01 / 16 / 2008 - The 2008 Common Book : The Center for Liberal Education is pleased to announce the selection of Tracy Kidder’s Pulitzer Prize winning Mountains Beyond Mountains as the 2008 Virginia Tech Common Book.
Free copies of the Common Book will be distributed to all 2007-08 Freshmen and Transfer students following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Tuesday, January 22 through Thursday, January 24 in the Williamsburg Room in Squires Student Center. Subtitled The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man who would Cure the World, Mountains Beyond Mountains is an inspirational account of Dr. Paul Farmer’s life as he travels around the globe from Harvard to Haiti, Cuba, Peru and Russia serving victims of poverty and infectious disease. Part biography, part journalistic saga, the book is a call to action, and a striking example of compassionate ambition that stands to inspire service and individual achievement throughout the freshman class at Virginia Tech. It is a story of persistence and determination, and a fascinating firsthand account of the global culture in which we live. Said one student member of the selection committee, the book is “an opportunity to become more aware of the world. Most college freshmen are aware that conditions in the third world are deplorable. Mountains Beyond Mountains, however, is unique in that it shows a real-life example of someone making a difference… it is a perfect book to demonstrate to students the impact they can make on others with their lives”. Assistant Provost Susanna Rinehart reflects, “rarely does one story simultaneously encourage reflection on privilege while kindling the fire of intellectual curiosity. Mountains Beyond Mountains is a book that speaks to the student in all of us, to the desire to listen, learn, and act. This book is an embodiment of Ut Prosim and Invent the Future”. The Common Book Project was established in 1998 as a means of enriching the first year experience. The Project aims to engage first year students through the lens of a shared reading designed to provoke conversation and expanded exploration in and out of the classroom.
Faculty interested in using the book in or out of their classes may submit a request for a copy by going to https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1199892174193 (You may need to copy and paste the link into your browser) or you may email questions to Bonnie Alberts at balberts@vt.edu.
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"Branded" Resources
If you have read any portion of Branded, you probably have an opinion regarding what you read. You may agree with the author's views, or you may think she's making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe you think teenagers have actually gained power because many companies have become dependent on their dollars. Regardless of your view, know that it has merit.
This book is just one book, a little piece of a much larger conversation taking place every day in the University Libraries.
Every day, more books are added to our shelves and more journal articles stream into our online databases. Yes, it can seem a bit overwhelming at times. But it can also provide you with a multitude of perspectives on a topic.
Here is just a small sample of the questions that could be considered, with an example of a library-owned book that might help you better understand:
1) How has our culture of consumerism, and commercialism, developed? An All-Consuming Century, HC110 C6 C76
2) What do professional marketers recommend for effective branding to teens? Getting Wiser to Teens: More Insights into Marketing to Teenagers, HF5415.32 Z65 2004
3) How does the psychology of consumers cause them to react to these sorts of branding initiatives? How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market, HF5415.32 Z35 2003
4) How has the branding process moved from consumer goods to traditional public goods, such as museums, churches and schools? Branded Nation, HD69 B7 T7596 2004
5) Just how much money do teenagers have to spend, and what motivates them to spend? Shop 'Til You Drop, HF5415.33 U6 B47 2005
And for every book that has been written on a subject, consider that there are tens to hundreds to thousands of journal articles generated on the same topic. Just consider this short list of a few journals to which the library provides access: Marketing To Women, Target Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, Brand Strategy. We have many more similar publications that can be searched through online article databases - such as ABI/Inform, a collection of journals that provides the business perspective.
We welcome you to consider the following list of resources as a "getting started" guide to finding your own strong voice in this conversation.
