The All-School Read (ASR) is an opportunity for the entire Berkshire community, from students to alumni, to engage in a body of work from a traditional literary perspective as well as a scientific, economic or historical one.

It’s a chance for students to interact with talented authors and thinkers, while considering a given topic in a real-world context. This examination promotes critical thinking and provides an opportunity for a collective conversation on campus. The program launches in the fall with a kick-off event, and the book's theme is studied within the curriculum and revisited during special events throughout the year.

ASR 2017

The 2017 ASR is Walking to Listen: 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time by Andrew Forsthoefel. Published in March of 2017, the book tells the story of the young author's journey walking across the United States and the many people he met along the way.

After graduating from Middlebury a few months prior, Forsthoefel was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn’t quite know how. So he decided he’d take a cross-country quest for guidance, one where everyone he met would be his guide.

Forsthoefel introduced the book at an all-school meeting in the spring of 2017, and returned this fall to kick off the program by leading a walking and listening exercise, addressing the community, and working with English, history and language classes. The author remarks and Q & A were webstreamed live for our extended community and are available below.

ASR CONTEST

The ASR Contest is a chance for students to articulate, through the written word, a video or audio response, or other artistic means, their understanding and personal connections to Walking to Listen. For more about the contest, click here.

ONLINE READING GUIDE

As a complement to this wonderful book, we have gathered a collection of resources online. Don't miss the videos, podcasts, Twitter feeds and more on our ASR Reading Guide.