The Class of 2011 -- along with the Cornell community, Ithaca residents and readers around the world -- are taking part in Cornell's seventh New Student Reading Project. They are exploring South African Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer's 2001 novel "The Pickup" on blogs, in discussion groups, in FaceBook comments and critiques, and as the subject of a "Community Read" in partnership with the Tompkins County Public Library.

"Reading together creates an opportunity to reach across barriers, to connect with new people and ideas, and to talk with others about things that matter in life," said Tompkins County librarian Sarah Glogowski. "When people read great literature, the experience stimulates them to think about themselves, their relationships and their surroundings."

"The Pickup," required reading for incoming Cornell students, is the story of a privileged white South African woman's relationship with an illegal Muslim immigrant from an unnamed Middle Eastern country and their contrary reasons for being together. The book provokes discussion of race, class, identity and belonging. Gordimer, who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1991, was a vociferous opponent of apartheid who spoke out against racial segregation and censorship in her country. Under apartheid, successive white South African governments banned her books. In recent years she has been active in HIV/AIDS issues.

"The novel invites us to reflect on the ethnic, cultural and class-related dimensions of 'otherness,' while challenging our expectations about what it is to be a cultural 'insider' or 'outsider,'" said Michele Moody-Adams, vice provost for undergraduate education and professor of philosophy. "Along the way, we must reflect on the role of religion in human life, the importance of family and the conflicts between responsibility and the satisfaction of human desire."

A week after the Cornell edition of the novel was mailed to students, two Cornell University librarians, Lance Heidig and Wendy Wilcox, launched a far-reaching, moderated blog that gathers resources on issues raised in "The Pickup," including immigration, belief systems and politics, at http://cornellreading.typepad.com/the_pickup/. "This project is about a book, but libraries are also about digital information, and we're trying new ways to get students to read books," Heidig said.

'Pickup' discussion panel launches Provost's Series

The campuswide discussion of "The Pickup," moderated by Provost Biddy Martin on Aug. 19 in Barton Hall from 3:30 to 5 p.m., launches the newly announced annual Provost's Series, showcasing Cornell University lectures from August 2007 through 2008.

The lecture series will be streamed live on CornellCast and archived. CyberTower also will post a Gordimer telephone interview.

"This series provides a chance to share the rich intellectual activity of Cornell with a broader audience," said Martin. "I am excited by the opportunity to elaborate on key academic priorities, while promoting our mission of providing lifelong learning for the Cornell community."

Selections for the Provost's Series will be made from planned public lectures and academic symposiums.

And reading "The Pickup" and its blog they are. "Every day we post something relevant to the book," said Wilcox. The blog's wide-ranging content includes posts and comments on interracial marriage, apartheid, a link to "Harry Potter" in Arabic and the news that a film of the book won't be forthcoming until at least 2009 -- dashing hopes of a celluloid cheat sheet.

Elsewhere on campus, the Carol Tatkon Center is offering programming related to the book throughout the semester. The CyberTower Web site in partnership with Cornell Adult University hosts a video discussion of "The Pickup" by Moody-Adams, Dagmawi Woubshet of the Department of English and Sital Kalantry of the Law School along with discussion forums. Olin Library will exhibit historical maps of South Africa and the Middle East.

A campuswide discussion of "The Pickup," moderated by Provost Biddy Martin, will take place Aug. 19 in Barton Hall from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The following day, Aug. 20, students will bring written answers to study questions about the "The Pickup" to small discussion groups from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The 10 best essays based on the study questions will win $200 worth of books and be posted on the provost's Web site, http://www.cornell.edu/provost/.