Eli the Good by Silas House

2011 St. Catharine College Freshman Read

“I thought that I might truly hate him….One day I wrote this in my composition book: Daddy scares the hell out of me.”

Eli the Good by Silas House presents the story of a ten-year-old boy who learns about the destructive after effects of war. In a story set in 1976, yet relevant to the climate of the 2000’s, House opens the reader to a world of confusion and violence brought into a formerly safe, loving home by a father returning from the horrors of the Vietnam War. Eli moves through this seemingly endless summer in a landscape of lush rural mountains, an environment which sets a memorable contrast to the dark terror growing within his family home. Here, he must learn to deal with issues of living with post traumatic stress disorder, protesting government decisions with respect, creating families, defining patriotism, and accepting differences in others, all the while discovering the value of true friendship. Discussion leaders and students can look forward to a captivating read that explores how we define family and nation in the United States.

BLEACHERS by John Grisham

2010 St. Catharine College Freshman Read

In Bleachers , John Grisham leads readers on a nostalgic trip to 1960’s-‘70’s high school life in the Deep South.  Speaking to the power that football exerts in a small town environment (where there is little else which rivals the excitement of football), Grisham weaves love/hate relationships between coach and player, town and team, and athletes and nonathletes into a memorable story of winning and losing at both football and life. 

As a common read, Bleachers addresses the adversarial relationship between athletics and academics, thus engendering spirited debate among college-age readers who are living in just such a world.  Moreover, Grisham’s protagonist, Neely, must face his conflicting feelings for his former coach, his hometown, and even his long lost love.  In short, Neely must finally grow up and accept accountability for his decisions.  Such topics as responsibility for personal actions and decisions and the role of a coach or teacher in one’s life make for intense conversation with readers.  

RESTAVEC by Jean-Robert Cadet

2009 St. Catharine College Freshman Read

Jean-Robert Cadet tells a brutal, yet compelling, story of life in Haiti as a slave child.   Cadet uses his own experiences to inform readers of the wretched conditions (subhuman, to be exact) that over 300,000 children of Haiti suffer through daily.  He extends his story to his years in the U. S. Army, where he meets a new type of racism while simultaneously finding his first “home.”  Restavec  is a strong contender for common read programs as it offers readers a powerful story that leads to in-depth conversation topics ranging from global issues to personal views on abuse.  These discussions help students to  focus on our need to help those who face such desperate hardship and poverty.   

                                                        

THE PACT by Davis, Hunt, and Jenkins

2008 St. Catharine College Freshman Read

The story of three resourceful young men who grew up in a drug and crime infested neighborhood, The Pact resonates for all readers who know of or have experienced failure due to drug use and its accompanying cultural decline.  These three teens are not immune to falling prey to peer pressure, yet it is the strength of their pact that pulls them through trial after trial.  Telling their stories with simple honesty, they compel readers to turn the page and discover how they overcome all odds to enter college and to eventually graduate to become successful doctors. 

For the purpose of a common read, The Pact elicits conversation on individual, parental, and community accountability.  In addition, the book speaks clearly to brotherhood and the collective strength it engenders.