Summer Reading Program

The Freshmen Summer Reading Program is one more way in which Mars Hill College provides undergraduate students with opportunities for academic growth and conversation.

This Program provides incoming freshmen with a common experience as they begin their educational journey. All first-year students are asked to read the same book before they arrive on campus for the Fall semester.

Once on campus, students can use the book to initiate conversations and build community with their new classmates, roommates, and teachers.

These discussions introduce first-year students to the pleasures and rigors of academic dialogue and give them an important opportunity to form connections with faculty and staff as well as with peers.

 

2009 SRP Selection: The Translator by Daoud Hari

Daoud Hari fled Sudan in 2003 after an attack on his village in northern Darfur. His brother was killed, his family scattered across Sudan. Daoud eventually found refuge in neighboring Chad. Then, he did something that few of his fellow hundreds of thousands of refugees have done: Instead of a gun, Daoud picked a more powerful weapon – his voice.  Daoud returned six times over the next three years, leading Western journalists through the region.  Using his knowledge of Zaghawa, Arabic, and English, Daoud acted as translator and guide for reporters from major news organizations, including New York Times Pulitzer-Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof, Chicago Tribune Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporter Paul Salopek, as well as members of the United Nations and aid groups.

In August 2006, Daoud, Paul Salopek, and their driver were imprisoned in Darfur, first by rebels and then by the Sudanese government, for 35 days. Daoud endured torture and repeated threats to his life.  After international pressure, the three were eventually released.  Daoud returned to Chad, and was granted refugee status by the United States in Ghana.

praise for The Translator:

“This is a book every American should read. In the spirit of courage and a desire to protect his people, Hari has written and emotional yet gentle memoir..." — Deseret Morning News

“'Unique,' a word avoided by most journalists, is just the first to describe this heart-stopping memoir, written by a native Darfuri translator . . . Throughout, Hari demonstrates almost incomprehensible decency; those with the courage to join Hari's odyssey may find this a life-changing read." — Publisher's Weekly

“Pure, candid, and deeply moving...shares many qualities that have made books like Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl... inspiring. ... Though he takes us to hell and back, he never loses his ability to see the bright side of life..." — New York Post ”

About The Author
Daoud Hari was born in the Darfur region of Sudan. After escaping an attack on his village, he entered the refugee camps in Chad and began serving as a translator for major news organizations including The New York Times, NBC, and the BBC, as well as the United Nations and other aid groups. He now lives in the United States and was part of SaveDarfur.org’s Voices from Darfur tour.