Holy Cross’ Selection of First-Year Reading Cited by National Media

Before even unpacking their bags on Mount St. James, the members of the Class of 2021 have their first college assignment: to read “Make Your Home Among Strangers,” by Jennine Capo Crucet.

The College’s choice of summer reading for its incoming class — which tells the story of a first-generation Cuban American college student — has been lauded by both the New York Times and Fortune, who included the selection in their lists of notable summer reading books.

Chosen by Francisco Gago-Jover, professor of Spanish and dean of the class of 2021, the book follows a protagonist pulled between the needs of her family in Miami and her life at a liberal arts college in the Northeast.

"I found the story of Lizet,…the main character, very compelling, as she struggles to balance her new life in college, with the expectations her parents have, and her own expectations,” Gago-Jover is quoted saying in Fortune.

“The book will give the members of the class of 2021 a taste of what college life is all about,” he adds, “the good and the bad, and how, with effort and the help from others, all the obstacles can be overcome.”

Read the full articles on The New York Times and Fortune websites.