Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story

The moviegoers were mesmerized – still, quiet, and fully engaged.

PVCC students, faculty, and staff gathered in the Jessup library to view the Lifetime Movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. This event was part of the college-wide reading initiative called the One Book project.

This year’s One Book features New York Times Bestseller Breaking Night by Liz Murray. The One Book project is designed to encourage the college community to read one common book and participate in discussions and related reading programs throughout the academic year. The film was a part of this venture.

Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story portrays the real-life story of Liz Murray’s turbulent childhood in the Bronx, raised by parents who were addicted to drugs. While Murray was loved, she was also neglected. At 15, she found herself homeless. Overcoming monumental challenges, Murray ultimately graduated from Harvard.

At the film’s conclusion, the lights were turned up and everyone sat quietly for a moment. A time of reflection seemed appropriate. There were a few murmurs of “wow.”

PVCC’s librarian, Laura Skinner, engaged the participants in a discussion. While the group was small – five women and two men – they seemed interested in sharing their thoughts. A majority of the dialogue was spent comparing the book and the film.

Viewer Linda Hitt, accounting professor at PVCC, read the book and saw the movie. “The book addressed more of the day-to-day details of Liz Murray’s life,” said Hitt, “I liked the movie too. It will help us to be more empathetic.”

Hitt suggested that it would be a good idea for the students to follow up on the movie in some way.

Lynd Smethurst is an adult career coach at PVCC’s Virginia Workforce Center. She thought the film was tastefully produced; Murray’s story has some delicate themes.

“The movie was powerful,” said Smethurst, “I work with some people who come from dysfunctional backgrounds. This was a good reminder to me not to judge others.

It helped me to better understand where they’re coming from.”

Carol Larson, director of Financial Aid, was in attendance and said that although she had not quite finished the book, she preferred the book to the film.

Skinner seemed pleased with the turnout for the film. She has been impressed with the participation in this year’s One Book project. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to read Liz Murray’s Breaking Night.

Skinner announced that the book the students selected for the 2015-16 One Book is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Smoot.  This is a true story about Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer, whose cancer cells (HeLa) were taken without her knowledge, to be used as tools in medicine. These cells are still used today.

The One Book project has enhanced the PVCC community. With many opportunities for enrichment, including the screening of Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, there is something for everyone to learn and to share.