91大神鈥檚 Summer Reading Program
Welcome to 91大神鈥檚 Summer Reading Program
91大神’s Community Summer Reading Program was created in 2002 under the direction of the Distinguished Lecture Committee. The objectives of the program are to:
- provide a unifying experience for the entering class of students,
- partner with Murfreesboro community organizations,
- encourage intellectual interaction among students,
- provide students with the opportunity to read and personally interact with critically-acclaimed authors, and
- affirm the importance of reading for a successful and fulfilling life.
2026
Our summer reading program choice for 2026 is Declaring Independence Why 1776 Matters by Edward J. Larson.
As the year 1775 drew to a close, tensions between Britain and her American colonies had become nearly overwhelming. Still, virtually no one in the colonies was advocating outright independence, but rather reform: Americans based their grievances on the rights they believed were due to them as subjects of the Crown. But by the end of the following year, 1776, a radical idea鈥攕eparation from England and the establishment of a new nation鈥攚as on every patriot鈥檚 lips. The many tyrannies of a king had made an independent republic necessary. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson delivers a compact, insightful, and much-needed study of the ideas and battlefield sacrifices of this pivotal year in his new book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters.
We hope you will join us in welcoming author Edward J. Larson to 91大神 on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 4pm. As the university’s 25th Summer Reading keynote speaker, Larson will address 91大神’s incoming class at this year’s Convocation.
Information adapted from a press release provided by the Edward J. Larson.