Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J.
Author of

READS
(and Writes!)

Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J. visited Dickinson College in October 2007 to discuss the death penalty and her work with indigent death-row inmates.

Photo by: A. Pierce Bounds
Art Direction: Christine Bombaro & Ryan Burke
Created: Fall 2007

William G. Durden
President
&
Class of 1971

READS

The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush

President Durden writes: "I chose Dr. Rush's autobiography because I wanted to confirm some points and maybe learn something new directly from him."

Photo by: A. Pierce Bounds
Art Direction: Ryan Burke & Christine Bombaro
Created: Summer 2007

Dickinson College Librarians

READ

To find out why we love these books, read our statements.

Top to Bottom:
Malinda Triller (The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara      Kingsolver)
Amelia Brunskill (Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg) Yunshan Ye (Chinese Avant-Garde Photography Since      1990, edited by Zhu Qi)
Mark Wardecker (The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir      Arthur Conan Doyle)
James Fein (New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas      Merton)
Kirk Doran (French Piano Music: An Anthology, edited by      Isidor Philipp)
Eleanor Mitchell (The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton) Theresa Arndt (Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore      Lappé)
Ann Margaret Thompson (The Secret Life of Bees by      Sue Monk Kidd
Chris Bombaro (The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.      Tolkien)
Jim Gerencser (The Count of Monte Cristo by      Alexandre Dumas)

Photo by: A. Pierce Bounds
Art Direction: Ryan Burke
Created: Spring 2007

Rafael Alvarado
Director of Academic Technology
with his son, Healy

READS

Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
by J.K. Rowling

Dr. Alvarado writes: "Conventional wisdom says that our children are post-literate digital natives, but I think the Harry Potter phenomenon shows otherwise. My daughter began the series in first grade and read each volume faithfully, doing a good imitation of her mother’s ability to read a book for 6 hours on end. Skeptical at first, I began reading HP myself to learn what was going on in my daughter’s head.  It was a pleasant surprise and I have been an avid follower of the series myself.  My son has other literary interests (of the “graphic novel” variety) but nothing catches his attention more than having Rowling or Tolkien read to him, without the help of the moving or still image.  It’s a good sign for the long-term viability of both the printed word and narrative itself."

Photo by: A. Pierce Bounds
Art Direction: Ryan Burke & Christine Bombaro
Created: Summer 2007

Michael Pennington
Class of 2007

READS

The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Michael Pennington writes: "After reading the timeless classic, The Great Gatsby in my Honors English class during my senior year in high school, I enrolled in the course entitled Economic Apartheid in America as my Freshman Seminar at Dickinson College. This book challenged me to critically look at social classes within the U.S. and to analyze the huge gap that still exists between the small number of people within the upper strata of wealth, and the large number of Americans that struggle to live one day at a time. In addition to focusing on money, Fitzgerald also focused on the themes of justice, power, greed, and betrayal. All of these themes apply to how one chooses to live his or her own life, irrespective of era, while helping to show the consequences of making the wrong decisions."

Photo by: A. Pierce Bounds
Art Direction: Ryan Burke & Christine Bombaro
Created: Spring 2007