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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Book Buddies Wanted for “If All of Rochester Read the Same Book…”


Wriers and Books, Inc, in cooperation with the Visiting Scholars Series and the MCC English Philosophy Department have chosen Bel Canto by Ann Patchett as the 2010 “If All of Rochester Read the Same Book”… selection. I will be using the Book Buddy program with this book in my Introduction to Literature Class. The Book Buddy program is comprised of matching students with faculty, staff and administrators in e-mail “conversations” about the novel as we read it together. We will begin reading the book Wednesday, March 3, 2010. If you would like to sign up as a Book Buddy with one of my students to discuss the rich and engrossing themes and characters of this book, please e-mail me at epierce@monroecc.edu.

The novel begins somewhere in South America, at the home of the vice president. A lavish birthday party is being held in honor of the powerful businessman Mr. Hosokawa. Roxane Coss, opera’s most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening – until a band of gun-wielding terrorists takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, a moment of great beauty, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds, and people from different continents become compatriots. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion… and cannot be stopped.

Publishers Weekly writes, “As her readers now eagerly anticipate, Ann Patchett can be counted on to deliver novels rich in imaginative bravado and psychological nuance…Patchett’s ability to evoke a sense of place…is near magical in itself.”

Ms. Patchett’s visit to MCC is sponsored by the Visiting Scholars series and the English/Philosophy Department during the College Hour on Friday, March 26, 2010 in the Warshof Conference Center, R. Thomas Flynn Campus Center, Monroe A and B. The annual Book Buddy luncheon will be at noon on Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

Liz Pierce
English Philosophy Department
01/29/2010