Common Read

Common Read 2011-2012

This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women edited by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison

A 1950s-era radio program “This I Believe,” hosted by Edward R. Murrow, asked Americans to briefly explain their most cherished beliefs. The program was revived in 2005 as a weekly National Public Radio segment, hosted by Jay Allison, and the book is a collection of the best essays from the 20th- and the 21st-century radio shows.

Allison calls the book “your personal credo,” noting that the modern-day radio program solicits opinions from ordinary Americans in all walks of life.

“The goal is not to persuade Americans to agree on the same beliefs,” Gediman adds. “Rather, the hope is to encourage people to begin the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.”

Campus Events

Dan Gediman, editor of This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, spoke at 7 p.m. in Ostrander Auditorium, Thursday, August 25, 2011. The discussion was free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public, and a book-signing followed the presentation.