The book has been selected for students and community members participating in the
annual community book read sponsored by the 91老司机 - Fort Smith, with
an official kick-off event slated for January and a presentation by the book鈥檚 author
in March.
The book for 鈥淩ead This!,鈥� a year-long program of literacy from campus to community, will be 鈥淭he Things They Carried鈥� by Tim O鈥橞rien, according to Dr. Joe Hardin of Fort Smith, dean of the College of Languages and Communication.
O鈥橞rien鈥檚 book, a fictional work based on his service in Vietnam, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. The book was also named in 2006 by the New York Times as one of the 22 best books of the last 25 years.
The French edition of O鈥橞rien鈥檚 novel received the Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger, one of France鈥檚 highest literary awards. The title story from the book received the National Magazine Award and was selected by John Updike for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories of the Century.
鈥淏lending the factual account of his service in Vietnam with the narrative of a novel, 鈥楾he Things They Carried鈥� is as important for what it reveals about the power of storytelling and problem of memory as it is for what it says about the harsh realities of war,鈥� said Hardin.
Hardin believes community members and students will benefit from participating in the community read program.
鈥淪tudents in first-year English Composition classes will be reading the book and offering panels on their work,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e invite high school groups, reading clubs, nursing homes and interested individuals to read and participate in this year-long celebration of reading.鈥�
In addition to the Jan. 28 book launch kick-off event and the lecture by O鈥橞rien on March 12, the College of Languages and Communications has also scheduled a read-aloud session on Feb. 27 and a film screening for a film that ties to the topic, slated for March 3. All events are free and open to the public. Faculty members are also available to discuss the book with local book clubs.
Hardin said 鈥淩ead This!鈥� encourages public literacy by sponsoring reading and discussion on relevant topics in a way that brings together students, faculty and the community.
O鈥橞rien also received the National Book Award in Fiction in 1979 for his novel 鈥淕oing After Cacciato.鈥� His novel 鈥淚n the Lake of the Woods,鈥� published in 1994, was chosen by Time magazine as the best novel of that year.
In 2010, O鈥橞rien received the Katherine Anne Porter Award, presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters for a distinguished body of work. In 2013, O鈥橞rien received the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. In November of this year, O鈥橞rien will receive a lifetime achievement award from the Pritzker Military Library.
His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic, Esquire, Playboy, Harper鈥檚 and numerous editions of The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories. His novels have sold more than three million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
In the past four years, the 鈥淩ead This!鈥� program has chosen Charles Portis鈥檚 鈥淭rue Grit,鈥� Simon Weisenthals鈥� 鈥淭he Sunflower鈥� and Mark Haddon鈥檚 鈥淭he Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.鈥�
鈥淲e also presented talks by Holocaust survivor Eva Kor and animal expert and autism activist Temple Grandin,鈥� said Hardin.
For more information on participating in the community book read program, contact faculty members Dr. Erik Carlson, by telephone at 479-788-7535 or by email at erik.carlson@uafs.edu, or Dr. Keith Fudge, by telephone at 479-788-7265 or by email at keith.fudge@uafs.edu, or Hardin by telephone at 479-788-7291 or by email at joe.hardin@uafs.edu.