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2023 FWCD Summer Reading: Universal Book

Universal Book Information

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel was chosen by the Reading Committee to be the 2023 Universal Book for FWCD's Upper School. 

Students will be expected to do the following: 

  1. Obtain their copy of Station Eleven (rising 10th-12th graders will receive their copy from Mrs. Blan during summer reading sessions, rising 9th graders from Mrs. Blan in their English classes, and new students from Mrs. Wakeland).
  2. Read Station Eleven and complete the assigned journal during the summer. Assignment instructions are below.
  3. Participate in the Universal Book Program and breakout sessions - August 30.

Journal assignment instructions:

  1. Click here for the assignment. It will take you to a page that says "Copy Document."
  2. Click "Make a copy." The document named "Copy of "Station Eleven" Response Journal" will open.
  3. Change the document name to include your name. (Example: Sarah Blan - "Station Eleven" Response Journal)
  4. The assignment should be ready to turn in to each teacher upon our return to school in August. Here is the grading rubric.

Station Eleven

Past Universal Books

Pre-reading and Essential Questions

How to get started (Pre-reading):

Read the opening epigraph by poet Czesław Miłosz. Why did Emily St. John Mandel choose this poem as the epigraph? Given the history of this poet and the poem itself, what does this suggest the book will be about?

Survival is insufficient. This line is written on the lead caravan in Station Eleven, and Emily St. John Mandel says it is the thesis statement of the book. What does "survival is insufficient" mean? Why would it be the thesis statement of the novel? 

Essential Questions:

  1. How does the setting of Michigan and the Great Lakes contribute to survival?
  2. Are the arts truly important to our society? To our identity as human?
  3. Should the needs of a single person ever outweigh the collective good of a group?
  4. Is it important to remember the past? Should we continue to study it? Why or why not?
  5. A new reality of life after civilization is violence. Is it ever ethical to take another's life?

-- Essential Questions courtesy of NEA Big Read Teacher's Guide 2017

Possible Discussion Topics

Possible Topics for Discussion:

  • Art as a form of storytelling: Using graphic novels to tell a story

  • History of pandemics/Covid and our experiences - how pandemics have changed economy and culture

  • The science of disease and how it spreads

  • Media and its role in a pandemic/epidemic

  • History and psychology of cults

  • Art in the time of catastrophe

  • Sports in the time of catastrophe

  • Shakespeare behind bars: How can plays written over four centuries ago restore a sense of meaning and redemption to people whose lives have been stripped of both? What gives us peace?

  • Comparison to the HBO series - why is it so different from the book? Why would the artistic interpretation of the book be darker?

  • Power of paparazzi: Explore the nature of paparazzi and obsession in our current culture, and compare it to the image drawn of celebrity life in Station Eleven.

  • Survival is Insufficient: How art can be used to overcome destruction and pain

  • Why Lear?: Why, specifically, did Emily St. John Mandel choose this play as her theatrical focal point - and what can these productions, films, and scenes reveal about its contents?

  • Baking/gardening/creating (knitting) during the pandemic

  • Privilege of time for some versus difficulty for front line workers(medical, grocery stores, educators, car repair, gas stations, delivery services) during the pandemic

  • Economy and work from home - new mentality from working class and work/life balance

  • What are borders in a world where there are no more borders? Immigration and border control

Introduction to Station Eleven

Interview with Emily St. John Mandel

Listen to the interview with Emily St. John Mandel:

Universal Book Mission Statement

The mission of the Universal Book Program is to further develop and unite our FWCD learning community through the shared joy of reading in order to stimulate thought and dialogue, increase awareness, and provide the opportunity to explore a story that differs from our own.