Acclaimed Author Eyal Press to Speak as Part of Holy Cross Second-Year Opportunities Program

Eyal Press, acclaimed author of “Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Breaking Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscience in Dark Times” (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2012), will speak on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. Following his talk, Press will sign copies of his book, which was the common summer reading for Holy Cross students entering their sophomore year.  Books will be available for purchase at the event, which is free and open to the public.

“Beautiful Souls” profiles four ordinary people who take action against violence, injustice and corruption, at great personal cost.

“Essential… What makes you eager to push this book into the hands of the next person you meet are the small, still moments, epics captured in miniature… a hymn to the mystery of disobedience,” hails the New York Times.   And MSNBC says: “A wonderful new book… beautiful… exceptional… satisfying.”

John Anderson, dean of the class of 2015, says he chose “Beautiful Souls” because we can all identify with the people portrayed in the book. “As the author points out, they are in many ways very ordinary, but we also admire them for acts of exceptional moral courage, acts that challenge us to examine the decisions we make every day,” he explains. 

Press, a New York-based writer, has been published in the New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Nation, and the Raritan Review. He is also the author of “Absolute Convictions” (2006). He is a past recipient of the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism.

Press’ keynote lecture is the culmination of Holy Cross’ Second-Year Opportunities Program (2YO).  The program, one of the few of its kind in the nation, provides opportunities for sophomores to reflect on their academic goals and progress in order to make the most of their three remaining years at Holy Cross. Through a common reading, advising, and a keynote address to the sophomore class, 2YO introduces students to the value of the College’s rich curricular electives, including minors, concentrations, study away and abroad, special academic and advisory programs, internships, college and departmental honors programs, and post-baccalaureate opportunities.