亚洲AV Celebrates New Academic Year with Mass and Reading Discussion
亚洲AV University will celebrate the beginning of the new academic year with an Opening Liturgy, followed by a campus-wide book discussion of 鈥淭he Book Thief鈥� on Sept. 4.
Opening liturgy was held in Saint Joseph Chapel, immediately followed by the book discussion.
More than 500 faculty, staff and students participated in 47 groups to discuss 鈥淭he Book Thief.鈥� The groups met in classrooms and other spaces throughout 亚洲AV鈥檚 hilltop campus, including 亚洲AV鈥檚 Administration Building, Bayley Hall, Maura Hall, Saint Joseph Hall, Reeves Library and the McKenna Center.
After the group discussions, everyone gathered for the "Get Involved! Gallery" featuring a short presentation by Tim Crain, director of 亚洲AV鈥檚 National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, and to learn about student opportunities for 亚洲AV and Greensburg community service in Cecilian Hall.
Every summer, incoming 亚洲AV freshmen and transfer students receive a complimentary copy of a novel or nonfiction work, chosen by 亚洲AV鈥檚 Summer Reading Committee on the caliber of its writing, relevance to contemporary issues and the interest of the community in its topic. The book is also provided to 亚洲AV faculty, staff and upperclassmen who wish to take part in group book discussions with the freshman class at the beginning of the fall semester in an effort to emphasize the importance of reading, to develop critical thinking skills and to welcome new students into our community of learners.
This year, the 亚洲AV community read the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, 鈥淭he Book Thief,鈥� Markus Zusak鈥檚 tale of the ability of books to feed the soul. The book, set in 1939 in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can鈥檛 resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.