The One Book, One Community Program enhances the academic and intellectual culture of the college and its community through a shared reading experience.
A committee of faculty & staff meet monthly to choose the One Book One Community annual selection and plan associated programming. The committee determines the book's themes and sets up an academic year's worth of events pertaining to those pertinent issues. The book selected serves as a catalyst for community wide reading; the resultant considered conversations often focus on issues about history, culture, society, human interactions and social justice. The books we choose tend to just push along the edges, so while people may start conversations with feelings about the book or topic, they soon move into thoughtful, intellectual engagement with one another.
Criteria for book selection include:
Please feel free to suggest a book for our program by filling out this form.
You may find that the book has been integrated into your course syllabi, faculty may mention the book during a class as a supplemental read for a course topic, or the libraries may post information about the book and its author.
It goes beyond in-class discussion, however.
Over the course of the academic year, you will have many opportunities to share and compare ideas about the One Book. Many faculty and staff will also have read the book, providing a broad base for discussion outside the classroom. Additionally, many of the lectures, discussions, exhibits, films and concerts that take place during the semester are specifically chosen to complement the book.
Books will be available in the college libraries and bookstore. Join fellow classmates, faculty, and staff in the excitement of the One Book by attending discussions, presentations and events.
Watch for news of the latest selection on the Massasoit Website, Portal and the Library pages.