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The Dartmouth
July 12, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Kidder's 'Mountains ...' is popular summer reading

Two years ago, Dartmouth required Tracy Kidder's "Mountains Beyond Mountains" as required summer reading for the then-incoming Class of 2009. Since that time, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's tale of Dr. Paul Farmer has become the vogue pick for summer reading, serving that role for at least eight colleges across the nation in this year alone.

While most other colleges, according to the New York Times, choose their books with specific agendas, at Dartmouth a selection committee comprised of first-year deans invites one faculty member each year to independently select a book based on his or her own academic interests. The first year deans choose the faculty member in consultation with the President's Office and feedback from the First Year Student Advisory Board.

The committee alternates disciplines each year, with this year's focus being the sciences.

"Our goal is a common intellectual experience that provides an introduction to the level of expectations that a Dartmouth professor might have," Dean of First-Year Students Gail Zimmerman said. "But given that there are some 1,100 students, there will inevitably be different experiences."

While other colleges also strive for a common intellectual base, Zimmerman stressed that Dartmouth's foremost objective is to demonstrate to students the academic process. Ideally, she said, a professor would present the subject matter of timely independent research in a manner that is appropriate for first-year students.

Environmental Studies professor Andrew Friedland, who is scheduled as this year's freshman lecturer, is taking such an approach -- his current studies of global oil usage connects to the summer reading for the incoming Class of 2011: "Oil on the Brain" by Lisa Margonelli.

"I had a number of books I was considering," Friedland said. "I chose 'Oil on the Brain' because as a society we don't know enough about oil. Most people aren't aware that food is so dependent on oil -- for the tractors, pesticide, fertilizers, transportation and just about everything."

Friedland said he hopes that the book, like Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth" would act as an impetus for students to discuss global climate change. Friedland especially liked Margonelli's book for its comprehensive view of oil.

Friedland's plans to address oil use at Dartmouth as the theme for this year's freshman orientation. He pointed out that the power plant behind New Hampshire residence hall burns almost five million gallons of oil per year.

"Brainpower, oil and money is what keeps Dartmouth running," Friedland said.

Nana Amoah '11 an incoming freshman from Massachusetts who recently purchased "Oil on the Brain", is currently in the process of reading the book.

"I think it is a good choice because oil is a huge thing. I look forward to finishing it, but I would have preferred something more political because of the upcoming elections," Amoah said.