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The First Year Experience Office is pleased to announce Salem State’s First Year Reading Experience (FYRE) selection for the 2017-2018 academic year, Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay.

The FYRE program at Salem State began in 2009 in an effort to give first-year students a shared intellectual, literary experience at the beginning of their college careers. Each year, a committee of faculty, staff, and students reviews dozens of books before choosing three finalists. Members of the campus community then cast their vote to select the new book for incoming first-year students. These students receive a free copy of the book during orientation, and have an opportunity to read the book over the summer. In September, after Convocation, students meet in small discussion groups with members of the campus community to discuss the book.  Throughout the academic year many first-year seminar instructors incorporate themes from the book into their courses, and the First Year Experience Office hosts several events and guest speakers related to the book. 

Bad Feminist explores an array of issues related to gender, politics, and culture. Gay’s humorous, poignant, and sometimes chilling essays address topics like rape culture, the sexual objectification of women’s bodies, body size and image, and American masculinity, all of which are issues that college students routinely engage with both inside and beyond the classroom. Given our current political and social climate, including the threat of restrictive policies tied to gender and pushback in the form of marches, protests, and legal action, Bad Feminist is both evocative and timely. In reflecting on her own view of feminism, Gay encourages readers to consider what it means to be a feminist in society today.

“In a time when people are increasingly concerned with being ethical consumers of culture, Bad Feminist helps us understand the implications of the media we consume and the social connections we make, but also gives us space to enjoy our 'guilty pleasures' and our complicated relationship with culture," says Sara Moore, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Faculty Fellow in the First Year Experience. Roopika Risam, Assistant Professor of English and member of the FYRE selection committee says, “Particularly in light of the activism that's going on today, having a feminist perspective - and, more importantly, an intersectional feminist perspective - is really valuable and important for our students.” Shannon Sheehy, a current first-year student at SSU shares, “Feminism is about equality and empowerment for everyone. Bad Feminist is a fantastic choice for first-year students to read because of how important and influential this movement is in the 21st century. Students will definitely become more informed about what feminism is, and what its goals are, as we move toward the future."

More information about the FYRE program and Bad Feminist can be found at www.salemstate.edu/fyre.