In Conversation with Grace Evans: Founder of Bound to Be Bookclub

We connected with Grace Evans to learn about her newly formed bookclub, Bound to Be. Grace is a sophomore majoring in Ethnic Studies and Political Science at Santa Clara University.

What were your intentions for opening up the space of Bound to Be? What are your hopes for the space and community? 
I created Bound to Be, a bold book club with a conscious commitment to intersectionality, to share my love of learning with others. Its name, Bound to Be, is a reference to books, yes, but also to that which binds us together as a community of learners. We are bound by our humanity. We are bound by our humility. We are bound to be, bound to be whoever and whatever we want to be. My hope for Bound to Be is that it attracts any and all who wish to learn literature’s lessons.

Why did you select The Vanishing Half as your first book?
I chose Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half as January’s Bound to Be (#B2B) book, our first one, to cement my commitment to centering voices of color. According to Brit Bennett’s website, The Vanishing Half is a “stunning new novel about 

twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white” (britbennett.com). Furthermore, The Vanishing Half brilliantly brings together topics like racism and colorism, sisterhood, longing and belonging… Brit Bennett’s writing is sage, savvy, and truly timely. I couldn’t put it down. 

How has literature shaped the work that you do as a Political Science + Ethnic Studies double major?
As a Political Science and Ethnic Studies double major, I owe so much of what I’ve learned to literature. From Toni Morrison to Ta-Nehisi Coates, fictional and non-fictional works play an important role in my studies. Without them, without their power (emotional, empirical, etc.), my knowledge of our country and of our world

would be little. Likewise, literature has taught me to ask and answer questions that may not be easily asked or answered - leading me to Political Science and Ethnic Studies, fields of study that both diagnose pessimism and prescribe optimism. After all, as Angela Davis once said: “Walls turned sideways are bridges.” And so I will continue to create and to communicate with gratitude to those who fought for my right to do so.

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You can find Bound to Be on Instagram - we’re currently reading Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.