A book written by a 1997 Centerville High School graduate now living in Atlanta, Ga., has been made required reading this summer for more than 1,700 incoming University of Dayton students, according to a University of Dayton press release.
Melody Moezzi, an Iranian-American Muslim, who grew up in Centerville wrote War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims, to debunk Muslim stereotypes as all being terrorists after 9/11. It was published in 2007. The book contains interviews of 12 young Muslim Americans.
UD students are to share short essays and discuss the book with professors as part of the university’s new student orientation activities Aug. 25.
“Melody shows the reader the many faces of Islam. It’s not just the fanatic fringe that so many of us easily associate when we hear the word ‘Muslim,’” said Lori Phillips-Young, coordinator of the First-Year Read Program at the University of Dayton. “I think she’s done a real service for many Americans by showing us the real people behind the religion. There are converts, emerging converts, observant orthodox, unorthodox practitioners and a broad range of people who believe in the best this religion has to offer and live their lives in a way that reflects that joy and understanding.”
A committee of University of Dayton faculty, staff and students selected the book from among 48 books nominated in a campus-wide poll, according to the press release.