The annual Common Reading selection has been successful and controversial in the past eight years, with thought-provoking books that deal with current events, crises, and culture.

Each year, first-years are given the books at their AARO sessions and are expected to participate in a discussion before the beginning of school with professors, AARO and Corral leaders and Resident Assistants.

Last week, the Common Reading Selection Committee announced “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” by Michael Lewis as the selection for the incoming class of 2016.

In a letter to faculty, Harold Stanley of the Office of the Provost said, “The book’s explorations of culture and crisis surrounding an event impacting current students’ generation will bear great relevance for them.”

Past Corral Leader Leanna Peppercorn thinks the program is successful in its aim of easing freshmen into discussion-based classes.

“It does a good job of linking all of the incoming class together with something to talk about in their rhetoric classes on the first day of school,” she said. “It throws them into in class discussions without having to wait to start and finish an entire book during the semester.”