Dear Clemson:
 
You are cordially invited to participate in the 2008 Summer Reading Program for all incoming freshmen.  This year's book, One Foot in Eden, was written by Ron Rash. I have read the book and it is remarkable.  On Tuesday, August 19, at 1:00 p.m., the author will address the entire freshman class, along with faculty and staff, at the 2008 Summer Reading Event at Littlejohn Coliseum.
 
Immediately after the author's address, students will break up into small groups to discuss his remarks, their thoughts on the book, and their reactions to the Summer Reading assignment. I am asking all interested faculty and staff to participate as facilitators of these discussion groups. We will need a lot of help to make this endeavor successful and we will provide you with the resources you will need to lead these discussions. Please consider attending a one of the Summer Reading Facilitator Luncheons, as well! You can volunteer to be a discussion leader by clicking http://www.clemson.edu/ugs/summerreading/facilitators.
 
From the book cover:  Will Alexander, the sheriff in a small town in southern Appalachia (Seneca, SC), knows that the local thug Holland Winchester has been murdered. The only thing is the sheriff can find neither the body nor someone to attest to the killing. Simply, almost elementally told through the voices of the sheriff, a local farmer, his beautiful wife, their son, and the sheriff's deputy, One Foot in Eden signals the bellwether arrival of one the most mature and distinctive voices in southern literature.
 
Award winning Author, Ron Rash lives in Clemson, South Carolina. Rash grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Gardner-Webb College and a master’s degree in English from Clemson University. He taught high school English for two years and was an instructor of English at a technical college for seventeen years. Additionally, he has taught at Queens College, Clemson University, and the University of Georgia, and presently serves as the first Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University.

I encourage you to join the Summer Reading Program as a group facilitator by clicking the link above. As you all know, this program is a campus-wide effort. Thank you in advance for helping make our sixth Summer Reading Program a success.
 
Sincerely,
Jim Barker