Honors College - University of Arizona

HALEY HUKIC

I am a junior pursuing a double major in journalism and history. My main Haley Hukic

interests are my sons Larry, 2, and Michael, 1. I also enjoy reading when I

have time, which is why I took this class. “West of Kabul, East of New York” was

the first book I reviewed, and I loved it instantly! Being a journalism and

history major, it naturally appealed to me with its combination of current

events and history. This book meets and exceeds all the criteria we wanted for

our Common Reading Program, and I feel strongly that the incoming freshmen will

enjoy it as thoroughly as we did.

LINDA ROSS

I am currently a junior with a double major in English and Creative Writing. In addition to being a UA student, I also work fulltime on campus for the Center for English as a Second Language. While I'm not doing that, I enjoy reading, gourmet cooking and camping with my husband Rob, two dogs and a cat.

I grew up in a small town (less than 2,500) and went to a very small college. One of the first classes I had here at UA had almost 300 students…that's about the size of the college I attended. I think it's very important for you as incoming freshmen to take advantage of all the opportunities you have available to meet other students on campus. One of the reasons that we selected this book was the wide range of themes available for discussion. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and if you are taking a class in the CESL building, stop by Room 100 and say hello.

ASHLEY JONES

My name is Ashley Jones and I am an Accounting major ar the UA. I am an RA at Villa Del Puente, and I enjoy watching professional football, and rooting for the Broncos. I loved that “West of Kabul, East of New York” broadened my eyes to a culture I knew little about. I enjoyed being part of the team who selected the book for the incoming freshmen because I liked reading all of the potential books, and having a say in what all of the new honors students will read. I think that readers of this book can make the most out of it by looking at it as if it weren't a requirement and just appreciating the literature.

I’m in my fourth year here at the University, but I’m NOWHERE near being done. I’m currently working on a double degree in Spanish and Business, as well as double minors in Portuguese and German. As you can see, I’m really into learning languages, as well as reading (especially classics), swimming and doing yoga, traveling, meeting new people and spending quality time with my friends and family. I really enjoyed “West of Kabul, East of New York” because I haven’t really spent much time in non-western OR Islamic countries and the book provided me with a way to learn a little about these other cultures, albeit just a little bit. Picking this book and more or less designing the program has been AMAZING and I’ve loved every moment of it! It’s interesting to see what everyone else brings to the table in discussions and how we’ve incorporated some of our wild (and also some of the more standard) ideas into the program. My word of advice to you: this book is really good and I think it’s well worth your time to participate in the activities to be able to FULLY appreciate the book, the culture, and Ansary’s experiences. Enjoy!

Untiil Spring of 2007, I could not look at a blank map and point out Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Nor could I tell you what exactly the Taliban is, or how women are truly treated in Middle Eastern countries. And I called myself an “Honors College” student -- and a journalist, no less! What I loved about “West of Kabul, East of New York” is that through Tamim Ansary’s memories and explanations, I started learning more about this elusive “Middle East.” My hope is that this book will not only help create community for the incoming freshmen, but also help students question any bias lingering in their hearts, whether from 9/11 or how they were raised, etc. I know that before I read this book -- and even before I took a summer course on Traditions and Cultures of the Middle East -- I had many misconceptions and holes in my understanding. Ansary’s writing shows that we are not all as different as we often think we are.

BARBARA WHITTLESEY
Barbara Whittlesey's main responsibility is to monitor the College's fiscal obligations. She oversees the Honors Common Reading program by working with students to select a book to be read by incoming freshmen, then planning and coordinating related events. Barbara also coordinates the Paladins program assisting freshmen and transfer students in their transition to the UA. Additionally, Barbara updates Honors course descriptions and coordinates their scheduling. Outside of work, Barbara is active in a local Balkan ensemble and can be seen at various cultural functions throughout Tucson.