Going to college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has its perks; you have access to award-winning dining, your library is larger than most, and you have a vast, beautiful campus to explore. So, where does the Common Read fit into all of this? The Common Read, though certainly beneficial, is more than a perk. Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet was specifically chosen because of the value its messages have at this point in history. Every year, the Common Read Book Selection Committee chooses a book with themes and concepts that are enlightening and helpful to think about and discuss. Make Your Home Among Strangers was chosen because it deals with topics such as first-generation college students, diversity on campus, and home and belonging, among others. The emotional and eye-opening tale built with these concepts will be a valuable tool for thinking about your future at college and initiating dialogues with the people around you.
In Make Your Home Among Strangers, the protagonist, Lizet gains the opportunity of a lifetime when she is accepted to the elite Rawlings College. Lizet, a Miami area Cuban-American daughter of divorced immigrant parents, is the first in her family to attend college. She feels out of place at times in her new college environment. Many social, cultural, and political issues arise in this dramatic situation and working to understand them will help readers consider similar issues in the world and at UMass. Firstly, the issue of home and belonging is one that all incoming first-years will have to face. For many of you this will be your first time living away from home. Thinking about what home is and what that means may very well help you find a new place of belonging on campus. Another of the themes most significant to the plot is college students who are the first in their family to attend institutions of higher education. Diversity on campus is a theme worth thinking about because, at UMass, you will be surrounded by people from all walks of life. You will be attending a university of over 28,000 students – 5,500 of whom are in your class alone! There will be a ton to learn from people who are from an array of communities all with different experiences.
After reading Make Your Home Among Strangers, and even after meeting the author when she visits campus in the fall, you and all of the other incoming first-year students will proceed forward with big ideas and open minds. The Common Read is meant to facilitate a good education and becoming part of a community. Sharing an experience, such as this, together is the perfect way to do this! The Common Read programs offers a special opportunity to have common ground with all of the folks around you and, thus, eases building friendships, brings a sense of community, and establishes inclusiveness.
Written by Daniel Beckley, a senior at Umass Amherst, studying English, Communication, and Public Policy.