About the Book
ABOUT THE BOOK
This year’s common reading is This I Believe -- The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. As the book jacket explains, the book is based on the NPR series of the same name and the book features eighty essayists – from the famous to the previously unknown – completing the thought that begins the book’s title. Each piece compels us to rethink not only how we have arrived at our own personal beliefs but also the extent to which we share them with others. The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs – and the remarkably varied ways in which they choose to express them – reveal the American spirit at its best.
Start this year-long adventure with us by creating your own This I Believe essay. The essay should be between 350-500 words and describe or explain what motivates you or makes you who you are. This is not an easy task. In order to create the essay you must look deep inside yourself and be introspective to determine your life philosophy. Revealing it may make you feel vulnerable but sharing it strengthens your resolve and knowledge about yourself and makes you more confident in telling your own personal story.
There will be essay readings for students on October 19 and November 17 from 2-3 PM. Readings by faculty will occur on November 29 at 3-4 PM and by community members on November 21 and December 8 at 7 PM. Readings for students and faculty will be held in the Scarborough Library Reading Room and the community essays will be read in the Byrd Legislative Center Auditorium.
Check out the events page for other ways of being involved in the Common Reading/One Book, One Community Program. Join us in a lecture by Jay Allison in the Frank Theatre at 7 PM, dinner in the Dining Hall at 4:30-7 PM and a Q and A session with Jay from 2-3 PM in the Byrd Legislative Center – all on November 15.
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