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SHU Reads!

Book cover of I Never Thought of it That Way” by Mónica Guzmán

Journalist Mónica Guzmán shows you how to overcome the fear and certainty that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is different from or even opposed to yours.

Drawing from cross-partisan conversations she's had, organized, or witnessed everywhere from the echo chambers on social media to the wheat fields in Oregon to raw, unfiltered fights with her own family on election night, Mónica shows how you can put your natural sense of wonder to work for you immediately, finding the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want, curiously.

SHU Reads! Common Reading Experience 

Students at Seton Hall University begin their common learning experience in the summer before their first year. Since 2003, all incoming first-year students have read a common book over the summer to introduce them to academic and student life at Seton Hall. The SHU Reads! nominated text presents a shared experience intended to foster thoughtful discussion and engagement in University Life, the first-year English classes, and throughout the academic year. Details for 2024 contest coming in the Fall (see below for 2023 example).

Previous Selections:

  • 2023: American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures edited by America Ferrera
  • 2021 & 2022: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
  • 2020: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
  • 2019: Educated by Tara Westover
  • 2018: Coming of Age at the End Of Nature: A Generation Faces Living on a Changed Planet by Julie Dunlap and Susan Cohen
  • 2017: Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
  • 2016: The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
  • 2015: The Ledge by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan
  • 2014: Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory
  • 2013: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
  • 2012: This I Believe
  • 2011: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Jennifer Skloot

2024 SHUReads! Essay Contest/Book Review Prompt
I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Monica Guzman

This assignment calls for a 3- to 5-page book review of Monica Guzman’s I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. A successful essay will utilize features of book reviews that are discussed in the primary Core English I text, Everyone’s An Author, and in class, including:

-A clear sense of audience

-A concise summary of the plot/what the book says and does

-An evaluation of the text and the author’s argument and rhetorical choices

-A recommendation for your audience (see below regarding audience)

More specifically, be sure to consider the following, especially in your pre-writing:

- What did you like/dislike/find intriguing about how the author presented her solutions or techniques for dealing with one or more of the following themes/issues: Social problems: conflicts over immigration, LGBTQ+ issues, political discord, hyper-partisanship, internet discourse, religious divides, social media echo chambers, and more. Social solutions: meetings, conversations, finding common ground, understanding, sharing experiences, learning about perspectives, asking questions, and more.

- Do your thoughts on these themes affect your recommendation? Choose one of the issues above or one approved by your professor; that will be the focus of your review.

- How did I Never Thought of It That Way either change or reinforce your ideas about (the fill-in-the-blank issue)?

Audience/Venue:

Depending on your chosen topic(s), choose a magazine, journal, blog, website, book review app, social media platform/thread, or other medium as a potential publication venue and audience for your review. Your professor may need to approve the publication. Make sure you identify the audience (politicians, journalists, teachers, admins, PTA, school boards, students, others?) and purpose of the publication in some way early on in your essay.

Summary:

In short, you will write a 3-5 page analytical book review addressing the way one or two of the themes in the book address an issue and why readers should, or shouldn't, read this book based on its potential contributions to society; its handling – or mishandling – of said topics; its overall readability; and your personal insights and analysis of the book. It should end with a recommendation to the particular audience based on the subject matter chosen. You can recommend the book or you can choose to say you do not recommend it. In the paper, you will need to refer to the book and thus must include in-text references and a Works Cited page. 

If you have any questions, please be sure to check with your instructor or Dr. Kelly Shea, Assoc. Prof. of English/Director of First-Year Writing and SHUReads! committee member, [email protected].

If the essay is being submitted for the SHUReads! Essay Contest, the submission deadline is November 1, 2024.  Instructions for submission will be supplied by your instructor and are availble here »