Introduction

For the second year in a row all incoming Cornell freshmen and transfer students will be asked to read the same book, to provide a shared experience of reading, thinking and talking about a challenging text. Last year it was Jared Diamond's Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs and Steel. This year it's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus. The classic novel is not only the source of a cultural icon but raises important questions about the place of science in the modern world. This year, faculty, staff and members of the Ithaca community are also being urged to read the book and join in discussions.