Open Books--Open Minds is the Rhode Island College common book program. This initiative brings together first-year students early in their first semester at RIC, and links them with upper classmen, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and the greater Rhode Island community through book discussions and participation in a rich array of programs and activities.
Judith Stokes, Associate Professor Emerita (Adams Library) and continuing member of the RIC OBOM Committee, is graciously assisting in creating and updating the Open Books - Open Minds Common Book LibGuides.
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LAB GIRL by Hope Jahren
2019/2020 Open Books--Open Minds Common Book * * * * * "A geobiologist with a literary bent makes her science both accessible and lyrical." The New York Times
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An illuminating debut memoir of a woman in science; a moving portrait of a longtime friendship; and a stunningly fresh look at plants that will forever change how you see the natural world. Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she's studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life but it is also so much more. "Lab Girl" is a book about work, love, and the mountains that can be moved when those two things come together. It is told through Jahren's remarkable stories: about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classroom's labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and learned to perform lab work done with both the heart and the hands; and about the inevitable disappointments, but also the triumphs and exhilarating discoveries, of scientific work. Yet at the core of this book is the story of a relationship Jahren forged with a brilliant, wounded man named Bill, who becomes her lab partner and best friend. Their sometimes rogue adventures in science take them from the Midwest across the United States and back again, over the Atlantic to the ever-light skies of the North Pole and to tropical Hawaii ...
Jahren's probing look at plants, her astonishing tenacity of spirit, and her acute insights on nature enliven every page of this extraordinary book. "Lab Girl" opens your eyes to the beautiful, sophisticated mechanisms within every leaf, blade of grass, and flower petal. Here is an eloquent demonstration of what can happen when you find the stamina, passion, and sense of sacrifice needed to make a life out of what you truly love, as you discover along the way the person you were meant to be. -- Publisher description
... and a New York Times 'Editor's Choice' ... also 'One of the Best Books of the Year' in: The Washington Post, TIME.com, NPR, Slate, Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Kirkus Reviews.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Roundtable Discussion: RIC “Lab Girls” from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Psychology
Gaige 200
12:30 - 2:00 p.m.
Earlier events
Summer Reading Group
All are welcome to join the conversations about Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl:
Monday, June 17, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., in Craig-Lee 204
Wednesday, July 10, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., in Craig-Lee 154
Open Books - Open Minds Roundtable Discussion: Strategies for Teaching Hope Jahren’s Lab Girl
September 18, Wednesday free period 12:30-2:00pm, Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, Adams 406
Presentation by RIC professors representing a variety of academic disciplines.
Instructors, student mentors, and all other interested parties are welcome!
