7 Essential Books That Every College Student Should Read ...

By Corina

If you are a college student, if you love books and if you believe that reading should be undertaken constantly and widely, here are a few books that will inspire you. College is a great place to explore interesting literature and some of the most wonderful writing that has shaped the way society thinks and functions now days. Reading will help you widen your vocabulary, it will improve your cognitive skills, it will expand your view of the world and it will keep you entertained. If you are looking for some great quality reading material, here are a few essential books that every college student should read:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Please subscribe for your personalized newsletter:

1

This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This classic, romantic and witty novel should definitely be one of those books that every college student should read before graduation. It tells the story of a privileged Princeton student who finds out that life is quite different after he graduates and he becomes disillusioned. Just like the author says: “It is not life that’s complicated, it’s the struggle to guide and control life.”.

2

A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This book is a darkly, satirical vision of a utopian future where happiness does play an important part but where individuality is not quite appreciated. Just keep in mind that “Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything.”. So what’s more important: to accept things as they are or to try to fight the system in order to stay happy?

3

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This is one of the world’s most famous novels and definitely a must-read book for every college student. It will help you understand the importance of friends and family and that there are things in life that you should treasure more than money. This is an epic novel, a myth-novel about the evolution of humanity where loneliness is the only thing that dominates the world.

4

A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This is one of the best American novels to emerge from World War I. Apparently, Ernest Hemingway said that he rewrote the ending thirty-nine times to get the words right. This is a story about love, pain, loyalty and desertion that every college student should read before graduation since it will help them become a more educated and well-read individual.

5

The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This wonderful and moving novel tells the story of an Oklahoma farm family who is driven from their homestead and is forced to travel to California to find a better life during the Great Depression. It's a beautiful story about the importance of love, friendship, and about resilience and courage.

Famous Quotes

Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with.

Peter Elbow
6

Lord of the Flies – William Golding

Lord of the Flies – William Golding On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This story remains as provocative today as it was in 1954 when it was first published. It’s basically a story about a divided society through the example of a group of small boys marooned on a coral island. This book was labeled a parable, a myth, an allegory, a parody or a morality tale and it has established itself as a true classic.

7

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee On iTunes at: itunes.apple.com
This Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece presents the heroism of a young girl in the face of violent and blind hatred. She learns a lot of things about weak people and life’s unfairness to kids or people with a different skin color. You will understand that kindness, sympathy or mutual respect or support doesn’t depend on a man’s social status or skin color, it depends on their soul.

There are a lot of wonderful, inspiring and motivating books that every college student should read before graduating. I just mentioned a few in this little article. Do you know any other books that every college student should read? Please tell us about them in the comments section!

Sources:
lifehack.org
mycollegeadvice.org
onlinecollegecourses.com

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I have to admit this list left me pleasantly surprised, because I didn't guess a single novel before reading your list, Corina! Hemingway has taken a beating on college campuses due to his mysogeny and sexism, he was still a great writer, and A Farewell To Arms may be his best book. It is not only a love story but as anti-war as Hemingway can get. In the same vein, I would suggest All Quiet on the Western Front as a must-read. Also often neglected is Huxley's Brave New World, which essentially asks what would happen if you had to choose between liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Along side Brave New World would be Orwell's 1984 or Animal Farm. But I would select instead Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a novel that will make you see the fire department in a completely different way. I don't know many people who have read 100 Years of Solitude, which is very sad and should be on every college required reading list. Just a few other books I think are worthy of being required reading: Capote's In Cold Blood, the first and still the most chilling "true crime novel"; Foucault's Pendulum, by the multi-talented linguist Umberto Eco, a real conspiracy novel to end conspiracy novels; Winter's Tale, Mark Helprin's magical realism novel of time-bending love, and a powerful white horse set in the New York City of the 19th and 20th centuries. If you are lucky you may have seen the movie, which came and went about a year ago, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Finally, for something a little more topical, Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe, who is one of our most creative, thought-provoking and engaging writers/novelists. The story of the rise and fall of a "master of the universe" and the crazy upside down world he inhabits. Lastly, I promise this is the end lol, if you want your assumptions about beneficent society challenged, forget Atlas Shrugged! Read Ayn Rand's The Foutainhead, the story of rebellious architect Howard Rourke and his struggle against all the people who know "what's best". 😀

Does anyone know any books like To Kill A Mockingbird? My mom loved it and I want to get her a new book for Mother's Day

1984 - George Orwell

Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck is amazing.

I read To Kill a Mockingbird in 7th grade and I loved it! I should really get to reading some more of these.

Some of them I read in high school

lol I already read to kill a mockingbird and I'm in 8th grade

Im an Ivy League grad & I have 3 college degrees. I haven't read any of these. I'm not even sure if that's good or bad.

Related Topics

literature classic romance novels Books on Kindle You Wont Believe Are Free Want to Be a Writer Heres How to Publish Your Own EBook ... 7 Magical Books Harry Potter Fans Will Love ... 7 Summer Beach Reads You Must Toss in Your Bag Today ... Here Are the Books You Must Devour before You Turn 30 ... 7 Literary Inspired Dates Bookworms Will Love ... Love the Divergent Series then Youll Love These Books Too ... Celeb Autobiographies You Need on Your Coffee Table ... You Wont Want to Sleep Once You Start Reading These Mind Blowing Scifi Novels ...

Popular Now