College of DuPage Great Read Series brings author Chloe Gong on March 9
College of DuPage’s Great Read Series returns this spring semester with a lineup of engaging events centered around Chloe Gong’s book, “Foul Lady Fortune,” culminating in an author talk and book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Student Resource Center, Room 2000, on the college’s Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
“Foul Lady Fortune” is a historical fantasy novel set in 1931 Shanghai and follows Rosalind Lang, code-named Fortune, an immortal assassin for the Nationalists. After a series of murders rock the city, Rosalind goes undercover in a fake marriage to fellow spy Orion Hong to investigate the deaths linked to the invading Japanese army. Tasked with infiltrating foreign society, Lang must uncover the conspiracy before more lives are lost, while navigating the dangerous mission alongside her infuriating but capable partner.
The Great Read Series was created to offer more active learning opportunities for students outside the classroom and to provide community members with greater access to COD resources.
Each year, the college selects a book for the community to read together, and hosts events designed around the novel to encourage reading and generate discussions between COD and the community on important topics.
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, College of DuPage English professor Tom Tipton is presenting “This Strange Eventful History: Embodiment in Shakespeare's ‘As You Like It’ and Chloe Gong's Retelling in Foul Lady Fortune” at 7 p.m. at Carol Stream Public Library, 616 Hiawatha Drive.
Shakespeare’s works are full of passages questioning what it means to be in a physical body. “As You Like It” is perhaps the most focused exploration of that question. The cross-dressing in the play is much more than physical comedy; it is an opportunity for Shakespeare to explore the philosophical connections between the body and the self. Gong’s retelling of the play extends these questions with the introduction of experimentally altered bodies and immortality. College of DuPage English professor Tom Tipton will explore the ways in which literature allows us to consider our enduring fascination with embodiment. Register via cod.edu.
Also as a part of the College of DuPage Great Read Series, Jason Ertz, College of DuPage reference librarian, will discuss how Generative AI tools work, best practices when interacting with GenAI, and privacy and ethical concerns at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at Oak Brook Public Library, 600 Oak Brook Road. He will draw parallels between the ethics of research without concern to the social, psychological, or cognitive implications of developing a technology (as observed in “Foul Lady Fortune” by Chloe Gong) and our own time with GenAI chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini. Register via cod.edu.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, College of DuPage history professor Sam Mitrani will talk about “Revolution Before the Revolution: China in the 1920s” at 7 p.m. at Glenside Public Library, 25 E. Fullerton Ave. in Glendale Heights. Before they fought a 20-year civil war, Chinese Communists and Nationalists were such close allies that it was hard to tell the difference between them. Many people were members of both parties. They even launched joint military expeditions. How did these close friends become enemies, and what did their alliance and its end mean for the future of Communism, China — and the entire world? Mitrani will consider these questions and more. Register via cod.edu.
On Monday, March 9, the 1995 romance/thriller film “Shanghai Triad,” directed by Zhang Yimou, will be shown from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Berg Instructional Center, Room 1437. When teenager Shuisheng arrives to Shanghai from the country, he is brought by his uncle to work for gang leader Tang. Tang assigns Shuisheng to aid his girlfriend Xiao Jinbao, a nightclub singer. After a rival gang kills some of Tang's men, he takes Shuisheng and Jinbao to an island hideout. Here Jinbao forms a friendship with peasant Cuihau, while Tang attempts to to determine if there are traitors in his ranks. This free event is hosted by film studies co-chair and professor Brian Brems and English professor Alejandra Ortega.
The program’s goal is to help students see themselves within literature, highlight contemporary voices and encourage everyone to learn from and listen to a new perspective. Learn more about the Great Read Series at cod.edu/academics/academic-opportunities/great-read-series/.