2025-2026 Common Read - Ab(Solutely) Normal: Short Stories that Smash Mental Health Stereotypes: Why This Book?

The mission of the Common Read program is to engage the entire Marist community in dialogues about relevant contemporary issues and to assist incoming first-year students with their transition to college by creating a common academic experience. The theme for the 2025-26 Common Read is mental health and well-being. Fostering student mental health and well-being are central to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment focused on the holistic development of our students. It is important to note that this theme was proposed by several Marist community members, including faculty and staff, as well as our Student Government Association which requested that the committee select a Common Read that addresses student mental health directly.

Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes is a mixed-genre anthology of writings by sixteen diverse authors who reflect on their own lived experiences with various mental health conditions. The short stories, poems, and graphic narrative present relatable characters from diverse backgrounds who defy stereotypes and break stigmas, highlighting that all people can thrive and that we are not defined by our mental health challenges. Each chapter includes important context from the author and is prefaced by a description, alerting readers to what diagnoses or issues will be explored in the story or poem that follows. Additionally, the book offers resources on mental health for readers.

The committee has chosen this book as the 2025-26 Common Read for several reasons. We believe that this book is aligned with the mission of the Common Read program to create a common intellectual experience that resonates with our students. The book includes different genres, and it can be taught from multiple disciplines. Further, Ab(solutely) Normal is engaging, relatable, and student-focused, and it makes space for vital conversations about mental health and well-being, which are important parts of Student Centrality in Marist 100. Mental health topics can be sensitive to broach with a young and impressionable readership, and we believe that this anthology offers works that explore the depth and breadth of mental health challenges while providing an uplifting and empowering message to all readers. Furthermore, this book will open a number of important and necessary conversations about mental health on campus. We have already been in touch with the editors of the book and it seems likely that they will both be available to come to campus for a special Common Read event in September.

Research on adolescent mental health highlights the need for open conversations about mental health conditions, the value of fostering understanding and empathy for people living with mental health challenges, and the impact these conversations can have in encouraging young people to seek out and effectively benefit from mental health resources. We believe that these skills are essential to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for our students, starting in the first year. Though this collection approaches mental health in a positive way, it does not shy away from some of the more difficult sides of our lived experiences. To ensure that students feel safe in their reading, we will ask them to choose 5 chapters to read from the 16-piece collection. Since each chapter indicates what mental health issue will be explored, students can choose the readings that work for them. The committee will also work with campus offices like Counseling, the Library, and Accommodations and Accessibility to develop resources for students reading the book and faculty teaching it in the First-Year Seminar Program.

We feel strongly that Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes will resonate with the first-year students, as well as the Marist Community as a whole, and will generate important and necessary discussion about mental health for students, faculty, and staff alike. We hope that you will join us in reading the book over the summer.

Key findings from the poll (click the image to see more findings):