Dr. John J. Lepri

  • Biology
  • Professor, 2014
Dr. John J. Lepri

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Every time I read John Steinbeck’s magnum opus, a novel titled “East of Eden,” a gift to me among many from my wife Jill Fuller, I feel like I am reading it for the first time. Yes, I am getting forgetful as the decades fly by, but this book shares so many rich insights about the joys and sorrows of being a member of the human taxon, and offers so many detailed parallels in human and nature’s ways that I can immerse deeply in the imagery and setting upon every reading. As a teacher and a researcher who needs to make points quickly, I recognize the value of the 5E approach: Excite -> Explore -> Explain -> Elaborate -> Evaluate. Stienbeck’s success in doing these things is clear every every time I read this. I hope to do the same for my students and my fellow researchers.