TO:

One Book, One Campus Committee

FROM:

Nora Johnson, ENC 3250 Professional Writing Student

DATE:

September 17, 2015

SUBJECT:

One Book, One Campus Recommendations

The following book titles are in response to your request for recommendations for the One Book,
One Campus initiative of fall 2016. In order of preference, with number one being most
preferred, the books include:
1. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
2. Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope by Kevin Ryan and Tina
Kelley
3. Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S.
Troops and Their Families, Updated (Second Edition)
Criteria for Recommendation and Past Common Reading Usage
I made my recommendations by thinking of myself as a first year student and of what kinds of
stories I would have enjoyed and benefitted most from, while also thinking of what current topics
I believe all incoming students should be versed in. Many universities including Florida State
University in 2013-2014 have selected The Other Wes Moore as a common reading novel.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign selected Almost Home in 2013 and Indiana
University Northwest selected Operation Homecoming in 2015 as One Book, One Campus
novels. Please see the following table for more information regarding the recommended books.

Author/Title
The Other Wes
Moore: One
Name, Two
Fates
by Wes Moore

Almost Home:
Helping Kids
Move From
Homelessness
to Hope
by Kevin Ryan
and Tina Kelley
Operation

Publisher/Publicatio
n Date
Spiegel & Grau /
January 11, 2011

ISBN
9780385528207

Cost/Number
of Pages
$9.53 / 250
Pages

Wiley / September 1,
2012

9781118230473

$11.63 / 256
Pages

University of Chicago

978-

$9.93 / 432

Summary
Two boys,
with the same
name and
from the same
town, grow up
to lead very
differing lives.
Coming of age
stories of six
different
runaway kids
as they grow
up and seek a
home.
The realities

One Book, One Campus Committee

Page 2
September 17, 2015
Homecoming:
Iraq,
Afghanistan,
and the Home
Front, in the
Words of U.S.
Troops and
Their Families,
Updated
Edition (2nd
Edition)
edited by
Andrew Carroll

Press / May 15, 2008

0226094991

Pages

of war, both
on the
battlefield and
at home, as
told first-hand
by soldiers
and their
families.

Reasons for Recommendation

The mission of FGCU includes an emphasis on community partnership and civic responsibility,
and all of these titles reinforce problems/scenarios faced by our communities and nation today.
The theme of each of these stories will bring these challenges to life and remind students of the
hardships that those around them may be suffering, and more importantly, overcoming.
Furthermore, the narrative styles of each of these books, in unison with their identifiable themes,
will make one feel as if they are seeing the stories being acted out in front of them, and will thus
be effective in maintaining the interest of first year students.

Please take all of my suggestions into honest consideration, as I feel that students would benefit
greatly by reading any/all of these books, and please inform me of the committees final
selection. Thank you for reaching out for recommendations.