• It defines scholastic intellectual development for new students.
• It has clear ties to Otterbein's mission.
• It is appropriate for a wide variety of disciplines and classes.
• It is by a significant contemporary author who can visit campus.
• It is not a book read in high school.
• It is challenging but not overwhelming to entering first-year students.
• It provides potential for hands-on experiences or service learning.
• It will sustain discussion for a year.

You are invited to participate in the committee or to send us your suggestions.
Go to Contact Us to see all committee members.

Otterbein's Common Books and Themes

Year	Theme	Book
2008-2009	Journeys - Lost and Found	Ishmael Beah A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
2007-2008	Courage, Compassion, Commitment	Helena María Viramontes Under the Feet of Jesus
2006-2007	Art, Politics and the Survival of the Human Spirit	Martin Goldsmith The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany
2005-2006	Beyond Self: Living with Purpose	Tracy Kidder Mountains Beyond Mountains
2004-2005	Trading Places: The U.S. As Others See US	Mark Hertsgaard The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World
2003-2004	Dreams and Disappointments	Anthony Grooms Bombingham
2002-2003	Change. Not So Easy	Ruth L. Ozeki My Year of Meats
2001-2002	Making Contact	Mary Doria Russell The Sparrow
2000-2001	Selves and Stories, Disguise and Disclosure	Helen Fremont After Long Silence
1999-2000	Building Walls, Creating Doors	Alex Kotlowitz  There Are No Children Here
1998-1999	Legacies	Sharyn McCrumb She Walks These Hills
1997-1998	Conscience & Courage: Personal Landscapes	Scott Russell Sanders The Paradise of Bombs
1996-1997	Educating for Community: Growing Apart and Staying Together	Gus Lee China Boy
1995-1996	Culture, Conflict, and Community	Anna Deavere Smith Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities

Questions or comments? Contact Reference Librarian