My reaction to the Book of Mev/Questions I’d like to ask Mev

Cassie Weigel

Oh goodness, where do I start? What do I say? How do I express in words my reaction to this book? Maybe it was because Dr. Chmiel is teaching this class and it gave me further insight into his life. Maybe it was because I could relate on a different level to this book since I grew up in St. Louis, in the same community that Mev came back to so that she could die close to family. Maybe it was because I could somehow relate to Mev in small ways – her connection and passion for Haiti, her love for some pretty awesome music (Yea Broadway and John Michael Talbot!) Maybe it was for a lot of reasons, unwritten, that I just couldn’t seem to put this book down over Thanksgiving Break. The words came alive while I read it. Not only was I able to get a glimpse into Dr. Chmiel’s past, but I was also able to learn about the world, read about amazing things people have done, and be inspired by the life of Mev and the life that she and Dr. Chmiel shared. I laughed, I cried, I became enraged, I was inspired, I was challenged… the list goes on.

But how do you let your teacher know this? How do you let him know that it wasn’t just Mev that came alive through the pages, but that he did also? Oh, the modest Dr. Chmiel. So he wonders whether or not it was worth it to write this book. I can answer that it most certainly was. I thought it was great. And I know that I’ll need to go back through it, maybe read it again, because there’s too much richness to absorb in just one reading.

The most wonderful thing was that, in reading it, I wanted so desperately to be able to sit with Mev and talk with her. I’d love to hear about her childhood and how she was raised, her relationship with her parents, her relationship with God, what drew her to Dr. Chmiel, how she discerned big decisions, her experiences in Haiti, and whether or not she would teach me about photography.

Cassie is in Social Justice 361-01 at SLU.