Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel has been chosen as the 2017 Life of the Mind book.
A science fiction novel that takes place during a fictional swine flu pandemic, the book won the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Toronto Book Award. It was nominated for the National Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.
The Office of First-Year Studies, which oversees Life of the Mind, encourages the campus community to read Station Eleven and propose programs or coursework that could tie in to the themes.
Faculty, staff, and graduate students interested in serving as discussion leaders for Life of the Mind sessions during Welcome Week should sign up online. Discussion leaders are asked to read the book and lead a small group of students in critical thinking discussions. Leaders will attend a professional development workshop on the novel in preparation for the discussion sessions.
In addition, the Life of the Mind committee is already searching for the 2018 book. Suggested books should have appropriate themes (global scope, transition, and current events) and meet the program criteria (fewer than 350 pages and an author who is still alive).
Please email Stella Bridgeman to suggest a book or inquire about the Life of the Mind program.