The library is trying an experiment this year. We’ve created two “book bags” – canvas bags with five copies of a book and some discussion materials that can be checked out for a group read. For this pilot project, we chose two books on China to add another dimension to the Global Insight Year of China project.
One of the books is John Pomfret’s Chinese Lessons. Are you an upperclass student who didn’t get in on the common reading this summer? Did you attend Pomfret’s talk and think you’d like to read his book? Check it out – and invite your friends to join in.
The other book is a fascinating family memoir of China, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Wang. It chronicles the lives of three women from the era of concubines and foot binding through the Communist revolution and into the Cultural Revolution and beyond. It’s a totally absorbing history of China in the 20th century seen through the eyes of the author, her mother, and her grandmother. We thought it would be a great book for discussion, and a good complement to our common reading this year.
We know that for many students, faculty and staff at Gustuvus it’s hard to find time to read just for fun. But it’s worth it – and we think you’d enjoy getting together with friends to talk about these books.
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