Gustavus Adolphus College will welcome author Tracy Kidder to campus on Thursday, Sept. 27. Kidder, the author of this year’s Reading in Common book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, will speak at 7 p.m. in Christ Chapel.
In its eighth year of existence at Gustavus, the Reading in Common program is designed to have all first-year students read a chosen book during the summer and then meet with faculty members and upper class students during new student orientation to discuss it.
“The committee of faculty, staff, and students overwhelmingly chose Mountains Beyond Mountains because it met all of our criteria and more,” Director of Student Activities Megan Ruble said. “It’s an interesting and inspiring read, it’s interdisciplinary in nature, and it chronicles an amazing human experience.”
Kidder is a Vietnam veteran and an award-winning author. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1982, both for his book The Soul of a New Machine. In 1989 Kidder was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, given annually to the book that best represents the values for which Kennedy stood. Kidder’s other works include House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town.
In addition to Kidder’s lecture on the 27th, an open invitation is extended to attend a panel discussion at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 20 at the St. Peter Community Hospital meeting room. The panel will consist of local community members who have worked in third-world countries. On the morning of Friday, Sept. 28 there will be a book discussion held at 10 a.m. at Waldo’s Coffee Company.
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