Chancellor's Book Club - A Man's Place

Dear Colleagues and Students,

It's difficult to grasp that graduation is soon upon us. It has been another remarkable year on our exceptional campus for learning, working, and exploring.

A couple of years ago I launched The Chancellor's Book Club as a means of bringing our community together and exchanging viewpoints and perspectives about a great book. Since then, we have had two exceptional book choices, Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun and When We Cease To Understand The World by Benjamín Labatut. 

The next book selection in this series is A Man’s Place (La Place in French) by Annie Ernaux, the 2023 Nobel Laureate in Literature.  Her terse staccato style makes for a short (96 pages), enjoyable and powerful read, certain to haunt your thoughts long after you place it back on the shelf.

Although the first two picks addressed the intersection of technology and humanity, the upcoming selection is decidedly different.  It interrogates familial tensions that arise from transcending social class, something that many of us may have experienced.  

"Writing is the ultimate recourse for those who have betrayed," Ernaux tells us. “A Man’s Place” explores her personal path to recognition and reconciliation.

I invite you to join me in the Fall (date, time, and venue will be forthcoming) to discuss in small groups and chat about what the New York Times called a “remarkable book.”  This will be a great way to enjoy each other's company as we launch the fall semester.  

I hope to see you there!

P.S. I am also planning for our next video club in the Winter semester.

Domenico Grasso 
Chancellor