Each year, the Otterbein Common Book is chosen by a committee of faculty, staff, and students who each bring unique perspectives to the selection process.

This week, author Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is visiting campus for a public lecture about the 2022 Common Book, What the Eyes Don’t See. In a series of events, the Otterbein community will be asked to examine the contemporary issues her book raises, including environmental injustice in America.

The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

This concept is central to What the Eyes Don’t See, the harrowing story of the 2015-2016 Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Pediatrician Dr. Hanna-Attisha and her team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders discovered that the children of Flint were being exposed to lead in their tap water — and then battled her own government and a brutal backlash to expose the truth of this environmental injustice to the world.

Join one of this week’s events and challenge yourself to learn more:

• Oct. 25 – Common Book Convocation, 3 p.m., Cowan Hall.
• Oct. 26 – Common Book Scenes presented by Theatre 1000 students, 11:30 a.m., Campus Center Theatre.
• Oct. 26 – Common Book Q&A Discussion hosted by the Friends of the Library, 7:30 p.m., Courtright Memorial Library.
• Oct. 27 – Lessons from Flint: An Interdisciplinary Panel, 1:30 p.m., The Point room 140 (part of the Lifelong Learning Community programming).

Get more information about the LibGuide >

Read the finalists for the 2023 Common Book >