Shade It Black at Miami University. Listen!

"THIS YEAR’S BOOK CHOICE , SHADE IT BLACK, IS SURE TO RAISE QUESTIONS, SPARK DEBATE, AND BUILD CONNECTIONS THAT MAY HAVE NOT BEEN ACHIEVED OTHERWISE."

Insightful commentary on Jess' upcoming visit to Miami University. Please listen:

http://www.prx.org/pieces/77285-shade-it-black

Shade It Black in Colleges and Universities

Shade It Black has been used in courses taught at Brown University, Norwich University, and Jamestown Community College. We believe it has also been assigned to students at UNLV and Portland State University, though we are not certain. And, of course, it has been chosen by Miami University as their 2012 Summer reading program selection. It has also been used in high school courses in Idaho and California. If you know of other educational institutions whose faculty have assigned the book, please let us know.

Thank You, Professor V!

We just received and responded to an email from a professor at Norwich University. Here is our response:

Dear Professor V,

    Thank you very much for asking your students to read Jessica’s story and to consider the validity of her perspective.  She had hoped from the beginning that this project would, in some way, eventually help to improve the operation and effectiveness of the Marines (and the military in general) for all of its members, and for the good of the nation. Your assignment is doing just that.

Here is the email:

I want to let you know that students in my Introductory Sociology classes at Norwich University (the nation's oldest private military college and the birthplace of ROTC) had the option to read Shade it Black this semester. I am now grading the essays they wrote focusing on the experience of token minorities, with Ms. Goodell's story providing a significant portion of their material. I have suggested it as a future summer reading book for incoming students, and for inclusion in our reading & writing for Vets class, as well as in our military literature courses. I am repeatedly struck by how effectively her story resonates with my many male students, and how it opens their eyes. They now "get it" in terms of what it means to be a woman in the Marines, or in the Norwich University Corps of Cadets, or in other organizations. I appreciate greatly Ms. Goodell's contribution to our understanding of what it means to experience persistent discrimination, even from those who mean well. With luck, the students reading her book today will become much more enlightened leaders tomorrow than those we have today. Thank you both.

Jessica Wins Outstanding Female Veteran Award!

The Call of Duty Endowment is proud to announce today’s winner of the Outstanding Female Veteran Award, Jessica Goodell. Jessica would like to donate today’s $1,000 to Veterans Green Jobs, an Endowment partner.
As a former Marine, Jessica Goodell was assigned in 2004 to a Mortuary Affairs unit tasked with collecting, identifying, and transporting the deceased from Iraq. Shortly after she was discharged, she earned a degree in Psychology and is currently working on her PhD. She hopes to become a resident Psychology doctor for the Veteran Affairs Department.
A former Marine and friend of Jessica’s, explained to the Endowment that she has already written one book about her time in the Marines and has shown that she will continue to do outstanding things for Veterans and Service Men and Women alike. “I have seen few Marines endure the stresses she has and make it out alive not only to their own effect but to that which connects all veterans: DUTY.”
The Endowment couldn’t be happier for and more honored to announce Jessica Goodell as an Outstanding Female Veterans. Congrats and thank you for your continued service Jessica!

Incoming first-years to read marine’s tale

Incoming first-years to read marine’s tale

By Megan Thobe

For The Miami Student

Published: Monday, March 26, 2012

Updated: Monday, March 26, 2012 23:03

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The Summer Reading Program Committee, made up of 20 Miami students, staff and faculty, recently chose Shade It Black as the novel for the 2012 Summer Reading Program.

Shade It Black tells the story of Jess Goodell and her decision to join the Mortuary Division of the Marine Corp. Goodell was about the age of the incoming first-years when she made the decision to join the Marines.

After her tour in Iraq, Goodell returned to the U.S. where a community college sociology teacher approached her and helped her write the book.

The committee thought long and hard about choosing this potentially controversial book, said committee Co-Chair Jennifer Kinney.

“It was chosen because it’s an important book told from a perspective and voice that we don’t often hear,” Kinney said.

This book is not a political story but instead tells the “raw and real” story about one woman’s experience according to Kinney.

John Jeep, committee co-chair, said choosing Shade it Black was a quick decision.

“What was neat about this book was that we hadn’t decided between Shade It Black and another book,” Jeep said. “We had been talking about it [Shade It Black] for about 45 minutes and we decided ‘probably this is the one.’”

Goodell will be speaking at the 2012 University Convocation held August 17. Jeep said the committee is excited to have Goodell speak.

“I have no idea how she will be as a public speaker,” Jeep said, “we don’t tell her what to say, so her words will be her own.”

Goodell’s story is an important one to hear, according to Kinney.

“I’m hoping she talks about coming home and re-integrating in society and how education helped her with that,” Kinney said.

The 2012 Summer Reading Program Committee began reading and talking about potential summer reading program books in October 2011. Between 50 and 60 potential books were read and discussed by the committee.

“There are some books that are great reads but aren’t right for the summer reading program,” Kinney said. “Sometimes we are on the fence about a book and need a second opinion.”

The student voice is given the most weight on the committee and no book is chosen without “passionate support from students,” Jeep said.

Senior Adam Howe, a three year Summer Reading Program Committee member, presented Shade It Black to the group.

“I was on the edge about Shade It Black at first,” Howe said. “It was powerful, and I wasn’t sure if it was powerful in the way that we need it to be. I know that it’s something that needs to be shared.”

The 2012 Summer Reading Program is only the latest of a long standing tradition of introducing the new class of Miami students to liberal arts education.

According to Jeep, the potential pay-off of the summer reading program is to have students begin thinking about different ideas and points of view at a higher level.

Committee member, Kate de Medeiros, said Shade it Black is meets the need of the Summer Reading Program well.

“One of the goals of the Miami plan is to develop critical thinking in students,” Medinos said. “This book through all the complexity of topics, controversies and insights it provides for discussion, is an excellent starting point for just that.

Shade It Black in the Schools and Universities

We are always pleased and humbled to learn that our book is being used in a variety of high schools, colleges and universities. After reading the book, a group of Idaho high school students interviewed Jess via Skype. I just discovered that excerpts from the book are assigned to students in a course titled Military Violence that is being taught this semester. Please let us know if you are aware of additional instances in which Shade It Black is being read in the schools and universities.

Shade It Black selected for 2012 Summer Reading Program