Trinity University

Russell Guerrero '83
russell.guerrero@trinity.edu
210-999-8444
May 18, 2012

Empire of the Summer Moon Selected for Reading TUgether 2012

Non-fiction book looks at immigration through the eyes of Native Americans

SAN ANTONIO - Empire of the Summer Moon, a New York Times bestseller and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, has been picked as this summer's Reading TUgether selection. The book, by S.C. Gwynne, traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history.  

Gwynne recounts the move of the Comanches in the late 17^th century from their home north of the Platte River in Wyoming south into Nebraska and later into Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Gwynne explores the collision of cultures between the Comanches and Spanish, Mexican, and white settlers and the battles the Comanches fought well into the late 19^th century.

Empire of the Summer Moon also tells the story of Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche chief, whose mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, was captured as a nine-year-old girl during a battle in 1836 in Texas.

The Reading TUgether program has become an annual summertime event at the University. Each year a book is selected based on a central theme. This year's theme is immigration, though through a seldom discussed perspective: when American settlers were the immigrants and were pursuing westward expansion.

The program is a required experience for all incoming students but members of the Trinity community - including students, faculty, staff, and alumni - are invited to participate in the shared reading experience.

The culmination of the 2012 Reading TUgether program will take place with a keynote lecture by Gwynne. He is scheduled to deliver his presentation at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, in Laurie Auditorium. The event is free and open the public.