MUW Common Reading Initiative

Every year lately MUW has had a common reading initiative.  All students and faculty members are asked to read the same book.  Various classes and venues on campus include discussions of the book and there is an essay contest.  You can read more on their webpage.

Eight Habits of the Heart: Embracing the Values that Build Strong Families and Communities (African American History (Penguin)) is the chosen book this year.

From Amazon.com:

Nationally acclaimed speaker and memoir writer Clifton Taulbert presents eight habits that build the essence of social stability. His habits, which are broken down into brief chapters--"A Nurturing Attitude," "Dependability," "Responsibility," "Friendship," "Brotherhood," "High Expectations," "Courage," and "Hope"--may not be stunningly original, yet they reflect a kind of plainspoken "front-porch wisdom" rooted in Taulbert's Southern upbringing. His elders ignored the boundaries of legal segregation and embarked on a campaign to offer a community that embraced the dreams and successes of each child and family. This is an excellent book for young-adult readers who will appreciate the rich, memoir-style storytelling and the simple but genuine lessons of how to be a good person in order to build a more spiritually evolved world. --Gail Hudson

Product Description

Clifton L. Taulbert is renowned for his poignant memoirs about growing up in the segregated South and for his lectures and programs in schools, businesses, and communities throughout the world. In this inspiring handbook he lays out eight basic principles he learned from his elders: a nurturing attitude, dependability, responsibility, friendship, brotherhood, high expectations, courage, and hope. With a new Introduction and exercises for reflection and practice, Taulbert shows how the Eight Habits can be utilized today to help strengthen relationships, families, and communities everywhere. This inspirational book stands alongside The Book of Virtues and Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families as a refreshing and meaningful guide to the spiritual core we, as a society, always seem to be seeking.

Alumna/i Component:  

Starting two weeks from today, on August 23, I'll be posting a question relating to one of the Eight Habits, and we will try to get an alum discussion going--we can pretend we are back in English class trying to impress our professor with our brilliance.  Of course now we have the wisdom that comes with age so we really will be brilliant!  So, your assignment is to obtain a copy of the book either from your local library, your local bookstore or even Amazon (I gave you a handy link above) and read the first chapter by August 23.