This fall, frosh to read 'Lincoln at Gettysburg'

Members of Penn's class of 2001 will soon receive their first homework assignment in the mail -- a copy of Garry Will's Lincoln At Gettysburg. The book, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993, explores President Abraham Lincoln and his influence on America through the words of his renowned Gettysburg Address. Freshmen will read the work as part of the Penn Reading Project -- in its seventh year -- which encourages all members of the class to read a common book and to discuss it with other students and faculty members during orientation week. "The goal is to create a common experience for students in all four schools," Director of Academic Programs in Residence Chris Dennis said. "Also, we want [the freshmen] to meet informally with faculty very early on and get them comfortable in the academic setting." A committee of faculty and two Student Committee on Undergraduate Education members selected this year's book from a list of more than 250 suggestions. "We were looking for a book that could really brin a focus on how a community came together," Dennis explained. Several works by Oliver Sacks, along with Sigmund Brouwer's Double Helix, were also top contenders. History Professor and Women's Studies Chairperson Drew Faust, who teaches courses about the American South and the Civil War, said she is excited about the novel selection and looks forward to the Reading Project. "I think it's wonderful because it's about a transitional period in America, and it leads into the period we are in now," Faust said. She noted that Lincoln At Gettysburg is a good introduction to academic life for freshmen students because of its "focus on the power of words." "The book draws attention to writing, and all freshmen should be concerned about improving their writing skills while at Penn," she said. Traditionally, the Penn Reading Project has extended beyond the freshman orientation. By sponsoring speakers whose interests coincide with themes of the novel, the Project organizers hope to continue the common experience of a shared novel among students. Dennis said he hopes to have documentary filmmaker Ken Burns speak at some point during the year. Burns has made several documentaries, including one on the Civil War and another on President Jefferson, which have aired on PBS. The class of 2000's Reading Project featured Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, and the University subsequently sponsored a discussion with Norman Mailer, an author who, like Hemingway, wrote about American experiences in Paris. The previous year, playwright Tom Stoppard visited campus for a week after the class of 1999 read his "Arcadia" for its Reading Project. The class of 1998 read Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams. Dennis said the Penn Reading Project is successful in its goal to create a "common bond" among freshmen, and he is optimistic that most students also enjoy the experience. "We've found most people read it, and it's even a conversation starter for new roommates," he said.