The class of 2015 has some reading to do.
This year’s chosen novel for the 10th anniversary of One Book, One Community program recently was announced — “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by The New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Safran Foer.
“The program is designed to bring the East Lansing and MSU communities together by reading the same book,” said Ginny Haas, director of community relations at MSU.
“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a novel illustrating themes of love and loss with underlying allusions to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001. Not only does this fall bring the 10th anniversary of the One Book, One Community program, but also the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, she said. Program members decided Foer’s novel was an appropriate piece for the anniversaries.
The fictional story follows a young boy attempting to discover what happened to his father, set during the time of the attacks.
“(But) it’s not a traditional piece of fiction,” Haas said.
Within the novel, readers will find interconnecting story lines, flip books, graphs, photographs and drawings, she said.
Human biology junior Amanda Boersema said she appreciated the efforts of MSU and East Lansing officials to connect the two communities.
“I think it’s a good thing,” she said. “It’s based on if people want to take part.”
Thinking back to her One Book, One Community experience in her freshman year, Boersema recalls students having an opportunity to meet the author of the book her class of 2012 read.
Foer is slated to visit MSU on Aug. 29 to speak to the incoming freshman class.
To help the program, the Student Book Store, 421 E. Grand River Ave., displays each year’s pick along with advertisements from the city.
Mike Wylie, assistant manager of the Student Book Store, said he has seen not only students but community members come into the store and ask for the year’s One Book, One Community choice.
“I think they’ve done a good job picking books. I read the (2006 pick) ‘The Glass Castle’ because of the recommendation myself,” he said.
Overall, the program has seen wide acceptance, Haas said. East Lansing residents and students begin calling in the fall to ask program members if they have chosen a novel yet, she said.
“It brings (together) two communities that don’t always see eye to eye on everything,” Haas said.
For more information, visit onebookeastlansing.com.
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