Afraid of losing her parents at a young age, Naomi Feinstein prepares single-mindedly for a prestigious future as a doctor. But when her only friend and confidant abruptly departs from her life, Naomi isn’t sure she will ever recover, even after a long-awaited acceptance letter to Wellesley arrives.
Yet Naomi soon learns that college isn’t the bastion of solidarity and security she had imagined. Amid hundreds of other young women, she is consumed by loneliness–until the day she sees a girl fall into the freezing waters of a lake.
The event marks Naomi’s introduction to Wellesley’s oldest honor society, the mysterious Shakespeare Society, defined by secret rituals and filled with unconventional, passionate students. As Namoi immerses herself in this exciting and liberating world, her hapiness is soon compromised by a scandal that brings devastating consequences. Naomi has always tried to save the ones she loves, but sometimes saving others is a matter of saving yourself.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
It’s cool how your family loves to read. I’d love to share books with my brother, but he thinks I’m a bit too obsessed with books. I saw that like Naomi you also attended Wellesley College. How has your time there influenced the writing of the novel and what liberties did you take in fictionalizing the experience?
What are your thoughts on women’s education and the gains to be had from the college experience?
Naomi also receives an education of sorts through her interactions with her peers, family, and other people in her life. What do you feel is the significance of social relations to Naomi and all the young adults out there finding their way in life?
What are some of most important things you learned while writing An Uncommon Education?
You also were a member of the Shakespeare Society. If you were to use your experience and audition for a role in An Uncommon Education, which character would you like to be and why?
The complex characters are always the most interesting ones! What are you working on right now?
Elizabeth Percer is a three-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize and has twice been honored by the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Foundation. She received a BA in English from Wellesley College and a PhD in arts education from Stanford University, and has also completed a postdoctoral fellowship for the National Writing Project at UC Berkley. She lives in California with her husband and three children. An Uncommon Education is her first novel.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
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