Patrick McGroarty ’06 (right) majored in philosophy and German and is a news editor at the community newspaper Dorchester Reporter, in Boston.

“The Lion in Fields Corner: Building a Vietnamese Community in New Boston”

Carlo Rotella, professor, English department

“This study of the social, political, and cultural situation of the Vietnamese community in Dorchester combines the strengths of journalism and scholarship. Written in a style especially suited to exploring the human consequences of the large historical forces that have shaped the Vietnamese presence in Boston, it combines a literary commitment to scene and character with a reportorial/historical commitment to getting the whole story in all its many facets. This is strong, original, mature work, and one can see in it the extra benefit of Patrick’s having gone out and gained experience as a working newspaperman in Boston.”