Comments sought on next year’s Common Reading book options

As campus prepares for a visit from this year’s Common Reading author Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Division of Undergraduate Studies is inviting students, faculty and staff to share in the book selection process for 2017-18 by offering feedback on the three finalists.

Lisa Freinkel, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies, said the Common Reading selection committee is excited about all three texts and said each could inspire engagement and scholarship across campus.

“The Common Reading text offers a chance for our campus to welcome first-year students into our community of scholars, diving deep into themes and questions that are timely, lively and resonant,” Freinkel said. “Our finalists this year are quite diverse, but they share a courage and commitment of voice.”

The three finalists for the 2017-18 Common Reading book are:

  • Bad Feminist,” a New York Times bestselling book of essays by Roxane Gay, published in 2014.
  • The Lathe of Heaven,” a classic of the science fiction genre by Ursula Le Guin , published in 1971.
  • The Round House,” the 2012 National Book Award winning novel by Louise Erdrich.

To weigh in with comment, people are invited take this survey by Jan. 31. Next year’s book will be announced in mid-February.

The Common Reading text for 2016-17 is “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates, whose work confronts many of the most challenging aspects of race in modern America, is the 2017 Ruhl Lecturer for the UO School of Journalism and Communication.

Tickets for his Feb. 3 lecture at Matthew Knight Arena are nearly sold out and available only to students at this time. Additional information about ticket availability will be provided a week prior to the event.

The Common Reading program at the University of Oregon is designed to build community, enrich curriculum and engage research through the shared reading of an important book. Beginning as an initiative of the Clark Honors College in 2009, the program has been coordinated by the Division of Undergraduate Studies since 2014.