Writing Based Inquiry Seminars
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

The Common Reading

Every two years, the WBIS program selects a work of fiction or nonfiction as its common reading for all sections. A committee composed of WBIS teachers considers several books, most of which are recommended initially by WBIS instructors. We look for works that broaden our knowledge of the world and its people. We search for books that address basic issues of human existence: How do people live in the world today? What is important in life? We also seek works that enhance our appreciation for writing. In previous years, our common readings have included A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat, Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman, and The Way to Rainy Mountain by M. Scott Momaday. All of the authors mentioned have also visited the UW Oshkosh campus.

Students enrolled in WBIS in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 will read A Complicated Kindness, by Miriam Toews (pronounced "Taves"). Described as "moving" and "darkly funny" by reviewers, Toews' novel is narrated by Naomi (Nomi) Nickel, a sixteen year old Mennonite girl who feels trapped in a rural Canadian "nowhere" town with limited activities and resources. While acknowledging its power of influence on her family and community, Nomi feels the need to rebel against some of the more traditional and fundamentalist tenets of her religion, and this conflict drives her story. " Bold, tender and intelligent, this (book) is a clear-eyed exploration of belief and belonging, and the irresistible urge to escape both," says a reviewer at Powell's Books Online.

Links relating to A Complicated Kindness, and many other resources for WBIS, can be found on the WBIS D2L page.