TO:

One Book, One Campus Committee

FROM:

Calvin Le, ENC 3250 Professional Writing Student

DATE:

September 25, 2015

SUBJECT:

One Book, One Campus Recommendations

This is in response to your request for three book recommendations for the One Book, One
Campus program. My recommendations are We Were Liars, Eleanor & Park, and Let the Great
World Spin.
The criteria I used to select these books were their relevance, readability, and its openness for
discussion. To assist in selecting these books, I researched similar first year reading experience
programs within other colleges such as University of Florida, University of South California, and
Washington State University. The table below provides information about the readings as
requested.
Author,
Title

Publisher,
Publication date

ISBN

Cost,
Number of
Pages
$8.74
(Paperback)
, 240 pages

E. Lockhart,
We Were
Liars

Delacorte Press,
May 13, 2014

978-0385741262

Rainbow
Rowell,
Eleanor &
Park

St. Martins
Griffin,
February 26,
2013

978-1250012579

$10.68
(Paperback)
, 336 pages

Colum
McCann,
Let the
Great World
Spin

Random House
Trade
Paperbacks,
December 2,
2009

978-0812973990

$9.06
(Paperback)
, 375 pages

Summary

Every summer, Cadence

and her family visit their
privately owned island.
During their 15th visit,
Cadence suffers an
accident and requires the
help of her family and
friends to remember what
happened.
Taking place in Omaha,
Nebraska in 1986, two
sixteen year olds meet on
a school bus and fall in
love through a connection
of mix tapes and X-Men
comics.
A story told through two
seemingly unrelated acts,
McMann weaves the
stories of each of his
multiple protagonists
through a tale of pain,
love, and mystery in

1970s New York.

One Book, One Campus Committee
Page 2
September 25, 2015
Selection 1

We Were Liars would be appropriate for the One Book, One Campus program because it
fits within FGCUs guiding principle of connected knowing and collaborative learning.
The basis of the books plot is the use of teamwork, albeit some deception, to help the
protagonist remember details of an accident. A first year FGCU student would like this
book as it puts the reader in a familiar place, that being summer vacation. It contains
themes of family and camaraderie, which is what a new student would find at FGCU.

Selection 2

Eleanor & Park works well with the One Book, One Campus program as it contains
many important themes that not only demonstrate diversity but can aid in creating the
informed and engaged citizens approved by FGCUs guiding principles. Students new to
FGCU would appreciate this book because it is simply more than a love story. With
themes such as body image and bullying, it can give students a feeling of acceptance
towards themselves as well as others.

Selection 3

Let the Great World Spin, is a great fit for the OBOC project, as it is a story of diversity,
which is expressed in FGCUs guiding principles. With a theme of showcasing how the
lives of seemingly unrelated characters are all interdependent, this book is a great fit for
first year FGCU students because diversity and friendships are an important part of the
FGCU experience.

I appreciate the opportunity of selecting potential readings for the One Book, One Campus
program, and I look forward to a response from your committee.