trevordayschool

seeking their rightful place in this world, the quest to belong is a universal human experience and that, through his exploration of families torn apart by grief and war—or by misguided parenting— we will always worry about how people perceive us. But what should we do with this knowledge? Over the winter of 2018–19, a group of 16 Upper School students read a wide range of Eggers' work and summarized the knowledge we acquire when we read him: "To read Dave Eggers is to make ourselves comfortable with the idea that satisfactory resolutions are almost always impossible. … To read Dave Eggers is to realize that there is no such thing as the typical American, and that the quintessential American family is as multifaceted as the sides of the Pentagon. … And that to read Dave Eggers is to be left with the tormenting feeling that there are occasions when there is a disappointing lack of moral consequence." And yet, ultimately, Dave Eggers shows us that it is the quest to hold on to this moral core—the essence of goodness that we cannot afford to lose—that defines the modern American, whomever that may be. Without the Visiting Author Program, I doubt the students would have gained such depth of understanding. To build on Simone S.' insights, reading an author knowing that we will hear them speak about their work sharpens our reading and intensifies our discussions. As a result, students are better equipped to understand the power of the written word in quite profound ways. Reading Jennifer Egan in preparation for her visit to Trevor confirmed for our students and community that, for her characters, a life of internal and external conflict often leads to startling insights on the nature of existence. We found that Egan is a writer who scrutinizes, in very entertaining but often unpredictable ways, the mental— and sometimes physical—prisons we get ourselves into. But to what end? Discussions in classes and with the PA book group suggested an answer to this question: Ultimately, Egan's characters find freedom through emotional connections, both those expressed and those realized. During her interview with students from the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, Egan thoughtfully connected ideas on her characterization, prose style, and writing process in novels such as e Keep (2006) and Manhattan Beach (2017) with those explored and employed in her Pulitzer Prize- winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010). Egan's characters—their aspirations, honesty, humor, imagination, and humility—bring us into a complex world where a crisis is always met with the possibility of a resolution. Yet Trevor's Visiting Author Program shows us that behind every great body of work is an artist determined to connect with their reader at an elemental level. Marjane Satrapi described her process as needing "to break the frame [she] made for [her]self in order to move on." And time after time, Trevor students have engaged with authors who are using their art to explain the human condition and inspire the reader in myriad ways. Ultimately, Trevor's Visiting Author Program reminds us how lucky we are to be part of a community that values academic inquiry to such an extent that exploring the work of a contemporary author can be accompanied by the anticipation of meeting and asking questions of the writer. From Kincaid to Reynolds, via McCourt, Woodson, Satrapi, Adichie, Eggers, Egan, and others, our students go through Trevor knowing that the writer's craft is one that is redolent with purpose and that communication, analysis, and reflection are the vital ingredients for lifelong learners. As Reynolds reminded us in March, "When in our lives has a lecture worked better than a conversation?" n is page, middle top: e Parents Association-sponsored book group was a huge success with attending Trevor parents; Middle bottom: Jennifer Egan poses with students Taliyah W. ('22), Camille L. ('23), and Nick A. ('21), and Jason Tarbath, following her presentation to Upper School students; Right: Jason Reynolds answers questions posed by Emma J. '24 and Michelle M. '24. 2 5 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1

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