Honors Common Reading Program
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind & Spirit
By Daniel Quinn

Welcome all 2008 Honors Freshmen!

We, the students and staff who have chosen this year's common reading book, have designed a program for you to get better acquainted with the book, the university, and each other. We hope that through activities such as blogging, book talks, residence hall events, movie nights, and contests that each and every one of you will be able to grow as a student and as an individual.

We are excited to present you with a copy of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. We hope that the book captures the spirit of inquiry for you. As the story unfolds, we hope you will begin to question assumptions that we may all make about our relationship to the natural world and how our culture shapes our actions. Whether or not you agree with the author’s analysis, we’d like you to seriously consider the issues being raised in the student/teacher dialog. After all, it’s diversity of opinion that gives us new approaches and creative solutions for current problems.

During the summer, please share your thoughts with us on the Common Reading blog. We look forward to accompanying you throughout your freshman journey as an Honors Student and invite you to “Turn Over a New Leaf.”

See you in August!