2008-2009 Freshman Common Reader

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
by
Elizabeth Kolbert

"On burgeoning shelf of cautionary but occasionally alarmist books warning about the consequences of dramatic climate change, Kolbert's calmly persuasive reporting stands out for its sobering clarity. Expanding on a three-part series for the New Yorker, Kolbert (The Prophet of Love) lets facts rather than polemics tell the story: in essence, it's that Earth is now nearly as warm as it has been at any time in the last 420,000 years and is on the precipice of an unprecedented 'climate regime, one with which modern humans have had no prior experience.' An inexorable increase in the world's average temperature means that butterflies, which typically restrict themselves to well-defined climate zones, are now flitting where they've never been found before; that nearly every major glacier in the world is melting rapidly; and that the prescient Dutch are already preparing to let rising oceans reclaim some of their land. In her most pointed chapter, Kolbert chides the U.S. for refusing to sign on to the Kyoto Accord. In her most upbeat chapter, Kolbert singles out Burlington, Vt., for its impressive energy-saving campaign, which ought to be a model for the rest of the nation—just as this unbiased overview is a model for writing about an urgent environmental crisis." [Summary provided on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Field-Notes-Catastrophe-Nature-Climate/dp/1596911255]

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The Freshman Common Reader serves as the first academic assignment for incoming freshmen. Students receive a copy of the book during summer orientation along with support materials. Students then participate in small group discussions about the book following Freshman Convocation. The book is used in a variety of fall semester classes and sets the theme for the Freshman Connections learning community programming. The author of the book visits campus during September and presents a free public lecture.

Finalists:
The two other finalists for the 2008-2009 Freshman Common Reader were Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, and Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario.