Summer Reading/Reflection Assignment

In preparation for our 2009 First-Year Symposium, all incoming freshmen will receive a copy of  Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen. We are asking you to read this book in its entirety before arriving on campus, to think about it, and to come prepared to discuss it in the first class sessions.

It is an autobiographical account of a young man growing up in mainland (‘Red’) China during and after the so-called Cultural Revolution. We have chosen it not only because it is a fascinating and exotic story, but also because it is full of interesting observations on friendship, community (both good and bad), and a way of life that is grounded in learning.  It provides a point of reference, too, for our study of the Catholic and Benedictine tradition that completes the human wisdom of the Greeks and Romans with the saving doctrine and life of Jesus Christ, as lived and taught by the monks and many others on our campus.           

More detailed instructions on all this, as well as more information on the First Year Symposium, will be enclosed with the book.

- Dr. Gerald Malsbary, Director of First-Year Symposium