A family tragicomic is a 2006 graphic memoir by the american cartoonist alison bechdel, author of the comic strip dykes to watch out for. Duke students refuse to read alison bechdels fun home. Alison bechdel, college freshman, duke university, education, fun home. Gerry canavan, now an assistant professor of english at marquette university, included the book in. A family tragicomic by new york times bestselling author alison bechdel, according to the duke chronicle.
Duke university freshmen refuse to read fun home for moral. The duke freshman who refuses to read fun home is wrong to call it. We will read texts like short stories, graphic novels, interesting short essays, poetry, etc. The book is an autobiographical meditation on love, family and identity, and with its constant references to greek mythology and literary greats from shakespeare to james joyce, its not hard to see why it was duke universitys. Duke university freshmen refuse to read fun home for moral reasons. The book is an autobiographical meditation on love, family and identity, and with its constant references to greek mythology and literary greats from shakespeare to james joyce, its not hard to see why it was duke universitys recommended. Apr 21, 2020 duke university libraries low maintenance book club goes online to present the big books edition. If duke freshmen cant read fun home, they shouldnt read. When duke university chose to have its incoming firstyear.
Aug 24, 2015 fun home is a quick read but not an easy one, ibanca anand, a student member of the duke common experience selection committee, said back in april, when the reading list was announced. Duke university, like many colleges, recommends that all incoming freshmen read the same book over the summer before they arrive. The duke summer reading program is designed to introduce students to the academic climate at duke university and to encourage discussion and intellectual dialogue among undergraduate students. According to dukes student newspaper the chronicle, several students on the closed facebook page for incoming. In its exploration of family history, queer desires, and larger american historical events, bechdels novel. Duke vice president for public affairs and government relations michael schoenfeld maintains that the book, which was chosen by a panel of students and staff members, was assigned to students to be completed on a voluntary basis, writes josh feldman for mediaite. A family tragicomic has won numerous accolades and its stage adaptation swept this summers tony awards. Duke students are refusing to read fun home because of. Aug 25, 2015 duke universitys inclusion of alison bechdels novel fun home has seen some students refuse to read it photograph. Incoming freshmen at duke university are refusing to read their summer reading book, alison bechdels fun home, because they say it conflicts.
Aug 25, 2015 alison bechdels fun home tells the story of a girl who comes out of the closet and soon learns that her father was gay. Durham is a city with unique history and challenges, but also full of vibrant life that you can be a part of. Seeing in alison bechdels fun home duke university press. Fun home picked for class of 2019 summer reading duke today. This article assesses the queer worldmaking potentiality of the comics form as demonstrated in alison bechdels 2006 graphic memoir fun home. The book was selected as duke universitys class of 2019 common experience summer reading book. Studentsparticularly those who cant tell the difference between nudity and pornography. Dec 01, 20 alison bechdels autobiographical graphic novel, fun home 2006, intricately weaves together the authors comingout story with her familys history, particularly the story of her fathers closeted queer sexuality and possible suicide. The class of 2024s common experience selection is know my name by chanel miller. In 2006, a stripper accused three members of the duke mens lacrosse team of raping her. Fun home picked for class of 2019 summer reading duke. Duke freshmen refuse to read book fun home saying it violates their beliefs august 25, 2015 at 3. Low maintenance book club home libguides at duke university. In its exploration of family history, queer desires, and larger american historical events, bechdels novel deals with themes of trauma, memory, and historical.
I first heard of fun home when i read an article about how it was on the summer reading list for incoming freshman at duke university and a group of students were boycotting it. Some freshmen at duke university object to the fun home graphic novel, saying it. This is far from the first time that fun home has been taught at duke. Duke university responds to summer reading controversy abc7. Aug 25, 2015 why would rising freshmen at duke university in durham, north carolina, refuse to read alison bechdels fun home, one of the most acclaimed books of the 21st century.
The book was selected as duke university s class of 2019 common experience summer reading book. The duke common experience summer reading program student. Duke universitys inclusion of alison bechdels novel fun home has seen some students refuse to read it photograph. The fun home row is the latest in a series of controversies to hit duke in recent years. The program is designed to give incoming students a shared intellectual experience with other members of their class the author is also invited to speak on campus. He said that dukes decision to put the book on the reading list was.
College students object to reading bestselling, pornographic. Aug 25, 2015 some new duke university students are very unhappy with a summer reading option that has gay themes. Some new duke university students are very unhappy with a summer reading option that has gay themes. But although the committee tasked with giving incoming freshmen at duke university a summer reading assignment knew the bechdel book would be a contentious choice, some students have refused to. Brian grasso is a freshman at duke university who plans on studying global. The book includes cartoon drawings of a woman masturbating and. This years choice was fun home, an acclaimed 2006 graphic memoir.
Duke freshmen refuse to read book fun home saying it. The recent debate at duke began after freshman brian grasso, in a post on the class of 2019 facebook page, said he would not read fun home because of the books graphic visual depictions. The north carolina university chose fun home for its common experience summer reading program for the class of 2019. Duke students refuse to read fun home over gay themes. A group of duke university students made headlines after announcing they wouldnt read alison bechdels 2006 graphic memoir, fun home, because of its graphic visual depictions of sexuality. The musical won five tony awards in 2015, including best musical. Why would rising freshmen at duke university in durham, north carolina, refuse to read alison bechdels fun home, one of the most acclaimed. The book was one of several books duke university selected to give. But, if duke removes fun home from the list, itll set a dangerous precedent. Further, duke university selected fun home for a summer reading program much like college of charlestons for incoming freshmen in 2014. Project change is an intensive eightday introduction to ethical leadership and social change through the lens of durham, sponsored by the kenan institute for ethics at duke university. Fun home was ultimately chosen because it is a unique and moving book that transcends genres and explores issues that students are. Aug 24, 2015 incoming freshmen at duke university are reportedly refusing to read their summer novel, fun home an lgbt, graphic novel by alison bechdel due to their christian and moral beliefs.
Duke students protest having to read fun home the mary sue. Alison bechdel, college freshman, duke university, education. The duke freshmen refusing to read fun home are reliving. Why duke university freshmen refuse to read graphic novel. Alison bechdels fun home tells the story of a girl who comes out of the closet and soon learns that her father was gay. Were reading those hefty novels that you always meant to get around to, but. Incoming freshmen at duke university have refused to read a summer book option by a new york times bestselling author because the gay themes and. Aug 25, 2015 alison bechdels graphic novel fun home. Fun home is alison bechdels graphic memoir of her life growing up. Duke university freshmen refuse to read fun home for.
But that sparked a conversation among students, some of whom said reading the book would be immoral. Aug 25, 2015 alison bechdel and the cast and creatives of fun home accept the 2015 tony award for best musical. Realizing how busy people are and how much reading you probably have to do for classwork and research, we focus on quick reads. Duke students refuse to read fun home due to gay themes and. Duke students protest reading fun home due to pornographic. Duke university students boycott fun home book tweet a portion of students at duke university are boycotting reading a book assigned to all new students, arguing that the lgbt theme present throughout the graphic novel compromised their religious beliefs.
Low maintenance book club libguides at duke university. Incoming freshmen refuse to read graphic novel fun home, which deals with sex. Student brian grasso is credited with prompting the debate about the sexually explicit duke summer reading selection for the class of 2019. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. A sizable number of incoming duke university students have cited their christian beliefs when uttering the refusal to read the lgbt book. Christian students tell duke they wont read fun home. Aug 25, 2015 duke freshmen refuse to read book fun home saying it violates their beliefs august 25, 2015 at 3. According to the duke chronicle, freshman brian grasso posted in the class of 2019 facebook page that he would not read the book because of. According to the duke chronicle, freshman brian grasso posted in the class of 2019 facebook page july 26 that he wouldnt read the book because of the graphic visual depictions of sexuality.
Aug 25, 2015 this is far from the first time that fun home has been taught at duke. Duke university anchors one of the points of the research triangle, a geographic region inscribed by north carolina state university, duke university, and unc chapel hill. Many duke students have openly refused to read the novel, calling it pornographic and unnecessary. Duke university responds to summer reading controversy. As for duke itself, it seems pretty cool with all of this, reiterating to cnn that the whole summer reading list is just a recommendation, so nobody is being forced to do something theyre not happy about.
Duke freshmen object to alison bechdels pornographic. Duke has won national championships in womens golf 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014 and 2019, mens basketball 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015, mens soccer 1986, mens lacrosse 2010, 20 and 2014 and womens tennis 2009. Durham some members of the class of 2019 at duke university chose not to read the recommended summer book fun home. Durham wtvd some members of the class of 2019 at duke university chose not to read the recommended summer book fun home. Youd be wrong, though, especially with regards to duke university in. In the 1950s, research triangle park was home to many hightech companies and enterprises and, today, it still holds the highest concentration of phds in the nation. Aug 26, 2015 duke university, like many colleges, recommends that all incoming freshmen read the same book over the summer before they arrive. Aug 24, 2015 fun home may have won several awards for author alison bechdel, but some duke university freshmen were not impressed. They said it was pornographic and that its homosexual themes violated their christian moral beliefs. Aug 24, 2015 fun home may have impressed critics as both a graphic novel and an awardwinning musical but the book is currently facing protests from a group of incoming duke freshmen some members of duke.
Some incoming duke freshmen refused to read a book about. Bechdel represents this queering of generation and kinship. Duke university selected alison bechdels graphic novel memoir, fun home, for all incoming freshman to read. Its about painful childhoods, sexuality, and recognizing that ones parents have possibly unforgivable flaws. Alison bechdel and the cast and creatives of fun home accept the 2015 tony award for best musical. The low maintenance book club provides space for members of the duke community to connect over reading. Incoming freshmen began posting on the class of 2019 facebook page, saying they had decided against reading fun home.
Duke freshmen object to alison bechdels pornographic graphic. Duke students refuse to read fun home due to gay themes. Duke university freshman are reportedly balking at their summer reading assignment, alison bechdels fun home, saying it conflicts with their moral and religious beliefs. Fun home was recently adapted into a tony awardwinning musical of the same name. Duke freshmen boycott acclaimed graphic novel fun home. Fun home may have impressed critics as both a graphic novel and an awardwinning musical but the book is currently facing protests from a group of incoming duke freshmen some members of duke.
Published in 2006, this bestselling graphic book follows bechdels relationship with her father, an english teacher and director of a funeral home, which she and her family call the fun home. The av club reports that the book list is just a suggestion, so these students dont even have to read the book. Its a graphic novel by alison bechdel that shows her relationship. Duke freshmen refuse to read fun home, an lgbt graphic novel. Dukes iconic chapel is the perfect setting for a wedding for couples who met at duke. But, because weddings can be booked only one year in advance of the wedding month and signups begin at 8. Fun home is a graphic novel in both the literal sense and its content. Duke athletics teams compete in the 15member atlantic coast conference acc and field teams in 27 ncaa division i varsity sports. The book is again at the center of a school controversy, with some freshmen at duke refusing to read it on the grounds that fun home features graphic visual depictions of sexuality. Aug 24, 2015 duke freshmen are refusing to read fun home by alison bechdel. Fun home is a quick read but not an easy one, ibanca anand, a student member of the duke common experience selection committee, said back. Aug 25, 2015 brian grasso is a freshman at duke university who plans on studying global health and is passionate promoting economic development in subsaharan africa. Duke university responds to summer reading controversy 6abc. The summer reading program is designed to give incoming students a shared intellectual experience with other members of their class.
Some freshmen at duke university object to the fun home graphic. Such limits were tested this month as many duke university freshman refused to complete their summer reading lists by reading alison bechdels graphic novel fun home. Aug 25, 2015 as with previous titles chosen by the duke common experience program, fun home isnt required reading. Duke university responds to fun home controversy cbr. Incoming freshmen at duke university are reportedly refusing to read their summer novel, fun home an lgbt, graphic novel by alison bechdel due to their christian and moral beliefs. Apr 14, 2017 the fun home row is the latest in a series of controversies to hit duke in recent years. Fun home may have won several awards for author alison bechdel, but some duke university freshmen were not impressed. Duke freshmen are refusing to read fun home by alison bechdel. Gerry canavan, now an assistant professor of english at marquette university, included the book in a duke summer course called. Aug 24, 2015 but although the committee tasked with giving incoming freshmen at duke university a summer reading assignment knew the bechdel book would be a contentious choice, some students have refused to. Duke students say alison bechdel novel is insensitive to. It chronicles the authors childhood and youth in rural pennsylvania, united states, focusing on her complex relationship with her father. Aug 25, 2015 incoming freshmen at duke university have refused to read a summer book option by a new york times bestselling author because the gay themes and sexual imagery offend their religious morals. The musical fun home is based on the bestselling graphic memoir of the same name by alison bechdel.
The university also defended fun homes inclusion on the list, explaining that its a unique and moving book that transcends genres and explores issues that students are likely to. Duke incoming freshmen balk at pornographic summer. Alison bechdels autobiographical graphic novel, fun home 2006, intricately weaves together the authors comingout story with her familys history, particularly the story of her fathers closeted queer sexuality and possible suicide. Duke university students reject alison bechdels acclaimed. Despite the widely publicized objections by some incoming freshmen, duke university appears to be standing by the selection of alison bechdels acclaimed graphic memoir fun home for its summer reading program. Duke freshmen boycott acclaimed graphic novel fun home over. By deploying the temporal openings of the graphic form, fun home challenges the putative fixity of heteronormative family time and the temporality of kinship lines more broadly. Aug 26, 2015 a group of duke university students made headlines after announcing they wouldnt read alison bechdels 2006 graphic memoir, fun home, because of its graphic visual depictions of sexuality. If duke freshmen cant read fun home, they shouldnt. Brian grasso is a freshman at duke university who plans on studying global health and is passionate promoting economic development in subsaharan africa.
They objected to the book on moral grounds, complaining that its sexual imageryand. Fun home is what she and her brothers called the familyowned funeral home her dad ran. The author uses the unique graphic medium to tell a story that sheds a lot of light on important and weighted. Over three monthly meetings, well discuss charles dickens david copperfield just in time to watch the personal history of david copperfield, starring dev patel. Five totally immoral books besides fun home duke university. With a class of 1,750 new students from around the world, it would be impossible to find a single book that that did not challenge someones way of thinking, michael. Labeled a tragicomic memoir, alison bechdels autobiographical novel fun home has been selected as duke universitys class of 2019 common experience summer reading book. Fun home is an awardwinning graphic memoir by alison bechdel thats been turned into a hit broadway musical. Its a graphic novel by alison bechdel that shows her relationship with her. The students were to read the book, then spend the week of freshmen orientation. Apr 01, 2015 labeled a tragicomic memoir, alison bechdels autobiographical novel fun home has been selected as duke universitys class of 2019 common experience summer reading book. So, christian students starting their first year at duke are refusing to read it. Christian students tell duke they wont read fun home because. In june 2015, fun home was one of four graphic novels that a 20yearold college student and her parents said should be eradicated from the system at crafton hills college in yucaipa, california.
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