Dear Parents,

Niagara University is pleased to inform you of Niagara Reads, an important program to introduce your son or daughter to the intellectual life of college.  During the summer, all first-year students will be asked to read The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.

The Things They Carried is a compelling and very readable book, written in a series of stories.  Itemanates from the author’s experience as a soldier in the Vietnam War.  O’Brien spares few details in describing the horrors of war and how they affect soldiers as well as civilians.  At the same time, he humanizes his soldiers with intricate and telling details about their lives and their personalities.  He explores the myriad emotions elicited by war, from loneliness to fear to rage.  He intertwines stories about soldiers’ lives after the war, offering a window into how deeply war can affect people for years to come.

The Things They Carried will also provide students with background knowledge of the Vietnam War, which they will learn more about in HIS 199.  This course, which covers US history since the end of World War II, is required of all Niagara University students.

Students who attend CARE sessions in July will receive a copy of the book as a gift from the university.  Students unable to attend CARE but who live near campus may pick up their book in Student Affairs, O’Shea Hall, 1st floor, Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 AM-4:30 PM or Fridays from 8:30 AM-12:00 PM.  Students who do not live nearby may borrow a copy from a public library to read and then pick up their copy when they arrive on campus in August.  Students should finish reading the book by August 22, since they’ll be discussing it in their NUS 102 class (“First-Year Niagara”) early in the semester and writing a two-page response to the book.

In conjunction with reading The Things They Carried, students will be required to attend a panel discussion or film in the fall.  Students are also encouraged to enter the Niagara Reads contest. We will be awarding three $150 prizes. 

We look forward to providing your son or daughter with this important opportunity to engage in reading, thinking, and discussing ideas in an academic setting.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. 

Sincerely,

Sharon Green

Chair, Niagara Reads                                                                                   
Reading Coordinator, Office of Academic Support                                                
(716) 286-8071                                                                                   
sgreen@niagara.edu