Hampshire College

As part of each orientation for incoming students at Hampshire College, we choose a common reading to be discussed in small groups with a faculty member. First-year students experience what it is like to be part of a Hampshire classroom discussion and participate in a common intellectual experience before the beginning of classes.

In fall 2008, students will be reading and discussing Oliver Sacks’ THE ISLAND OF THE COLORBLIND. Sacks’ book is part travelogue, part autobiography, and part medical mystery, covering a fascinating array of topics and areas of research: the meaning of islands; the genesis of disease; botany; time; the colonial and postcolonial history of the Pacific; travel literature; disability and difference; and what it means to be human. It represents an excellent text for introducing students to Hampshire’s interdisciplinary curriculum.

Below are some additional resources on the author and the book as well as a list of discussion questions:

Discussion questions for THE ISLAND OF THE COLORBLIND

Oliver Sacks’ official website:
http://www.oliversacks.com/