On Thursday, October 4th, a group of thirty students got the honor of attending an event at Salisbury University. Everyone who went on the trip and attended the speech was encouraged to read the book. As a part of their “justice” theme, Maryland Humanities chose Bloodsworth by Tim Junkin as the 2018 “One Maryland, One Book.”
When we arrived at Salisbury University, we got to see their brand-new library as we trekked up to the fourth floor. Shortly after we sat down, the author began his speech. He talked about what was going on in the horrific case and what he was thinking. In the book, he did not include how he felt or what he was thinking because he wanted to keep it strictly unbiased. This allowed us to understand a little bit more because he told us more details that he didn’t include in the book.
After Junkin spoke, he opened the floor up to any questions that we had. There were a lot of different questions, some about his opinions on controversial topics that were written in the book. Another question that was asked was how other people reacted to him being a part of the case and how they treated him because of it. Reading the book, we didn’t get a sense of how he felt or how this changed his life, but after hearing to him speak, we understood the book on a different level. He even signed our copies of the book and some people got pictures with him. We ate lunch in the commons and headed back home.
Overall, this experience was unlike any other. If you are ever looking for a good read, I strongly recommend “Bloodsworth.” Also, make sure to check out the Maryland Humanities “One Maryland, One Book” events.