Click on the title to read more about the theme and a summary.
Never Cry Wolf is a timeless memoir by naturalist Farley Mowat who recalls his experiences in the Arctic where he is assigned by the Canadian government's Wildlife Service to study wolves. His assignment is in response to the multitude of complaints against these problematic wolves--they are savagely killing all of the deer and not leaving any alive for humans to hunt! Living primarily in isolation in the frozen tundra, Mowat's days are spent closely observing wolf packs, and in the process, he discovers that they are far from the legendary, bloodthirsty beasts they're reputed to be. Mowat offers humorous insight not only into the world of animals but also into man's relationship with nature.
Eric Schlosser's 2002 New York Times bestseller, Fast Food Nation , was selected to support the sophomores' theme. A seemingly trivial decision to buy a quick hamburger has hidden costs that are revealed in this disturbing investigation. Schlosser chronicles the rapid spread of fast food chains and the corresponding rise of agribusinesses as the food industry has had to accommodate the massive demand for beef and chicken as more and more franchises open across America and abroad.
In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich temporarily disowns her Ph.D. and comfortable multi-room home to investigate life at poverty-level wages. Taking jobs whose mental and physical effort is often underrated, such as waiting tables, cleaning houses and hotel rooms, working at Wal-Mart, and assisting at a nursing home, Ehrenreich must find the cheapest accommodations and meals available in order to survive at six or seven dollars an hour. Written partly in response to welfare reform, her social experiment is a test to find out just how livable minimum wage is without government assistance.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is the recently published and highly acclaimed account of a 12-year-old boy from Sierra Leone, who is abducted into the government's army, loses himself in a sea of hatred and violence, and ultimately finds redemption, forgiveness and love. It is a profound story that defines what it means to be human and what it means to lead. The Washington Post holds that "Everyone in the world should read this book." We agree and trust that the members of the class of 2008 will think so as well.