Summer Reading Program

Dear Members of the Class of 2015,

 

A central feature of Skidmore’s First-Year Experience is its summer reading program.  Indeed, the goal of the first-year reading program is twofold.  First, we want to celebrate the fact that the educational experience—the process of learning—is ongoing and not just confined to the classroom or the academic calendar.  Our aim is to get you thinking before you arrive on campus.  Second, we want to provide first-year students, and the entire College community, with a common experience centered on an intellectually interesting and challenging subject.  The way we see it is that the first-year reading program provides a starting point for members of the Skidmore community to engage in important intellectual dialogues. For the class of 2015, the FYE has chosen Lorrie Moore’s acclaimed novel, A Gate at the Stairs.  Published in 2009, A Gate at the Stairs was a PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist and was noted as one of the “Best Books of the Year” by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and at least a dozen other publications.   The story is subtle.  Tassie Keltjin, the novel’s main character, is studying at a midwestern university when she secures a job as a part-time nanny for a wealthy and mysterious couple.  Through the course of her employment, she reveals important discoveries about her own identity, the pervasive nature of racial and class stereotyping, the tenuousness of morality and integrity, the power of love, and the tragedy of war.  Writes Newsweek, A Gate at the Stairs is “a powerful, compassionate novel, both funny and tragic, and always beautifully told.”  About the author, The New York Times writes, “Moore may be, exactly, the most irresistible contemporary American writer: brainy, humane, unpretentious and warm.”

We chose this book because it highlights so many of the College’s institutional and intellectual priorities.  The characters are rich and nuanced, and they provide insight into issues of race, inclusion, class, religion, identity, and loss.  Skidmore believes that all liberally educated citizens should have a sophisticated understanding of the complexities of a world full of difference. And while we do not believe that assigning one book or enrolling in one course fulfills the College’s goal of a more inclusive and tolerant community, the summer reading program represents an important first step on a journey to greater cultural awareness. 

All first-year students are expected to read, contemplate, and scrutinize the book in its entirety prior to arriving on campus.  There will be ample opportunity throughout the academic year to examine and discuss the issues raised by this reading.  Partnering with several offices around campus, the First-Year Experience will organize the year’s programming around the novel’s many themes.  More details are forthcoming in the months ahead.  

I hope you enjoy the summer, and that as you relax and get ready for your arrival at Skidmore you talk with family, friends, and colleagues about the ideas generated by A Gate at the Stairs. 

All the best,

 

Beau Breslin, Interim Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Government