EXPLANATION OF THE PROGRAM
Morningside’s Summer Reading Program has been created to provide you with a thought-provoking book to read over the summer and get you thinking about college life. Summer reading programs are happening all across the country and through your participation, you will be introduced to cultural diversity, socio-economic questions, global issues, and more. Morningside students have so far been introduced to Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat and Barry Schwartz’s The Paradox of Choice. This year’s selection is Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. The faculty members who teach Passport considered a variety of options before selecting a book they thought would connect to your lives as young adults and challenge you to think beyond your own cultural boundaries. We hope you enjoy this year’s selection!
ASSIGNMENT
Before you begin reading, we’d like you to consider the “Think About This” questions; talk about them with your parents or friends, or take a moment to jot down some thoughts just to establish what you already know or think about certain issues. After you’ve read the book (or anytime during your reading), write out an answer to one of four “What Now?” questions listed below. This piece of writing will be collected the first week of classes. We realize this is your last summer before you begin college, but we also know this is when your life changes. You will be expected to think, generate ideas, and work outside of the classroom. To use reading to connect enjoyment and learning, we think we’ve selected a book you will truly enjoy!
Think About This
Discuss these questions with friends or family, or write about them in a journal if you choose.
- What do you know about Sierra Leone in Africa?
What were you doing when you were twelve years old? Fifteen years old?
Do you know anyone from another country? What do you know about them or their experiences?
Have you traveled? Where? What kinds of cultural changes did you experience?
What Now?
Select one (or more) of these questions and write out detailed answers (1-2 pages), using information from the book to support your answers.
- While Beah was in training, he and the other boys took time off to play soccer and go swimming. He writes, “We played swimming games for a few minutes, then divided into two teams for an ambush game. The first group to capture all the members of the other group would win” (114). What is the purpose of continually referencing games or contests? What childhood games do you recall, and why are they significant memories for you?
- Music plays an important role for Beah. Why do you think music matters so much to him? Is music or another art form important to you? Why?
- Do any of Beah’s experiences have a direct relationship to your life? Sierra Leone is significantly far away from Iowa, geographically, politically, and culturally; so how could Beah’s experience relate to you or life in this part of the country? If it doesn’t, why not?
How would you describe Beah's educational process?
What does he learn?
How does he learn it?
How would you describe your own expectations for education?
