College of DuPage Great Read Series is built on the belief that learning is not limited to the walls of the College. Rather, the College seeks to extend ourselves to offer more active learning opportunities for students outside of the classroom and provide further access to our resources to the community. The Great Read Series is designed with the goal of providing students the chance to see themselves within literature, highlighting contemporary voices, and encouraging everyone to learn from and listen to a new perspective.
How the Great Read Series Works
Each year, the College will select one book students, faculty, and the community can read together:
- A calendar of engaging events will be designed around the book where all audiences can participate. The events will encourage reading for all ages and generate discussions between COD and the community on important topics through literature. All events are free and accessible.
- Select classes across the college will be linked to the program to approach the text through different lenses. This can occur in two ways: through direct inclusion of the text or through connection to a thematic focus inspired by the text. Free copies will be provided to the students enrolled in these linked courses, as well as to local libraries and our own COD library.
- Programming will culminate with the author visiting COD.
Current Programming
The fall 2025-2026 Great Read Series selection is Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong.
About the Book
Foul Lady Fortune
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue.
Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption from her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country.
Code name: Fortune.
But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed.
To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
About the Author
Chloe Gong
Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, PEOPLE, Cosmopolitan, and more. She was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for 2024. Chloe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, she is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult. Visit her at thechloegong.com and on Instagram, X, and TikTok at @thechloegong.
Contact Information
Alejandra Ortega, Associate Professor, English
Berg Instructional Center (BIC), Room 2444G
(630) 942-3958
Email: ortegaa406@cod.edu