displays every month, sometimes thematic displays and other times holiday orientated. For February, the book club wanted to follow up on love themes. Munkwitz, a leader of the book club, said she drew some inspiration from seeing other “Libraries and book shops” with the display. 

The novels were chosen from previous books that the book club had read and enjoyed, as well as books that Munkwitz has enjoyed. Along with this, Munkwitz notes that she found some of the novels for the display from books that her modern lit students loved during their choice book unit.

Katie Herrmann, the AP Literature and Modern Literature teacher at Arrowhead, explains the blind date with a book as “important for students to understand that they aren’t expected to like—or to even have to finish—every book that they pick up.”

Despite the hackneyed phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” having been drilled into many students’ brains, when it comes to choosing books many times they are judged by just that— the cover. 

The blind date with a book stand aims to eliminate the judging of books by their covers. It looks to teach students to enjoy books by how they make you feel rather than their looks. 

Herrmann, says “In the same way that we humans have the ability to choose what types of people we want to associate with, books should be selected based on whether they feel relevant to our lives.” 

Along with this, Munkwitz found that she wanted students to gain “curiosity and wonder and trying something new” later saying that along with this she truly wants students to read, saying, “any opportunity that we can take to get kids reading is a good thing.”

Reflecting on the importance of the blind date with a book stand, Herrmann asks students to give these blind date books a chance, saying, “Everyone reading this right now should stop and go get a book from our display. Who knows, you might just end up with one you’ll fall in love with.”