Tension City by Jim Lehrer – 4 stars

Hi All,

I just finished reading Jim Lehrer’s memoir about his role as moderator for 11 debates.

Positives:

1. The book is an easy read, only 200 pages.
2. Lehrer gives historical context for debates from 1960-2012. He also does a nice job explaining that debates are now a “must” on the way to being President or Vice President.
3. Lehrer discusses the Commission for Presidential Debates and explains the increasing independence of the Commission, especially over the last decade.
4. Lehrer references the debates held at William & Mary and University of Richmond. I think this connection back to the Commonwealth is important for our students.
5. The book details the history of debates, memorable moments, etc all while explaining Lehrer’s perspective as a moderator and his mistakes along the way. I appreciated that Lehrer discusses the amount of debate preparation needed, and how he would have done things differently.
6. Finally, I think this would arm our students with knowledge prior to the VP Debate.

Cons:

1. While its an easy read, parts of the book drag (in my opinion). The book also “time hops” a bit, so the reader does need to pay attention.
2. Some faculty may have a harder time using this in class. I don’t see that as an issue as I still pull out the central themes of democracy, history, how to overcome mis-steps, etc.

 

Overall, I like this book if we decide to focus our efforts on a book related to the debates.

 

-Jen

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Life After Death by Damien Echols

Life After Death by Damien Echols– 3 stars

Summary: This is the memoir of Damien Echols, the famous “leader” of the West Memphis Three. For anyone not familiar with their story (or the HBO documentary), the west Memphis three was the name given to a group of three men falsely accused of murdering three children in the early 90s. He was likely the victim of police discrimination based on his perceived appearance and religious identity.  Damien Echols spent 19 years on Death Row before being exonerated. This book is his retelling of the events that happened to lead up to his false conviction and his experiences in prison.

Pros:

• This is a very engaging read. Students will enjoy it and I think many of them will actually read it if assigned.
• The topics of prison, crime, police brutality are “hot topics” right now and themed throughout the book.
• Primary social issues directly addressed in the book include: class and religious identity
• About half of the book is comprised of actual letters/journal entries he wrote while he was in prison. This was pretty cool from the reader’s perspective. We got to see how he changed/grew over time.
• I did attend an event where Damien Echols spoke about the book and his experiences. As of last February, he dressed in all black with many tattoos, wore black sunglasses inside, and had black hair down past his shoulders. I think our students would be intrigued by him and captivated by what he has to say. Here is a link to the video from that event: http://ow.ly/JZoit

Cons:

• I think this book is over our maximum length at 392 pages.
• There is a strong religious theme to this book (and to the story of the West Memphis Three). Especially in some of the segments which were written while he was in prison, Damien writes some pretty negative and arguably offensive thoughts/feelings toward Christians, especially those who are more radical in their worship styles and evangelical approaches. I think some of our students might be highly offended and refuse to critically look past (or at) these parts of the book.

Overall, I know this is a successful FYRE book at many institutions. I think many of our students would enjoy it. I’m curious to see what others think about some of the religious references and how our students might respond.

 

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The Postmortal by Drew Magary

The Postmortal by Drew Magary – 5 stars

Summary: This novel depicts a dystopian future where human beings obtain access to a cure for aging. The book is comprised of journal articles written by one man over the course of 60 years when the cure is discovered, introduced into society, legalized, misused, etc. Topics directly covered in the book include: mortality, aging, genetic engineering, and assisted suicide. Overarching themes in the book include: politics, debate, various societal issues, right/wrong, altruism, selfishness, etc.

 

•  Positives:
  • This book is an exciting, easy read. I finished it within 2 days and I bet many of our incoming freshman will read it quickly, as well.  It matches their level, in my opinion.
  • The opportunities for discussion, critical thinking, and creativity from this book are endless. This can easily apply to a wide variety of majors, interests, etc.
  • I heard Drew Magary speak at the First Year Experience conference last February.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have read the book if I hadn’t enjoyed his speech so much. He focused his speech on how the book reflects the importance of (and often the lack of) self-awareness in one’s life. He tied self-awareness in beautifully with examples from the book and examples from his life as a college student. He is gritty, sarcastic, and probably curses a little too much.
  • Politics and social issues are an important focus of the book. Not directly connected to the upcoming debate but related conversations can easily be framed/connected.
  • There are multiple facilitation guides for this book in connection with FYRE programs. This book is one of the most widely used FYRE books across the country. Lots of resources for faculty and Peer Mentors to use.
• Negatives:
  • fiction—doesn’t tell a true story for our students to connect with. At the same time, however, the book is told from the perspective of one character so it is easy for the students to connect with a (fictional) person/story.
  • Drew Magary is just as expensive as Wes Moore to bring to campus.
  • This book is very popular as a FYRE book—this means there are probably plenty of summaries and student papers online for our students to snag (just like they have done with Wes Moore).
  • Maybe the front cover is intimidating/disturbing for some?
• 

Overall, I highly recommend this book for FYRE. Even if we don’t use it this year, I think we should keep it on the table for future years.

 

-Rachel

 

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Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County by Kristen Green – 3 stars

Hello again FYRE Committee,

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County by Kristen Green – 3 stars

 

•  Positives:
  • I like that the book is specifically about PE County and the Farmville area, I think that this could be a draw for our students to read the book.  There are some historical references that our students are not always aware of (even if an LSEM class goes to Moton)
  • I appreciate that this book would provide a version of history for our students to consider.
• egatives:
  • I’m concerned that having first year students read this book prior to stepping foot in PE County could setup some misconceptions. (Since the book is one person’s account of her family living in PE County)
  • Compared to other books I have read (notably Boys in the Boat) – I think there could have been greater research regarding the historical aspects of the book.

Overall, I appreciated reading the book. I could see this being an excellent book choice for an Engl 400 or GNED 495 course with upperclassmen who have lived and attended classes (since the years of attending Longwood would provide context for the students vs the blank slate our incoming first year students have when starting Longwood).

I could see Longwood using the book, however I’m not confident that FYRE is the best choice/avenue for the book.

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Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – 2/3 stars

Hello again FYRE Committee,

Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – 2/3 stars

I’ve finished reading Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. Personally, I loved the book and would give it 5 stars but based on our First Year Reading criteria, I give it 2-3 stars:

•  Positives:
  • The book is historically accurate and includes historical content from the 1920’s and 1930s.
  • The book is about a college crew team (Washington) – the age range of the main characters could appeal to our students.
  • The book also includes historical aspects of Berlin under Hitler (with reference to the setup for the 1936 Olympics)
  • I think there is a lot of content that is easily adaptable across all disciplines for LSEM.
• Negatives:
  • The book is lengthy (350 pages)
  • I feel the writing is above the reading level for an incoming first year student
  • There are portions of the book that drag on and could easily lose our students

So, overall excellent book but I don’t think its the best First Year reading choice.

-Jen

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Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer – 4 stars

Hello FYRE Committee,

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer – 4 stars

Over Thanksgiving Break I took the opportunity to read Into the Wild. I really enjoyed the book, a few reasons are listed below:

• The book is succinct at 200 pages.The book was very easy to read and each chapter is fairly short.
• I appreciate that this book revolves around a main character (similar to our last two choices with Henrietta Lacks and Wes Moore)
• The main character in the story is originally from Northern Virginia (and the hometown is referenced off and on throughout the book). I think there is something about this “local” person that could connect with our students.
• The age of the main character (Chris McCandless) is just slightly older than our incoming first year students (the character is 24 when he dies)
• As I read the book I felt that the character was having a “quarter life crisis” of sorts (or at least trying to find himself) and I think our students would relate well to this aspect.
• I think there are quite a few themes that could be used for LSEM: self-discovery, family dynamics, what is wilderness, etc.

-Jen

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Hello FYRE Committee!

Hello FYRE Committee!

Welcome to Longwood Blogs. Please use this blog platform to share your reviews of potential book selections for the First Year Reading Experience for the upcoming year.  The following information will be especially helpful for the committee during the selection process:

1) Title and author of the book

2) Provide a brief synopsis of the book.  (1 to 2 paragraphs)

3) Tell us why this selection is an appropriate choice for the FYRE.  Or, why it isn’t an appropriate choice.

4) Please provide an overall rating of the book in terms of appropriateness for the FYRE using a scale of 1 to 5 stars.   Five stars indicate the choice is most appropriate/recommended.

Please let me know if you need anything further.  Thank you for your willingness to serve on this committee!!

Sincerely,

Stacey Wilkerson

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