One Book One Harper is a campus-wide common read program created by the Harper College
Library. This library-sponsored initiative seeks to encourage recreational reading, thoughtful
discussion and build community by means of reading a common book.
The committee chooses a different book (or in this case, books) each academic year.
The One Book One Harper Committee creates programs related to the themes found in the
selected books and provides workshops and other resources to help faculty infuse those themes
into their curriculum.
This year, our focus will be on the graphic novel, that American art form which can trace its humble
origins to newspaper comic strips and to the comic books, those flimsy pamphlets first produced by
Eastern Color Printing in the 1930s. We have selected four texts that we believe will be of interest
to a diverse range of Harper students, faculty, and staff.
One Book One Harper: Mission
The purpose of the One Book One Harper Committee is to create a common read program that
reflects the goals and objectives of Harper College by creating a community-wide shared
experience by reading one book and engaging in intellectual discussions and events that are
multi-thematic and reflect the curriculum offered at Harper College. The One Book One Harper
Committee aims to create an inclusive program open to entire Harper community by:

Emphasizing reading as an important element of the college experience;

Creating a foundation for students to explore values and ethics;

Encouraging and enhancing student participation in the intellectual life of the campus by
encouraging open discussion and critical thinking about a common theme;

Providing an introduction to the expectations of higher education;

Creating a sense of community by increasing student-to-student and student-to-faculty
interaction;

Integrating an academic/social experience into the campus community;

Helping students make connections between classroom and out-of-classroom
experiences.
Jay Hosler, Clan Apis
(Columbus: Active Synapse, 2000).
This book tells the story of the Nyuki and, like Ms. Marvel, is a comingof-age story. In this case, however, our protagonist is a honey bee, and
she must learn her place not only in the hive but also in her ecosystem.
Hosler, an Associate Professor of Biology at Juniata College, has written
several comics based on his research, including one about Charles
Darwin and a flea who learns about the theory of evolution from the
master himself. Hosler is a fluid cartoonist whose skill enables him to
share complex concepts in a simple and entertaining style. Read more
about him and his work here:
http://www.jayhosler.com/
Topics: bees and our ecosystem, Environmentalism, global
warming and its effects, food culture,
coming-of-age narratives, mythology.
John Porcellino, The Hospital Suite
(Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2014).
One of the most critically acclaimed graphic novels of 2014,
Porcellino’s book tells the story of his struggles with Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder and the other health issues that nearly derailed his
career. Porcellino, who graduated from Hoffman High and received his
degree in painting from NIU, has been publishing King-Cat Comics and
Stories since 1989 and is one of the most influential cartoonists working
in independent comics in the United States (a recent New York Times
article on his publisher, Drawn & Quarterly, praises his work). Now based
in Beloit, Wisconsin, John has lectured here at Harper twice and was part
of our comics gallery show in the fall of 2014. Read more about him at
http://www.king-cat.net/
Topics: mental health, religious faith and mental/physical wellbeing (John is a Zen Buddhist), living with and treating OCD,
autobiography, visual art and minimalism, and, of course, cats.
G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona,
Ms. Marvel: No Normal
(Marvel Comics, 2014).
Ms. Marvel, the alter ego of Pakistani-American superhero fan and
high school student Kamala Khan, is the heroine of one of the most
popular and best-written superhero comics published in the last few
years. This is an all-ages comic book that might remind you why
superheroes were so much fun in the first place. A student who
discovers she has miraculous powers, Ms. Marvel is also the story of a
young Muslim woman coming to understand her role in her
immigrant family and in her community. If only The Avengers films
were as smart, funny, and moving as this series!
Topics: superheroes, fantasy, religion & culture, Islamic
culture in the United States, coming-of-age narratives.
Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate
Powell. March: Book One
(Marietta: Top Shelf, 2013).
Lewis is a legendary figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and his
best-selling autobiography takes as its inspiration Martin Luther King
and the Montgomery Story, a comic published in the 1950s and
designed to teach the principles of nonviolent resistance. A
projected three-volume series, March serves as a bracing and timely
reminder of the struggle for equal rights in the United States. To
read more about the book, visit the publisher’s website:
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/march/760
Topics: Civil Rights, Martin Luther King, Jr., the principles of
nonviolent resistance, autobiography.
Descriptions of books provided by Associate Professor of English, Brian Cremins, Ph.D.