As college students, most of our reading is out of textbooks; but for all you book lovers out there, here are 10 books that you should read in college! From memoirs and biographies to historical fiction, you are bound to find a book for you on this list!
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
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Michelle Obama is the first lady that we didn’t know that we needed. In this memoir, Obama recounts her time in the White House, the ups and downs it had on her family, her roots and how she made a name for herself before becoming First Lady of the United States. It also delves into her role as a mother. This book is truly a must-read for anyone who loves Michelle Obama as much as I do!
- I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban by Malala Yousofzai
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This book, written by Malala Yousofzai, co-written by Cristina Lamb, follows the remarkable journey of Yousofzai, from her life pre-Taliban to her life post-Taliban. Yousofzai was 15 years old when she was shot by a member of the Taliban on her bus ride home from school in her hometown of Swat Valley, Pakistan. Yousofzai was already an activist for girls’ education leading up to this incident, and is a true inspiration to girls everywhere today. Yosofzai became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at just 17 years old.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
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Henrietta Lacks, known by scientists as HeLa, was a poor African American tobacco farmer whose biological cells were taken without her knowledge or consent in 1951. Little did her or her family know, her cells would become one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping and much more. Henrietta’s cells were bought and sold, but she is relatively unknown. This New York Times bestseller written by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of the overlap between race, ethics and medicine.
- #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
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“#GIRLBOSS” follows Sophia Amaruso’s rise from hobo dumpster diver to a million-dollar entrepreneur. Amaruso is the successful founder and CEO of popular brand Nasty Gal. She talks about her journey to becoming a successful business owner and aims to teach readers to learn from their own mistakes as well as others. To help you realize when to quit and when to ask for more, this book will inspire you to be your very own “#GIRLBOSS.”
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
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After an ugly breakup and a doomed rebound love affair, writer Elizabeth Gilbert is an absolute wreck and craves to be free from her marriage. In this memoir, Gilbert takes us on her quest of self-discovery in Italy, India and Bali. This book tells us that it’s not too late to start figuring out what we want and that we shouldn’t feel guilty about taking it. The book was adapted as a major motion picture in 2010, starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth.
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
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“The Giver” is written by Lois Lowry that follows an intelligent young boy named Jonas, who happens to live in a society that is being controlled by the rules of The Elders. Because of his wisdom and mannerisms, he is chosen to be the next Giver, or receiver of memory. Jonas learns about life outside this dystopian society from the current Giver and realizes that the society he lives in is hiding a lot of secrets. “The Giver” was adapted as a major motion picture in 2014 starring Brenton Thwaites as Jonas.
- Am I There Yet?: The Loop-de-Loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood by Mari Andrews
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This guide to growing up is written by Instagram sensation Mari Andrew. This book captures the feelings and comical complexities of millennials and the essence adulthood through essays accompanied by illustrations. In the journey to adulthood, we tend to follow the paths of those who came before us. This path often appears to be straight and narrow, but has a few bumps along the way. These essays of twenty-somethings document the road less traveled; a road that they were meant to take.
- Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli
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“Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions” documents the journey of undocumented child migrants and their answers to the 40 questions listed on an “intake questionnaire.” Valeria Luiselli writes about her experience as a translator working for a Manhattan nonprofit called The Door. She notes that the stories are shot through with a certain fear and that the children deliver stories with “no beginning, no middle, and no end.” Luiselli relays these notes to lawyers who look for elements they can use to build “a viable defense against a child’s deportation. “Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions” won the 2018 American Book Award. It was also VCU’s common book in 2018.
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
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Author Stephen Chbosky writes about socially awkward teen Charlie. Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life go past him from the sidelines until two charismatic students become his ‘mentors.’ Free-spirited Sam and her stepbrother Patrick help Charlie discover the joys of friendship, first love, music and more, while a teacher inspires Charlie to become a writer. However, as his friends leave for college, his inner sadness threatens his newfound confidence. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was adapted as a movie in 2012, starring Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam and Ezra Miller as Patrick.
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
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One of my favorites on this list, “The Book Thief,” written by Markus Zusak. This story is narrated by a compassionate Death who tells us about Liesel, an orphaned girl growing up in Germany during World War II. At a time where books were burnt by the masses, Liesel steals books, learns to read and finds comfort in words. She and Max, the Jew that her family protects, are the only survivors of the war. “The Book Thief” was adapted into a movie in 2013, starring Sophie Nélisse as Liesel and Ben Schnetzer as Max.
For all you book lovers out there, I highly recommend the books on this list! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!