The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy

I’m in a book club (I know, who would’ve guessed, right?), and we tend to keep many of the club’s books at my house. I grabbed an armful for a recent getaway and, fortunately, The Water is Wide happened to be among them.

I’m a great admirer of Conroy’s work and regard him as one of the American greats. Beach Music and South of Broad stand out, and I’m always mesmerised by his ability to bring South Carolina to life so vividly. The Water is Wide, first published in 1972, was his first book: a memoir in which he recounts his experiences teaching on an island off the South Carolina coast.

In the memoir, Pat is a recently qualified teacher who opts to rather join the Peace Corps than fighting in the senseless Vietnam War. When this plan does not quite work out, he volunteers to teach on Yamacraw Island instead.

Arriving on the neglected island at the dilapidated building that serves as a school, he is shocked by the lack of verbal ability of the children in his classroom, many of whom are illiterate and not able to count to 10. He realises, too, that the children are so isolated on the island that they have no knowledge of life beyond its shores, and aren’t even aware that they live in the US. Mrs Brown, the other teacher at the school who is black herself, believes that black children need extra discipline and regular beatings and only the most basic of educations. Pat is instructed not to inspire but merely to teach them to read, write and count through rote learning and drilling.

Pat, who was raised in the racist South, realises that his own ‘white guilt’ is affecting his relationship with his fellow teacher and prevents him from doing or saying anything that might offend or undermine her. He decides, nevertheless, to adopt his own style of teaching, finding ways to entertain while educating the children. In his class there is singing and dancing, films and classical music. Within a month, most kids have mastered basic maths, learnt the alphabet and are also able to recognise most composers’ music from just a few notes.

Despite his passion and commitment, Pat is predictably unpopular with the district administration of education, who sees him as challenging the social and racial status quo. He pushes too hard for more interest in the upkeep of the school and the welfare of the children and inevitably paints himself into a corner.

The story he recounts of his year with these children and of his adventures (and misadventures) on and around the island is entertaining, beautifully descriptive and thought provoking. It is also profound in terms of the interesting background and rare insight it provides into the long history of white supremacy in America. It all feels rather topical too, given recent events in America, and shows that, while the US – and indeed the world – have come a long way, we still have a long walk ahead of us in bridging the racial divide and beating a path towards kindness and healing.