BARUCH COLLEGE–Every year, the incoming freshmen at Baruch College are assigned a text, a book to read to prepare them for college and enhance their intellectual skills. This book is also used to bring the students together and is discussed in the First-Year Seminar class that is mandated for every freshman.
A committee consisting of Baruch faculty comes together every year to pick a book. Factors such as the story’s teachings, the complexity of the text and the characters themselves are all considered when a selection is made. This year, the committee chose The Island at the Center of the World, a historical nonfiction novel written by acclaimed Baruch professor Russell Shorto.