ATTENTION BOOKWORMS!! Book Discussion December 4th!!!
Late Night Marquette and the BookMarq are happy to announce the next book for the ongoing LNMU Book Club Discussion Series. For those of you who are new to this program, the LNMU Book Club is offered once a month and will provide students the opportunity to discuss a wide variety of different novels chosen by esteemed members of the Marquette University faculty and staff. Book Club discussions are facilitated by the faculty or staff member that has chosen the book.
How much will this cost me?
The twenty five (25) students to pick-up the book will receive the book FREE! Any other students who would still like to participate can, but will need to purchase the book on their own.
REMINDER!
I know that a number of you are very excited to read these books each month, however, if you should pick-up a book and afterwards realize that you are not going to have enough time to commit to reading it, PLEASE be sure to return your book to our office, as we very often have a number of students that would like to be a part of the discussion but were not able to pick-up a book before we run out!
When will the books be made available?
The books are available for pick-up immediately. You can pick-up your book in the Office of Student Development, Alumni Memorial Union, #121. The books are available on a first come first serve basis. Please be cognizant of your schedule and what that might look like during the end of October and early November. If you do not think that you will be able to read the book in the time given we ask that you leave the book for someone who will be able to read it.
When/Where is the next LNMU Book Club Meeting
The next LNMU Book Club discussion will be held on Thursday, December 4th from 9pm - 11pm in the Henke Lounge. Coffee and light snacks will be provided.
What’s The Book and Who will be facilitating the discussion?
Nicole M. Truog, Associate Director, Real Estate Programs in the College of Business Administration has chosen this months book and will be facilitating the discussion on December 4th. Ms. Truog has chosen a novel written by author Paulo Coelho entitled The Alchemist.
Book Synopsis
The Alchemist is subtitled "A Fable About Following Your Dreams." Fables are cautionary tales that have a point to make. The universal point this story makes is that everyone has a special destiny, and yet not everyone resolves to attain it because it takes hard work. Reaching one's destiny requires leaving behind familiar surroundings. It also demands persistence, the ability to change when appropriate and the willingness to respond to omens that point the way.
Like the title character, most of the characters in this story are not given names. In a traditional fable, characters are often animals that represent a specific trait. The characters here are humans, but they are only identified by what they do or whom they represent. The main character, a young Spanish shepherd, does have a name, Santiago, which is a derivative of "saint." Santiago is disturbed by a recurrent dream that seems to have a message for him. He seeks a gypsy to explain its meaning. She affirms what the dream is trying to tell him, that he will find his treasure at the Egyptian pyramids. He meets an old man who is actually an unassuming king, who tells him that he needs to learn to respond to omens. The king explains "the principle of favorability, beginner's luck. Because life wants you to achieve your destiny."
Santiago leaves his sheep to embark on a long journey across foreign territory in search of a hidden treasure, his destiny. The journey is a universal analogy to the journey of life itself. Though Santiago travels far, learns much and faces mortal danger to get to his treasure, in the end he finds that treasure, his destiny, back at home in the very place where he started. From the start, as in life, the journey is filled with difficulties and unanticipated challenges. Through the challenges of loss and hard work, Santiago learns to recognize and respond to omens. He meets and interacts with several characters along the way from whom he learns something important about himself. Whether they intend to or not, the characters along the way help guide him to his treasure.
Happy Reading!
UNION SPORTS ANNEX
