'Great Gatsby' chosen for UConn reading program

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — A committee at the University of Connecticut has chosen "The Great Gatsby" as this year's selection for a school-wide reading program.

University President Susan Herbst started the annual UConn Reads program last year as a way to bring together students, staff, alumni and the wider community.

The 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald was chosen from nearly 200 classic fiction titles nominated by a selection committee.

Committee chairwoman Anne D'Alleva, a fine arts professor, says the book set on Long Island in the Jazz Age offers abundant learning opportunities, given its references to the music of the era and numerous film and television adaptations.

The inaugural book selection was "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," a nonfiction work by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.