The Rev. Richard P. Salmi, S.J.
President
Spring Hill College

Father Salmi recently read Say You’re One of Them, a collection of short stories by Uwem Akpan, a Nigerian born Jesuit priest.  While waiting in an airport, Father Salmi was drawn to the book because it was written by a Jesuit that he recognized as sharing living quarters in Ann Arbor.  “Although I never met him, a number of my good friends did and remember him fondly.”

Father Salmi found Say You’re One of Them to be a collection of “very moving and touching stories that often deal with interfaith struggles” written through the eyes of children.  The five short stories are set in war-torn Africa.  From 1990 to 1991, Father Salmi worked as a health care provider, social worker and priest for AIDS patients in Kampala, Uganda.

There is an interesting YouTube CNN interview with Uwem Akpan at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=polmSMeg0wI  The book is available in the Burke Memorial Library.

Dr. David Sauer
Professor Emeritus of English

Right now I'm reading a Mobile Public Library book from the new release shelf that caught my attention called Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter. It's sort of a sci-fi/Shakespeare with the hero Miranda from The Tempest...a supernatural who lives five hundred years. I like the book for extending the world of The Tempest into the present, making Miranda, not Prospero the hero (ine), and giving her a spirit in human form who dresses like Sam Spade. Intertextuality is the term for this fascinating collage.

Heather Bozant
Senior
Slidell, LA

I am reading Lady Audley's Secret, a Victorian sensation novel, for my Nineteenth Century Women Writers class.  It is a novel that follows Robert Audley as he attempts to uncover the mystery of his friend's disappearance.  At the same time, he is trying to figure out the true identity of Lady Audley, who has married his uncle.  Overall, the novel deals with deceit, murder, and madness.

Gloria Richardson
Secretary
Continuing Studies

I'm currently reading 'Church Folk' by Michele Andrea Bowen.  It was a 2001 #1 Essence bestseller.  It's a wise, scandalously funny, compassionate look at the wayward shepherds and lost sheep of the Black church. I think you'll love the book.  It's set during an era of vast social change in the south.  Based around a pastor and his new bride who must put their faith and love to the ultimate test as they struggle to lead their congregation to God's sweetest rewards.

Gentry Holbert
Director, Library & Information Resource Services

I’m reading a Whole New Mind: Why Right–Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink.

After taking a Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain class, I thought this book might be interesting.  It’s a quick read about moving from the Information Age and automation to the Conceptual Age where design, creativity, and individual works are valued. Pink makes his point using a variety of innovative examples in the automotive, healthcare, and real estate industries.  His emphasis on “the story” as well as empathy makes right brain concepts a unique part of traditionally left brained thinking.

Alex Davis
Junior
St. Louis, MO

Over break all I wanted to do was indulged in fresh coffee and delicious mind candy; Stephanie Myer’s New Moon turned out to be just the ticket. It is the second installment in the rapturous and captivating Twilight series. Myer seamlessly combines an engaging love story, dramatic twists, and griping adventure into her popular vampire series. No need for team Edward or team Jacob factions here; Myer’s New Moon will make a “team Twilight” out of all its readers!

First-year Students Are Reading

Over the summer, first-year students at Spring Hill College were assigned to read A Pearl in the Storm, a true story by Tori Murden McClure, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  
Students will have the opportunity to hear from McClure at a special program at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 in Byrne Memorial Hall. Small group discussions will follow the presentation. The summer reading is part of the college’s First-Year Common Reading Project. McClure’s presentation is one of a number of events that kick off the fall semester and move-in activities for the class of 2014.
A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean, is more than a woman-against-the-elements adventure tale; it is, in the words of actress Candice Bergen, “a story of courage, adventure, and personal discovery that will appeal to women and men of all ages. Beautiful, breathtaking, moving, and inspiring.”

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