In writing her National Book Critics Circle-prize winning tome Brother, I’m Dying, Haitian immigrant Edwidge Danticat relearned a lesson. “Stories matter,” she told the campus in August. Her book is the Common Reading text for the Class of 2017.

What should students take from your book? This notion of global citizenship, that we’re all part of the world. We’re all neighbors. We share the resources of the planet. And we’re responsible for each other.

What was your reaction to your book being chosen as the Common Reading? I was thrilled. They’re at a very crucial age. They’re discovering a world that’s bigger than they are, and they’re part of it. It’s an honor to be one of the first texts these students read as a college student.

What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? To me, it’s that interconnectedness whether we realize it or not. It cuts across disciplines, resources, the environment, national policies. It’s acknowledging that interconnectivity. There is no more us and them.

Why is writing such a safe haven for you? Initially, it connected me back home in Haiti. I wasn’t sure about my place here at that point. So writing was my safe harbor. It also helped me process the things that were happening to me. Writing was my oasis. It still remains that way.

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Common Reading author says stories matter