Fall 2015 community read selection to focus on hope and change despite pain

Posted on by Rachel McMaster

For the fourth year, Hesston College invites individuals and groups in the Hesston and surrounding communities to join students, faculty and staff for a community read during the fall 2015 semester starting in August.

The New York Times bestseller “Etched in Sand” by Regina Calcaterra, which tells the author’s heartbreaking story of abuse and neglect, is the fall 2015 community read led by Hesston College.
The New York Times bestseller “Etched in Sand” by Regina Calcaterra, which tells the author’s heartbreaking story of abuse and neglect, is the fall 2015 community read led by Hesston College.

The book selection for the 2015 read is Etched in Sand (2013, William Morrow Paperbacks) by Regina Calcaterra. The New York Times bestseller is the author’s memoir tracing her and her four siblings’ childhood experiences with abandonment, physical abuse and a fear of the foster system that was put in place to protect them. The book will support the theme “Be the Change: Caring that Matters.”

Hesston Public Library is partnering with Hesston College by offering the read to the community as part of its programming. A Newton Public Library book club is planning to participate as well. High school classes, churches and individuals are also encouraged to participate.

The book was selected and is led by Hesston College First-year Experience course organizers. At the college, the theme and book’s content will be the focal point of discussions, presentations, service opportunities, chapels and forums – all of which the community is welcome to participate in throughout the 2015-16 year.

“Etched in Sand offers the community an opportunity to explore the ways that academics, faith and careers help us find ways to make change, whether the slightest act of care or a powerful and systematic adjustment,” said Marissa King, Hesston College faculty member and community read coordinator.

Calcaterra will visit the Hesston College campus October 5 to present on her book and work as a successful lawyer, New York State official and advocate for children in foster care. Calcaterra will also make a presentation at the Hesston Public Library October 6.

Regina Calcaterra, author of Etched in Sand, will present at Hesston College about her work on October 5, and at the Hesston Public Library October 6.
Regina Calcaterra, author of Etched in Sand, will present at Hesston College about her work on October 5, and at the Hesston Public Library October 6.

Calcaterra’s story is emotionally charged with accounts of homelessness, violence and constant neglect. The siblings learn to fend for themselves and lie about their mother’s whereabouts to avoid attention from the authorities.

Small acts of caring laced in among the children’s pain makes their fearful existence survivable and acts as a stepping stone for each of them to boost his or her way out of the precarious cycle to become well-adjusted and successful adults.

“We hope this community read will be an inspiration to see how small and sometimes unnoticed actions can make a big change,” said King.