Summer Reading Program
Caleb's Crossing is a work of historical fiction inspired by the story of
Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard in
1665. The committee selected this book over several close contenders not
only because it is a compelling coming-of-age story, but also because Caleb’s
Crossing invites thinking and discussion of a range of topics including the
challenge of intercultural relationships, the value and cost of education, the
evolution of higher education and the liberal arts tradition in America, and
the role of women and Native Americans in early America, among others.
Geraldine
Brooks is an Australian born author and journalist. Before she began writing
fiction, she worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering
crises in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. She was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her first novel, Year
of Wonders, is an international bestseller, and People of the Book, a
New York Times bestseller, has been translated into 20 languages.
She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign
Correspondence.
About the First-Year Reading Program: All first-year students will receive a copy of Caleb’s
Crossing at SOAR in June. During Viking Venture, students will join
their first-year seminar classmates, instructor and mentor to discuss the book
over dinner, usually in the instructors’ home.
Recommend a book for 2014: The First-Year Book Selection Committee welcomes suggestions from all members of the Berry community. Please review our selection criteria.