Amy Sarig King’s book “Dig” was a book read by both book clubs of Monroe-Woodbury High School as preparation for her visiting the school on Feb. 2 to give a presentation to the school and private luncheon with the clubs.
A.S. King is an award-winning Y.A. writer called “One of the best Y.A. writers working today” by the New York Times. Throughout her works, she explores subjects such as feminism, mental health, and racism as her main characters navigate their lives and discover more about themselves.
“Dig” follows the five estranged grandchildren of Marla and Gottfried Hemmings, who have refused to give up their million-dollar net worth to aid their children or grandchildren. The kids uncover who they are and what they mean to one another as well as what drastic measures the Hemmings are willing to take to maintain the fragile family name. Each chapter gives a first person narrative on a specific character. The book manages to dive into the topic of poverty, family dysfunction, and intergenerational racism.
“It’s not common to see the perspective of people who are surrounded by racism but are able to see the flaw in that line of thinking,” said sophomore Destiny Francis. Although she was initially confused on how the story gave and restricted certain information, she liked how A.S. King shows their relation to one another in the end.
Amanda Richardson, sophomore, described the book as “mind-bending.”
“There were a variety of unexpected twists and turns which kept me wondering. The way A.S. King was able to intertwine the lives of the characters so smoothly was captivating,” said Richardson.
The advisor of the Expanding Horizons Book Club, Ms. Sherman loved reading the book along with the club members.
“Her book talks about racism, but there are no characters of color within the book. They’re all these white kids in a predominately white, suburban area. I thought it [the book] had a strong message in how racism is perpetuated and continues. It gets passed down from generation to generation until people grow and see it is not right,” said Sherman.