Beauty, Heartbreak and Human Experience at Cardinal Stritch Event

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Photo by Elena Seibert/via Cardinal Stritch University

Tommy Orange

Tommy Orange

Hundreds of American colleges and universities have common reading programs that are based on the belief that reading the same book brings people together as a community and creates a shared intellectual experience for college freshmen. University common read programs serve as a model for the type of intellectual discourse expected in college, emphasize the importance of reading as part of the college curriculum, and create common ground for discussion that respects diverse viewpoints and cultivates relationships between new students and faculty members. According to the publishing company Penguin/Random House, in 2020-2021, more than 470 schools had some type of common reading experience on their campuses.

Locally in Milwaukee, Cardinal Stritch University has been offering a common reading experience to its freshman students for over 10 years. Not only does Stritch’s annual common read bring people from across the university together by providing a platform for discussion and understanding, it also helps Stritch students reflect on the university’s four Franciscan values.

A cornerstone of the university’s program is a visit to campus from the author during the fall semester. In partnership with the university’s Kendall Lecture Series, established with a gift from Nancy and Lee Kendall, the annual author visit is designed to bring speakers of national prominence to Cardinal Stritch University. Selection criteria is based on a speaker’s ability to encourage meaningful intellectual discussion among students and the broader Milwaukee community.

After temporarily suspending this portion of the program in 2020 due to COVID-19, Tommy Orange, the bestselling author of the novel There, There, will headline this year’s annual lecture on campus. According to Kate Meudt, the university’s Dean of Undergraduate Education, Stritch is thrilled to be bringing Tommy Orange to campus to share his story with the community, emphasizing the educational importance for students to be exposed to the diversity of the human experience, both its beauty and its heartbreak.

And indeed, There, There is a heartbreaking, chaotic, and ultimately hopeful story.  The 2018 debut novel by Native American author Tommy Orange tackles complex themes related to our country’s history of mistreatment and genocide against indigenous people and unpacks what it means to be a modern, urban Indian. Awarded the 2019 American Book Award, There, There follows more than a dozen Native American characters living in the Oakland, CA, area, and offers a wide range of native voices struggling with questions of identity and authenticity. Tommy Orange, who was himself raised in Oakland, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma.

Acclaimed author Tommy Orange will visit Cardinal Stritch University on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. This free event will be held in the Nancy Kendall Theater on the Stritch campus and will also be live streamed. To receive a password-protected link to attend virtually, please email your name to communications@stritch.edu. In addition to the lecture, Stritch is also offering a breadth of related programs and events to help students critically think about and better understand the topics presented in the book.  University events include a There, There Book Club, moderated by English Department faculty and open to all faculty, staff, and students; a student essay competition; and various student events, including a Powwow 101 introduction. Find out more about Cardinal Stritch University’s upcoming common read events by visiting www.stritch.edu.

Description: Native American author Tommy Orange tackles complex themes related to our country’s history of mistreatment and genocide against indigenous people and unpacks what it means to be a modern, urban Indian.