“And if thine eye offends thee, pluck it out,” reads the Bible verse alluded to in the title of the book being read by the United Campus Ministries book discussion group.

The book “Mark 947” tells the true story of Calpernia Addams, a transgendered woman, and will be read and discussed beginning Monday.

The book’s title is a metaphor for the sex change the author desires and eventually receives.

Addams gained national attention when the New York Times published the story of how her lover, Army Private Barry Winchell, was murdered for his association with her at the same time she was being crowned Tennessee’s entertainer of the year.

The book explores the life of a transgendered individual before and after a sex-change operation. The story covers her lifelong struggles, the challenges she went through from being a man to becoming a woman, the career choices she made so she could earn enough money to afford the sex change and her life since the operation.

Jay Mayer, an administrative assistant for United Campus Ministries and the community liaison for PRISM – the campus group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students and their allies – will lead the book discussion group.

Mayer became interested in a discussion group about the book after seeing the film “Soldier Girl,” which focuses on Addams and the murder of her lover.

Mayer said, “After seeing the film, I wanted to learn more about what transgendered persons go through and what their struggles are, and I thought it would be a good topic for discussion.”

By encouraging the reading and discussion of “Mark 947,” Mayer said he hopes to promote a better understanding of transgendered individuals and their situations.

The book discussion group is open to everyone, and will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays at the United Campus Ministries Building. The group will continue to meet until the book is completed. The book discussion group is in conjunction with the continuing movie series about social issues, which is held at the UCM every Thursday.