Paperback copies of How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America are available at no cost from the Common Reading Program for instructors and staff at four campuses who are considering using the book for first-year students’ courses and programming.
“Thanks to support from Provost and Executive Vice President and WSU Pullman Chancellor Elizabeth Chilton, copies of the book will be provided this summer to first-time, first-year students at the WSU Pullman, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, and Global campuses,” said Karen Weathermon, program director.
She said instructors who might use the book in a course taken primarily by those undergraduates are also eligible to receive a copy. Staff using it for one or more events or programs geared toward engaging first-year students can get one too.
A web page with details provides answers to questions such as, “What if I’m teaching a class that includes a mix of first-year and other students,” “What if my TAs need a book?,” and “Can I teach with the book if my class is not taken by first-year students? Or if I am on the WSU Spokane or WSU Everett campus?” There are also suggestions about how instructors, staff, and students can get the book if they are not eligible for a university-provided copy.
An online form to request a desk copy is intended for WSU Pullman, WSU Vancouver, and Global Campus faculty and staff who are eligible. Distribution of the book by Weathermon to Pullman and Global instructors and staff will be through campus mail. At WSU Vancouver, Thabiti Lewis is managing distribution. At WSU Tri-Cities, Robin Mays will collect requests for, and disburse, the books.
“Considerable organization has already gone into plans for this next academic year, and we’re very honored that the provost has made it possible for so many in the WSU community to have hands-on access to this shared book,” Weathermon said.
Negotiations are underway, for example, to bring the How the Other Half Eats author, Priya Fielding-Singh, to WSU this fall. Also, the Common Reading and its campus and program partners are creating a teaching guide usable by instructors in every field and lining up a wealth of events based on topics raised in the book.
Weathermon said, “This upcoming year — 2024–2025 — will be WSU’s 18th common reading year, and, as always before, we plan that the book will provide the bases for academic discussions that engage professors, students, staff, and the community.”
Questions about the program, books, requests, and distribution should be directed to Weathermon, Lewis, and Mays at the appropriate campus.
