Walls, former MSNBC columnist and author of Villanova University’s 2008-09 One Book selection, visits the University Jan. 26

Discussion groups, public readings, special events and even a One Book blog site highlight this year’s One Book Villanova program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2009

VILLANOVA, PA., January 7, 2009 – As part of “One Book Villanova”, Villanova University selected Jeannette Walls’ debut memoir The Glass Castle as its program’s 2008-09 selection. A best-selling author and former MSNBC columnist, Walls will visit Villanova on Monday, Jan. 26, to discuss her book.

“An Evening with Jeannette Walls” will begin at 8 p.m. in The Pavilion. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Now in its fourth year, One Book Villanova engages all members of the campus community – students, staff and faculty – in activities throughout the academic year that explore dominant themes presented in a selected book.

A searing memoir that details Walls’ experience growing up in and surviving a deeply dysfunctional yet inextricably connected family, The Glass Castle confronts readers with a host of thought-provoking issues including alcoholism, poverty, homelessness, child neglect, love and loyalty.

Through discussion groups, public readings, special events and even a One Book blog site, Villanova One Book readers will have a chance to share their thoughts about these issues and more. For more information about One Book Villanova and all of the University’s 2008-09 One Book events visit: www.onebook.villanova.edu.

Villanova’s One Book festivities will begin Jan. 26 at 3 p.m., when Walls participates in a campus book signing in Falvey Memorial Library. The University will host a One Book Community Dinner at 6 p.m. in the Dougherty Dining Hall. The dinner event is open to the public at a cost of $7.95.

In addition to her columns for MSNBC, Walls also has written for New York magazine, Esquire and USA Today. She has also appeared regularly on CNN, NBC’s “The Today Show” and ABC’s “Primetime.”

One Book Villanova commenced in 2005 with a community reading of The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini. In 2006, Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson was the featured One Book selection, followed last year by Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza.

Villanova University, a co-educational Roman Catholic institution, was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842. A premier institution of higher education, Villanova provides a comprehensive education rooted in the liberal arts; a shared commitment to the Augustinian ideals of truth, unity and love; and a community dedicated to service to others. A wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered through the University’s four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing, as well as the Villanova School of Law. With a total enrollment that surpasses 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students, Villanova is the oldest and largest Catholic university in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.