College is indeed a time and a place where young adults embark on a self-discovery journey. In college, people try out different things just in a bid to discover their true selves. Some even have a to-do list of activities and places they want to visit. Reading books are included in some people’s lists.
In this post, we’ll list the 30 best books every College student should read during their college days. We’ll of cause add a little description to these books.
Read through carefully. This article is loaded with lots of amazing books just for you.
Table of contents
30 Best Books Every College Student Should Read
Here is a list of the 30 best books every college student should read:
#1. INTO THE WILD BY JON KRAKAUER
You never know what you can get out of the wild unless you go into it (and hopefully return). Chris McCandless, a recent college graduate, destroyed all of his money, quit interacting with his family, changed his name, and set out for the western United States in search of a way out of his life in 1990. McCandless arrived in Alaska in 1992 and lived off the land for over 100 days before succumbing to toxic germs ingested from a plant. Journalist Jon Krakauer transformed McCandless’ experience into a book while trying to figure out why he vanished.
#2. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE BY KURT VONNEGUT
What’s not to love about the insightful and oddly brilliant Kurt Vonnegut? Aliens, war accounts, profound characters, scathing but hilarious satire—not what’s to love about the insightful and oddly brilliant Kurt Vonnegut? Billy Pilgrim, a mentally disturbed ophthalmologist, is kidnapped by aliens and sent to their planet, Tralfamadore, in Slaughterhouse-Five. Billy accepts his fate while trapped in the Tralfamadorians’ bizarre sense of time.
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#3. OF MICE AND MEN BY JOHN STEINBECK
The story follows two pals, George and Lennie, as they journey around California searching for farm labor. Because it’s evident that Lennie has a mental handicap, George, who is frequently irritable, acts as Lennie’s defender. “John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men motivated me to work with special needs persons and their caregivers. “Lennie taught me that everyone has ambitions and all they want is to be understood,” said Penn State senior Annie McGuinness.
Steinbeck explores the harsh realities of human nature via his life and death experiences. “I wish to enable persons with disabilities to achieve all of their goals and help them reach their full potential,” McGuinness stated.
#4. THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY
In this book, Lois Lowry says exactly what college students want to hear: “Let your freak flag fly.” Through the perspective of a young kid named Jonas, she depicts a utopian world to readers. When Jonas encounters the Giver, nicknamed the town’s “Receiver of Memory,” he discovers that this society is far from ideal. Jonas is shown the feelings and memories of the town’s residents by The Giver.
Jonas quickly sees that his neighbors have surrendered their uniqueness in order to live in this image of perfection and be manipulated by others. “I remember it making me feel like, even though you’re instructed what to do with your life, sometimes the utopia isn’t that perfect,” said Giorgy Molano, a University of Central Florida junior. “Doing what feels good to you is the true road to happiness.” Because it is your life, not anyone else’s, at the end of the day.”
#5. BLUETS BY MAGGIE NELSON
When you’ve reached rock bottom, look to Bluets, a lyrical essay reminding you there’s only one way to go: up. With beautiful words and real phrases, this essay addresses love and suffering. “I want you to know, if you ever read this, there was a time when I would have preferred to have you by my side than any one of these lines; I would have preferred to have you by my side than all the blue in the world,” Nelson writes. If you’re going through a college breakup or dealing with homesickness from the future, read this book to feel less alone. “You have to feel guilty sometimes,” Georgia Chahoud, a sophomore at Macquarie University, said. “All you have to do now is do it.”
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#6. #GIRLBOSS BY SOPHIA AMORUSO
Some of us all want to be the boss, but being a #girlboss is much better. Why not take a cue from the best? In her renowned book #Girlboss, Sophia Amoruso, the founder of the online apparel firm Nasty Gal and the lady boss empire, speaks of her modest beginnings as a college drop-out shoplifter who rises to the top of the fashion industry and becomes a real boss-ass b—h.
“The key message for me was that we are all on our particular journeys, but the only way to grow is to work hard and trust your instincts,” said Jaclyn Daley, an FSU 2015 alumna. Amoruso’s candor and colorfully forthright counsel are hilarious to see.
#7. HUNGER: A MEMOIR OF (MY) BODY BY ROXANE GAY
Let’s face it: many college students suffer from body image issues and feel forced to conform to society’s ideal beauty standards. Roxane Gay addresses how she takes care of herself and her body in a world that doesn’t always embrace her in her memoir. The stark honesty of Gay’s writing may confront you, but it will appeal to a large number of college students. In a world where accepting yourself can be exceedingly harsh, look to Gay for guidance on how to do so.
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#8. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
This is a narrative about a love triangle in which the characters meet for the first time in college. Love or friendship will become more essential to them. Is there a way to make a decision in this challenging scenario, when you love your closest buddy but don’t want to lose him? These are questions that every college student should be able to answer.
#9. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
This is a myth-novel, an epic novel, a novel-paroemia about humanity’s evolution, in which each of us is doomed to loneliness, and loneliness is the only thing that rules the world, in which everything is entangled in the ties of fatal love. A great book for college students who want to appreciate and value the importance of family and close friends.
#10. 1984 by George Orwell
Three totalitarian states exist in the globe. Total control, the abolition of all human values, and attempts to survive in a hate-filled environment. Will you be able to make a stand against the system? Are you brave enough to stay true to yourself for the rest of your life?
#11. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The first – and best! – book in the “Lost Generation” of English literature about World War I. This is a novel about a war in which young, innocent guys became Poor Bloody Infantry and either perished or became embittered to the point of death; about a war in which love is merely a fleeting moment of peace with no past or future; about a war you want to forget but can’t.
#12. The Divine Comedy by Dante
Who hasn’t heard of Dante and his Inferno’s nine circles? This is our chance to learn them all and better understand how Christians viewed the afterlife in the Middle Ages. This book tells us not to forget that we must all pay for our sins.
#13. Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud
This book is a must-read for any college student since it describes Freud’s thoughts and concepts, which are still relevant in our culture and understanding of the world. This is an excellent opportunity to learn why we live in a society the way we do.
#14. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
A well-known novel about the student Raskolnikov and his struggles to understand himself and his place in the world. This teenage man tries to excuse his conduct after killing an elderly pawnbroker. Every modern college student should reconsider their opinions on moral laws and their place in society after hearing Raskolnikov’s story.
#15. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This is a narrative about a family who goes to California during the Great Depression in search of a better life; it’s a story about the significance of love, support, and close friends; and it’s a story about a man’s tenacity and fortitude to roll with the punches.
#16. A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The author of this novel referred to it as “a negative utopia.” This story is about a future world in which happiness is valued above all else, but uniqueness is not. Is it possible to be happy while imitating others? Accepting things as they are or trying to change the system is more important to young people.
#17. The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama’s series of interviews can assist college students (and everyone else) learn and comprehend how to find fulfillment in their lives and start feeling happy.
#18. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
An uninhabited island, an endless ocean, and boys not supervised by grownups. This is a story about a divided society told through the eyes of a small group of children. There has been a revolution. Bloodshed. Death. It highlights the importance (and necessity) of being a good leader, having a clear mind, being a critical thinker, being able to reach a compromise, and remaining a human first and foremost.
#19. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE BY ANTHONY BURGESS
This is a vicious satire of a modern authoritarian society that transforms a young generation into so-called “clockwork oranges” loyal to their bosses’ will. Alex, the leader of a street gang that views violence as the highest form of art, runs into the iron jaws of a new state program for criminal rehabilitation and becomes a victim of violence himself.
#20. NAKED BY DAVID SEDARIS
Don’t worry, there are no nudes of David Sedaris in this book. This collection of short stories looks at life through the eyes of Sedaris, touching topics like families, marriages, and deaths with a light touch. Sedaris’ typical cynicism takes the sappy out of any sentimental situation and gives him a unique perspective on the world.
#21. IN COLD BLOOD BY TRUMAN CAPOTE
If you enjoy true crime, this is a must-read. It’s a chilling, true-life account of a family’s murder in Holcomb, Kansas. Capote delves into the lives of the family and the rural location in which they resided, as well as the psychology and dynamics of the two murderers, in this six-year project. The work, which was first published in 1966, is still considered one of the most recognized true crime novels of all time and one of the first nonfiction works to achieve such acclaim.
#22. CITIZEN: AN AMERICAN LYRIC BY CLAUDIA RANKINE
With this collection of fiction, poetry, and journalism, prepare to read one of the most emotionally gripping stories on the American mind of racism. Since its first release in 2014, this work has been republished multiple times, adding to the growing list of black men and women who have been victims of police brutality. Rankine’s voice is powerful and longing, expressing a desire for a better change in America.
#23. NEVER LET ME GO BY KAZUO ISHIGURO
This narrative blends science-fiction notions with lovely prose and fantastic storytelling. Kathy’s point of view shows a beautiful private school with a sinister secret. This narrative combines a terrifying dystopia with the exquisite reminiscence of childhood and will shift your perspective on some ethical concerns (I can’t go into detail here due to spoilers). I guarantee you’ll reach a point in the book where you’ll either gasp in surprise or chuck the book out the window in fear.
#24. A River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins
This book is ideal for college students who want to learn about evolution in a straightforward and engaging manner. No one will have the courage to label this novel dull because the author explains our world’s creation and evolution.
#25. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This story concerns a little girl’s maturation through adventures, fun, and peer interactions. She has much to learn, including life’s inequity against children, the weak, and individuals of a different skin hue. As a result, we can see that acts of kindness, sympathy and mutual support are unaffected by skin color, social rank, or public opinion. Everything boils down to a man’s soul.
#26. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, and it helps us find the answer to the age-old question, “To be or not to be?” This story can educate us to take ownership of our actions and decisions.
#27. Paradise Lost by John Milton
We’re all familiar with the Biblical account of Lucifer, the arrogant angel who fell from grace, tempting Adam and Eve into sin. However, we know little nothing about Lucifer himself. Paradise Lost allows us to view both the good and the negative sides of things, allowing us to form our own opinions about who is right.
#28. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The devil has arrived in Moscow. This tale has it all: merry mischief and somber despair, romantic love and magical obsession, intrigue, and a dangerous game with an evil spirit. Perfect reading for anyone interested in learning how evil can be more honest than a civilization or political authority.
#29. THE BELL JAR BY SYLVIA PLATH
While the characters’ identities have been changed, this story parallels and explains Plath’s mental condition like the protagonist. During the protagonist’s internship in New York, she grows less interested in and dazzled by the things she expected to fall in love within the big metropolis. As she comes home, she struggles with what she intends to accomplish and what she wants to do, and her madness and spiral intensify. Despite reality’s sad ending, the story finishes on a high note of promise (assuming that isn’t too much of a spoiler).
#30. THE PRINCESS BRIDE BY WILLIAM GOLDMAN
Jump into this satirical fable of fencing, battling, monsters, torture, retribution, escapes, true love, and miracles if you ever feel like life is weighing you down. The novel that inspired the cult film is full of caustic and funny language but has a lot of heart. As you root for Buttercup and Westley and learn more about Fezzik and Inigo, disappear into the pages. That would be unthinkable if you didn’t.
Conclusion
We have listed some of the most amazing and insightful books for you to read as a college student. Please pick at least 10 to 15 of these books and read them during your stay in college and get ready to have your mind blown away.
We hope you found this article loaded as promised.
FAQs On Best Books Every College Student Should Read
Fiction can be written, told, or acted out on stage, in a film, on TV, or the radio. The goal of fiction is usually to entertain. The dividing line, however, is not always so clear. Because it is based on historical events or persons, historical fiction is defined as fiction that contains real people or events.
The term “fiction” refers to literature based on the author’s imagination. Fiction categories include mysteries, science fiction, romance, fantasy, chick-lit, and crime thrillers.
Reading is beneficial since it helps to improve the mind. Understanding the written word is one of the ways the mind develops. Teaching young children to read aids their language development. It also aids their learning of how to listen.
You should read for 30 to 60 minutes daily, five days a week. It is beneficial for you to devote as much time and as many books to read as possible. If you read books in a shorter time, the greatest benefits of reading books may be negligible.
References
- https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/25-essential-books-that-every-college-student-should-read.html
- https://www.collegemagazine.com/10-inspiring-books-college-students-read/
