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Books for Lunch 2016 Presents Alexandra Fuller Drawing from her childhood growing up in Apartheid-era Rhodesia, Alexandra Fuller shared stories of her life—a blend of joy, irreverence, and ancient wisdom—with the Seven Hills community for Books for Lunch, in early February. The outspoken Fuller, a New York Times Notable Book award winner and author of her latest memoir, Leaving Before the Rains Come, shared poignant excerpts from her memoirs, answered students’ questions, and left the school community feeling informed and enlightened. Growing up in the shadows of legalized racism, Fuller said she learned, firsthand, what the ills of a toxic society can do to generations of people, and decided to walk away from it all, solidify her views, and live by the truth of her conviction. “My whole self is not more important than the selves or the person I have become,” said Fuller. “It’s more important to train yourself to be yourself.” Throughout her address to the school community, Fuller shared snippets from her life, including taking on oil companies in the state of Wyoming that were under fire for dangerous working conditions, sharing 28
lessons learned from an alcoholic mother, learning true peace from her father, and her ongoing love Books for Lunch co-chairs Colleen Dwight, left, and Victoria for her motherland, Karamanoukian, with Alexandra Fulle r Southern Africa. The eclectic memoirist concluded her two-day Cincinnati visit with a gritty tale about her life, freedom of speech, and selfpeace while speaking to a crowd of more than 300 at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
Alexandra Fuller signs books for Seven Hills seniors Zoë Zelkind and Michael Heldman in the Young Family Library
Fuller’s message to Seven Hills students: Self-peace and quiet authority were concepts that echoed throughout Fuller’s address to Middle and Upper School students. With it, she encouraged students to truly know themselves and be comfortable with who they are. “If you are it, you don’t need to say it.”
Books for Lunch 2016 included a Lecture Luncheon and book signing at Xavier University’s Cintas Center, a dinner with Fuller at the home of Phillip and Sheila Cohen, an assembly with Upper School students, and meetings with students in the Young Family Library. Books for Lunch 2016 dinner hosts Sheila and Phillip Cohen, with Alexandra Fuller