While the horrendous amount of reading that every teacher gladly assigns may make you never want to pick up a book again, reading an actually enjoyable book is unparalleled. Turn off your Netflix early tonight and pick up one of these books that every college freshman should read.
1. "The Beautiful and Damned," F. Scott Fitzgerald
The relationship between Anthony and Gloria is surprisingly relatable, and is a friendly reminder that people have been faking their happiness and success for generations. Also Fitzgerald is one of, if not the best author America has ever seen.
2. "All The Light We Cannot See," Anthony Doerr
If a blind girl can navigate the streets of World-War-II-stricken France by memorizing a smaller model her father made, you can navigate college and life after.
3. "A Thousand Splendid Suns," Khaled Hosseini
The author of "The Kite Runner" tells the story of two women in Taliban-run Afghanistan and expertly relays the extreme lengths that humanity will take to survive.
4. "To Kill A Mockingbird," Harper Lee
Even if you read this book in high school, read it again. Read it from your own perspective and apply it to your own life. No other book perfectly grasps the essence of morality like this classic.
5. "Americanah," Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This one was actually required for me to read before my first year of college, but I'm glad I did. Ifemelu's experiences with race and being an international student are educational and relatable.
6. "The Bell Jar," Sylvia Plath
Esther's metaphor of the fig tree is all too familiar: each fig is a different career path, until she waits too long to decide and all of her options shrivel up and die.
7. "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley
The original dystopian novel that, almost hundred years after its original publication, eerily predicted scientific and social advancements. A friendly reminder that not all progress is good progress.
Embrace your academic, intellectual standing as a college student while you can. Be one of THOSE people who sit in coffee shops just to read. You can do it. I believe in you.
