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New York Times Best-Selling Author Da Chen to Speak at Belmont Abbey College September 15
Da Chen, author of the New York Times best-selling memoir Colors of the Mountain, will speak at Belmont Abbey College at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, September 15, in the Wheeler Center. The topic of his talk is “From China to Wall Street to Random House,” an apt description of the trajectory of his life – thus far. The talk will be followed by a short musical performance (Da is also an accomplished flutist).
Earlier the same day, at 2 p.m., Chen will be at the College’s coffee shop, Holy Grounds, for a book reading and signing.
Both events are open to the public and are free of charge.
The award-winning Colors of the Mountain, a riveting autobiographical account of growing up in mainland China during the Cultural Revolution, was assigned as summer reading to all incoming first-year Abbey students as preparation for the First-Year Symposium, a required course of study that helps students successfully embark on a liberal arts education in the Catholic and Benedictine tradition.
The theme of the 2008-2009 Symposium is “Friendship and Community,” and Da’s book is full of observations on that theme and much more.
On his website, Da’s life story is captured this way:
“As the grandson of a disgraced landowner, he was a victim of communist political persecution and hollowing poverty during the Cultural Revolution. His family was beaten, his father thrown in reform camp, and young Chen, at the age of nine, was threatened with imprisonment.
“Unfailing family love helped him survive in a dysfunctional society and he found unexpected love and friendship with four other…outcasts, but dreams made him soar above the poverty and persecution. His first encounter with a Christian woman, a Baptist professor, was life-changing. She taught him English and opened the possibility of another world. He excelled in college at Beijing Languages and Culture University, and stayed on as a professor of English after graduating top in his class.
“Da arrived in America at the age of 23 with $30 in his pocket, a bamboo flute, and a heart filled with hope. He attended Columbia University School of Law on a full scholarship, and upon graduating, worked for the Wall Street investment banking firm of Rothschilds, Inc.”
Chen has also published Sounds of the River, the sequel to his first memoir; China’s Son, the children’s adaptation of Colors of the Mountain; Wandering Warrior, which has been described by USA Today as “China’s answer to [Harry] Potter” and has been optioned by Warner Brothers to be made into a major motion picture; and Brothers, which was chosen as BEST BOOK OF 2006 by The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle and nominated for the prestigious Quill Award.
Colors of the Mountain has been compared to Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt’s runaway bestseller, and went on to become a New York Times bestseller in its own right.
For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Life at (704) 461-6545.
Named one of the top 50 “All-American Colleges” by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), Belmont Abbey College finds its center in Jesus Christ and believes in the development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit.
The College’s mission statement:
“Our mission is to educate students in the liberal arts and sciences so that in all things God may be glorified. In this endeavor, we are guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Benedictine spirit of prayer and learning. Exemplifying Benedictine hospitality, we welcome a diverse body of students and provide them with an education that will enable them to lead lives of integrity, to succeed professionally, to become responsible citizens, and to be a blessing to themselves and to others.”
Founded in 1876, the College is home to more than 1,300 students from 29 states and 24 countries. The campus is situated on the 650-acre picturesque monastic property of Belmont Abbey. Located just 10 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, please visit the College’s web site at www.belmontabbeycollege.edu. |
