For 2013, we have selected a sustainability-themed book
since it is a topic of great interest to all of our institutions and to our
coastal community as a whole. After much
consideration, the book selected for this year is Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Pulitzer-prize winning author Edward Humes.
This is a fascinating book that journeys inside the secret
world of our biggest export, our most prodigious product, and our greatest
legacy: our trash. Did you know that each average American
produces a whopping 102 tons of garbage in a lifetime, more than any other
people in the world? The author leads
readers along the trail of that trash – what’s in it; the hidden costs of it;
and how some families, communities, and nations are finding a way back from
waste to discover a new kind of prosperity.
Get ready to be surprised!
Why a Common Read?
First launched at Marymount in 2005, our common reading
program involves members of our campus – students and employees – reading the
same book. Readers are encouraged to
engage in an analysis of the book from a variety of disciplinary
perspectives. This has become a common
program at many universities, and within many cities, as a way to help members
of a community connect – to have something in common – to engage with each
other in talking about their perspectives of a book and to engage in a lively
and intellectual manner through a variety of events offered around the book’s
themes.
After all, this is what a
college education is designed to do – to broaden one’s perspectives and ways of
looking at the world.
Recent books in
our common read program include Rebecca Skloot’s “The Immortal Life of
Henrietta Lacks,” and Father Gregory Boyle’s “Tattoos on the Heart .”
Join the Community Fun!
Marymount
community members are encouraged to read the book and take part in some of the
planned events supporting our One Book program
— including a campus visit by Edward Humes on 9/27 followed by a speaking
engagement with the author on Saturday 9/28 at the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Library.
Stay informed on
our many community-wide events related to the book by liking our One Book One
Peninsula Facebook page: www.facebook.com/onebookonepeninsula
Pick up a copy of the book today in the Marymount bookstore or check it out from the library.
