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ATTENTION CCBC Faculty, Students, Staff and Administrators!

It’s Time to Vote for the Community Book Selection for the 2012-2013 Academic Year!

The Community Book Connection received twelve wonderful proposals for our annual book. Each proposed text was read by a committee of twelve readers, then ranked using a detailed rubric based on CBC’s mission. The books that appear on this short-list represent the committee’s top choices.

We’d like to extend a special thank you to our colleagues who proposed books for this year’s selection. It was a tough choice. We would also like to thank the CBC Book Selection Committee. Please start thinking ahead for future proposals!

The two books on the short list:

• No Impact Man by Colin Beavan

• The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir by Farah Ahmedi

**Voting rules: Any member of the CCBC community may vote once. We ask faculty to spread the word and to encourage student participation. Passionate and vocal lobbying in and around CCBC is encouraged, but influencing students to vote en masse one way or another during class time is strongly discouraged.

Voting is open until Friday, March 16, 2012 at 5 p.m.

To vote simply send one email with the name of one of these books in the subject line to: [email protected]

The full proposals and information about these outstanding selections are attached.See the additional pages that follow.




No Impact Man by Colin BeavanProposed by Fred Hickok

Part I—Basic Book Information

1. Title of Book: No Impact Man

2. Author: Colin Beavan

3. Year Published: 2009

4. Publisher: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux

5. Is There a Paperback Edition? Price? Yes. $10.20

6. Book Description For one year, Colin Beavan swore off plastic and toxins, went organic, became a bicycle enthusiast and turned off his electricity while dragging his Prada-wearing wife and young daughter along for the ride. Together they attempted to make as little impact on the environment as possible while living in New York City. This is the funny and consciousness-raising story of how they did it. Along with the narration of their personal experiences the author presents pertinent information about a wide variety of environmental issues, an extensive appendix and a questioning of our ethical roles in society. In the bargain Beavan found that no-impact living is richer, fuller and more satisfying.

7. Blurbs and Endorsements “Profound . . . Beavan’s project has significant emotional and ecological heft. No Impact Man works, most of all, because Beavan is intelligent, funny, provocative, and, above all, honest.” --The Philadelphia Inquirer

“There’s something of Thoreau in Colin Beavan’s great project--but a fully engaged, connected, and right-this-minute helpful version. It’s a moment when we need to have as little impact in our own lives as possible--and as much impact in our political lives as we can possibly muster. Beavan shows how!” --Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy

“Far from being a movement of self-denial and stern lectures about having too much fun, the ‘no impact’ mind-set is actually about increasing fulfillment and happiness by asking us to think about what makes us truly happy and what’s really important in our lives.” --Arianna Huffington





Part II — What Makes this a Good CBC Book?

In the following section briefly explain how the text fulfills the following criteria.

1. Describe how it contains multiple themes that lend themselves to use by various departments and functions throughout the college.

Environmental Science – habitat alteration Health & Wellness – lifestyle changes Psychology – self-actualization History – fall of civilizations Sociology – social movements Philosophy – personal and societal ethics Religion – Buddhist and Jewish ethics Economics – consumerism Business – green technology Law & Justice – local initiatives Geography – landscape and coastline changes Meteorology – heat waves Oceanography – acidification Biology – species extinction Chemistry – reactions of greenhouse gases Political Science – federal inaction Mathematics – non-linear feedback mechanisms Information Technology – climate change modeling Engineering – wind and solar power projects Allied Health – public health crises

2. Is it at an accessible level for our students? The reading is at a high-school level.

3. Detail the way in which it is conducive to event planning: Talks by the author and local people who have adopted sustainable behaviors. Tie-in with activities sponsored by the college’s Sustainability Committee. Sustainability board game sessions. Class sessions based on 50-minute lesson plans on consumption, energy, food, transportation and water found on the noimpactproject.org site. Individual activities from interacting on the nompactman.typepad.com blog site. No-impact day and week experiments.





Part II continued — What Makes this a Good CBC Book?

4. Does it possibly have a related theatre or film piece? 90-minute DVD version of the book. Other DVDs: 11th Hour; Architecture to Zucchini: The people, companies and organizations pioneering sustainability; A Passion for Sustainability.

5. Explain the ways that it is related to current social issues: As with the economic and political climates here and abroad, the environmental field is ready for the emergence of a grassroots movement aimed at inducing broad societal action.

6. Describe how it is easily tied into existing CCBC events such as Ethics Week, Spotlight Speakers Series, Closing the Gap, Creative Writing Forum, etc.

Ethics Week: Very pertinent. Programs on individual and collective action. Panels with religious and humanist participants.

Spotlight Speakers Series: A speaker from the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., which has published many books. Perhaps even its president, Lester Brown, who has a new book, World on the Edge.

Closing the Gap: Discussion about the environmental issues facing different socioeconomic groups.

Creative Writing Forum: Essays by students undertaking sustainability efforts.

7. Is it either relatively short or does it have chapters that may be studied independently of the whole work? Relatively short (224 pages of main text) and different issues are covered in different chapters.

8. Has this text been used successfully in the classroom? Used as a college-wide common book at Illinois Wesleyan University in 2010 and at Bowling Green State University and the University of Arkansas in 2011.




The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir by Farah Ahmedi Proposed by Kathleen S. de Wit

Part I—Basic Book Information

1. Title of Book: The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir (Originally published as The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky)

2. Author: Farah Ahmedi

3. Year Published: 2005

4. Publisher: Simon and Shuster

5. Is There a Paperback Edition? Price? Yes. $10.20 or less

6. Book Description Author and narrator Farah is born just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets reaches its peak in Afghanistan, which begins the story of her remarkable journey to adulthood. Her youth is dominated by the sounds of gunfire and fighter planes, but to her this backdrop is as normal as traffic sounds and childhood laughter are to a schoolgirl in America. Farah loses her home and most of her family through the conflicts of war and, though still a child herself, becomes the caretaker and protector of her mother, who is chronically ill. Farah experiences a severe disabling injury and loss, endures a refugee camp and forced labor, and ultimately begins a new life in the US, where she is free to learn, work, support herself, and choose her own path. She enters high school despite having had no formal education since the second grade and succeeds academically against all odds. The contrast between her life and the life of a typical American adolescent is stunning.

7. Blurbs and Endorsements “Very compelling…..Here you have a girl, a child, who suffered her own disability, the loss of her family and her homeland…She’s taking care of her aging mother and adapting to this new culture, and she’s a bright, shining light in the world….Very moving.”Mary Karr, New York Times bestselling author of The Liar’s Club and Cherry

“Inspiring….A wonderful story.” James McBride, New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Water





Part II — What Makes this a Good CBC Book?

In the following section briefly explain how the text fulfills the following criteria.

1. Describe how it contains multiple themes that lend themselves to use by various departments and functions throughout the college.

History: Soviet Union and US wars in Afghanistan, 9-11, Sociology: immigration, refugee life, cross-cultural perspectives, prejudice, forced labor, conflict and differences among Afghan tribesEducation: schooling of girls in Afghanistan, culture learning, international students, the US high school experience ESL: immigrant and refugee experience, learning English, adult second language acquisition, writing one’s life story Women’s Studies: girls and women in Afghan society, polygamy, girls’ education Health and Wellness: living with disability, effects of loud noise, struggles of medical care in Afghanistan, family caregiversAllied Health: landmine injuries, asthma, aging, prostheses, cross cultural experiences in the health care system Psychology: mental health, depression, PTSD, bullying, severe anxiety, loss and grief, compassion Geography: maps of Germany, Afghanistan and Pakistan; land and climate of South Asia and the Middle East Religion: Islam, Islam in America, religious beliefs and practices Law and Justice: immigration law, bribery and corruption Philosophy: ethics, justice, fairness, health care as a right Political Science: current rhetoric on immigration, foreign policy in South Asia and the Middle East, the Taliban as a political force, tribalism, cultural/ethnic pluralism and unification, universal health careWriting: telling one’s story English: the monomyth (the hero’s journey in literature), writing as catharsis Becoming a Global Citizen: cross-cultural competencies

2. Is it at an accessible level for our students? Yes, definitely



3. Detail the way in which it is conducive to event planning. There is a clear tie-in to CCBC’s global education initiatives. Speakers, panels, etc. could discuss various themes from the book in the context of a wide range of disciplines. Some possible events could be centered on mental health, bullying, disability, history of conflict in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, and understanding Islam, to name a few. Domestic and international students could increase their understanding of world issues (poverty, war, cultural pluralism, etc.) and how these same issues that may seem so remote to many students still touch everyone at a local level – including in Baltimore (disabilities from war, local refugee populations, ESOL, etc.). In addition to gaining understanding, students can also become involved in local service projects and advocacy efforts (e.g., small-scale foreign aid projects such as providing basic health kits or school kits, supporting troops at the airport, conflict resolution workshops, immigration law reform efforts, etc.) and engage in campus efforts to increase cross-cultural understanding (e.g., through existing efforts by GEAB, the World Language and ESOL programs, International Student Services, and others, as well as through events inspired by those in which Farah takes part in the book – both serious and light-hearted, like the international fashion show in which Farah modeled Afghan clothing at an American high school). CCBC faculty can use the study guide, An Educator’s Guide to The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky, available online from Simon and Schuster, to create related lessons and activities for CCBC classes *(see link at the end of the document).

4. Does it possibly have a related theatre or film piece? Charlie Wilson’s War, a 2007 movie about real-life congressman Charlie Wilson and his relentless efforts to increase CIA support for anti-Soviet Afghan insurgents, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

The Kite Runner, an award-winning 2007 film that showed the escape of a family to Pakistan during the start of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Afghan Girls Can Kick, a 2007 film that documents the participation – and the optimism – of the Afghan women’s national soccer team members as they played for the first time in a real tournament after living for years under the oppression of Taliban rule.

Soviet War in Afghanistan, a 1980 documentary that includes, among other themes, a view of early US support of the Taliban during their fight against the Soviets – an enlightening view of the dramatic turns that wars, alliances, and personal interest can take.






5. Explain the ways that it is related to current social issues:

The book’s themes are a natural tie-in with the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and high-profile implications both abroad and at home (including the impact on innocent civilians, the ongoing impact of 9-11, and US foreign policy debates). The very same issues that the author and her mother faced continue to be felt around the world. In the current political campaigns, immigration and foreign policy are dominant themes. Moreover, the issue of women’s rights around the world is still frequently in the news, particularly with regard to education, equality, and independence.

6. Describe how it is easily tied into existing CCBC events such as Ethics Week, Spotlight Speakers Series, Closing the Gap, Creative Writing Forum, etc.

Global Education: The book fits exceptionally well with CCBC’s global education initiatives: e.g., second language acquisition, understanding cultural and religious differences, and infusing global competencies into the curriculum.

Ethics Week: Themes in the book are conducive to Ethics Week activities, especially relating to immigration and whether US citizens have a responsibility to refugees and others from all parts of the world who are escaping war, violence, and oppression. Exploration of issues prominent in recent political campaigns and legislation – e.g., health care as a right and English as the official language in the US – is another strong tie-in.

Spotlight Speakers: The book lends itself to a wide variety of topics for speakers, including cultural differences, Islam, immigration, landmines, health care policy, health care access limitations in many parts of the world, bullying, etc.

Closing the Gap: Activities could explore the limits of education around the world, including the need for improved educational access and resources in poverty-stricken countries and gaps in the availability of educational opportunities between boys and girls. Activities could address the question: How does the book illustrate the importance of education both in the US and in Afghanistan?

Creative Writing Forum: The book illustrates that every person has a compelling story, which can be presented either as fiction or as non-fiction.






7. Is it either relatively short or does it have chapters that may be studied independently of the whole work?

The book is relatively short (249 pages of text). The chapters have titles and could be studied independently. The reading level is also very accessible.

8. Has this text been used successfully in the classroom?

Not known, but likely *An education guide for the book is available from Simon and Shuster. See http://books.simonandschuster.net/tagged_assets/tgp01_1416906703_3982.pdf




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CCBC Faculty, Students, Staff and Administrators!faculty.ccbcmd.edu/cbc/downloads/CBC 12voting flyer.pdfin the health care system Psychology: mental health, depression, PTSD, bullying,