Racing Odysseus: A College President Becomes a Freshman Again | 
| Author: Roger H. Martin
Publisher: University of California Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.09
You Save: $9.86 (40%)
New (27) Used (7) from $14.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 37768
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0520255410
Dewey Decimal Number: 378.111
EAN: 9780520255418
Publication Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand New Book. Ships Immediately.
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Product Description
The idea of reliving youth is a common fantasy, but who among us is actually courageous enough to try it? After surviving a deadly cancer against tremendous odds, college president Roger H. Martin did just that--he enrolled at St. John's College, the Great Books school in Annapolis, Maryland, as a sixty-one-year-old freshman. This engaging, often humorous memoir of his semester at St. John's tells of his journey of discovery as he falls in love again with Plato, Socrates, and Homer, improbably joins the college crew team, and negotiates friendships across generational divides. Along the way, Martin ponders one of the most pressing questions facing education today: do the liberal arts still have a role to play in a society that seems to value professional, vocational, and career training above all else? Elegantly weaving together the themes of the great works he reads with events that transpire on the water, in the coffee shop, and in the classroom, Martin finds that a liberal arts education may be more vital today than ever before. This is the moving story of a man who faces his fears, fully embraces his second chance, and in turn rediscovers the gifts of life and learning.
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| Customer Reviews:
A great read! September 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Martin shares his life as a "Boomer Freshman", complete with rekindling of adolescent problems he had thought were long buried, with humor and candor, and meanwhile gives those of us who feel sheepish about not having actually read the Greek Classics painless synopses set against observations on the geopolitical dramas of today and the author's all-too-real concerns about his own mortality. Amazingly, he's combined all of this in a quick and satisfying read that makes you feel like you've done something to better yourself.
Refreshing and Uplifting September 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Interwoven themes of mid-life personal growth and recovery, contemporary college education commentary, and snippets of Ancient Greek literary wisdom, with a refreshing and upbeat message! This book has it all, from the serious to the humorous, as a tranformative tale of work, love, mind ,and body. It is uplifting and deftly done. The author describes a personal journey that adds new meaning to being a 'life-long learner'. And, he documents the life force of youth in current culture against a backdrop of literature that spans human history. It seems to me that he has captured the elan vital that exists across the generational divide. And, he shows us a perspective that tears down this divide, like the Fall of the Berlin Wall, to expose a very warm, human story that anyone, of any age, can relate to. It is a refreshing and uplifting read that leaves the reader a better person.
Having visited the St. John's College campus,in Annapolis, Maryland, several times, I can attest to the flawless accuracy of his descriptions of the college setting, activities, and staff.
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