<p>Anyone else out there reading your child’s assigned summer reading while your child is away at camp/relatives/language school etc? My daughter’s book arrived today. She’s out of the country, and I gave in to temptation. I thought we might start a thread and share some new books with the other parents</p>
<p>Barnard: “Blessings” by Anna Quindlen</p>
<p>Review: I’m ordinarily not a reader of fiction, but I must say this is a gripping story from an emotional point of view. I’m about 75 pages into it. It’s about 225 total. I’ll probably stay up too late tonight, because I can’t put it down.</p>
<p>Tulane: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.</p>
<p>I had planned to read it anyway, AND my book group chose it for late fall, so I will start soon.</p>
<p>Tulane is also doing something I really like - each freshman is to bring a new or gently-used copy of a favorite book with a letter explaining why. These books will be donated to schools and literacy programs and the new reader will receive the student’s letter.</p>
<p>Sidebar: I like Anna Quindlen’s books quite well, but boy-oh-boy do I miss her columns. To me, she is just an unbelievable essayist, and I wish she would go back. Anna, are you listening?</p>
<p>I definitely have “given into the temptation” and am reading “Mountains
Beyond Mountains” also (Tulane). Halfway into it, I’m finding it a very interesting read and the protaganist, Dr Paul Farmer, to be a fascinating man.</p>
<p>I too really was happy to see Tulane ask all their students to bring a new or gently used book to give to a deserving kid, along with that letter that explains why the student chose the book he/she did. What a great idea.</p>
<p>Another huge fan of Anna Quindlan here; I think she’s one of the best writers out there. I must confess I haven’t heard much yet about “Blessings” though.</p>
<p>Excellent book, even for a nonfiction buff like me. Three hanky ending, redemption and resolution, or better, understanding.</p>
<p>I read Mountains beyond Mountains and sent it on to a missionary doctor I know. Two things I liked about the book: first I get the feeling that Kidder was not too fond of Farmer at first but grew to like him time; the second is that in service to these people he was drawn to a deeper faith.</p>
<p>well, i’m not a parent. but one of my books is Lord of the Flies. you should all read that book, it’s great. Also Ovid’s Metamorphoses was very good</p>
<p>Lynchburg College: A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind</p>
<p>Remember this one? 1998 true story about an inner city (Washington D.C.) kid who attends Brown University. </p>
<p>I started reading it but turned it over to the student. Wife got an extra copy but she is reading it! I get her copy tomorrow. Highly recommended!!!</p>
<p>It’s becoming more and more common. It’s often tied to the concept of “First Year Experience” which is basically an attempt to give structure and coherence to the students’ first experiences in college, including the idea of shared intellectual exercises like a common reading experience.</p>
<p>Other common FYE components are very structured, multi-faceted orientations, some sort of freshman seminar/college success type class, learning communities, etc.</p>
<p>Here’s a website for those interested in how these initiatives are being formulated and implemented in the college experience planning world.</p>
<p>Reed has been assigning the Iliad–and sending all new students a copy, courtesy of its alumni association–for at least the last 22 years (I found a reference from 1983). It’s the first book they study in their year-long Humanities 110 course, which is taken by ALL freshlings.</p>
<p>haha yeah, as a gift from the alumni association, but really <em>see tuition and costs</em> haha jk…columbia’s the same way with the first book studied and course taken by all fresh. fun stuff.</p>
<p>The book that we had to read before freshman year was quite possibly the most “dry” book ever. It was so boring… We then had a luncheon/discussion group of the book during orientation once we got to school. all incoming freshman gathered in the cafeteria and were given this huge lunch - sub’s and whatnot. we then had a faculty member at each table to welcome us to the school and had a discussion of the book.</p>