Date: October 12, 2005
Contact: Michael Hopkins
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: m-hopkins@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, October 12, 2005 – San Francisco does it. Chicago does, too. So does Indianapolis, not to mention myriad universities across the nation. It’s the “One Book” reading phenomenon that has brought readers together from every walk of life.
The concept: Find a great book, get members of the community to read it at the same time, and bring individuals together to share their experiences and perspectives in discussions about the book.
Now the south suburban region can get in on the fun without flying to San Francisco or braving the Dan Ryan into Chicago.
Governors State University, in University Park, has launched its own version of the One Book concept with “One Book, One University,” which features as its inaugural read Erik Larson’s bestselling Devil in the White City .
The novel is about the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, and serial killer H.H. Holmes, whose grisly crimes took place in a hotel he built to lure Exposition visitors to their deaths.
The concept is the work of Governors State University’s Graduate Council Subcommittee for Intellectual Life.
Dr. James Howley, the subcommittee chair, said the group was looking for a fun and stimulating way to bring students and members of the community together to talk about literature.
He said, “It’s an opportunity not just for the university community, but for the local community to come together in an intellectual endeavor, to share the joy of reading and discussing literature.”
Howley said the university has put together an exciting range of events to accompany “One Book, One University,” including an online blog discussion format that allows people to participate wherever they have access to the Internet.
The blog site has links to information about serial killer Holmes and the Columbian Exposition. The blog discussion is open now at http://gsublog.govst.edu/MT/WhiteCity.
“Anyone and everyone is welcome to read the book and post their ideas on the blog,” Howley said.
The university will also host “Expo: Magic in the White City,” a film presentation about the Exposition, on Tuesday, October 25, at 4:30 p.m.
Another film presentation, “H.H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer,” follows on Wednesday, November 2, at 4:30 p.m.
Other on-campus events include three on-campus book discussion groups.
The book discussion groups will follow with presentations by various GSU faculty. The book discussion dates are as follows:
Tuesday, November 8, at 3 p.m.
Wednesday, November 9, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m.
All presentations and book discussions will be held in Engbretson Hall on the university’s main campus, 1 University Parkway, University Park. They are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact James Howley at 708-534-5000 Extension 5082. Or e-mail j-howley@govst.edu.
