Common Text
The Class of 2029 will spend their time on campus thinking deeply about universal human experiences like family and community, hope and despair, prejudice and assumptions. To support the Class of 2029 as the students embark on their time at Loyola, and to give each student a shared first experience, we have selected Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim, as the 2025-26 Loyola University Common Text.
Loyola faculty members, administrators, and students chose Happiness Falls after reading more than two dozen books. The Common Text Committee members chose Happiness Falls for its compelling mystery, strong narrator’s voice, and complex and nuanced exploration of the experiences of ability and disability, family dynamics, the immigrant experience, and more.
Happiness Falls will challenge all community members to examine their assumptions about intellect, intelligence, and communication, promising an introduction to the depth of thought, imagination, and challenge you can expect from your time at Loyola. We look forward to reading along with you and entering a conversation that enlightens and enriches your college experience.
Members of the Class of 2029 will receive a copy of Happiness Falls at summer orientation. Those not attending an in-person orientation session will receive their copy in the mail or as an e-book code. The text will be integrated into class discussions and programming throughout your first-year experience.
Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.
