Common Reads, sometimes called One Book, One College, or All Campus Reads, has been a popular project for American colleges and universities for the past decade.
- They invite incoming students to read the same book and spend the first week – or even the entire first year – talking about it.
- It’s a smart way to prepare students for higher education and a way to build community among new students.
At some institutions, books rotate every few years, allowing students at all levels to connect with the same book. Elsewhere the books change annually. At times, students are also treated to events that bring the book’s author to campus.
This summer’s Common Reads at universities across the country feature an interesting mix of fiction and nonfiction. Featured titles:
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Some colleges and universities save their common books for the school year only. Among the choices for fall 2025 and spring 2026:
It is important to think about these choices in the context of our current political moment. Higher education has been under siege by this administration from the beginning, and many schools have actively responded to demands by eliminating departments, courses, and programs that fall under the categories of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”). Any selection is political, and while many institutions are committed to selecting titles that reflect America’s diversity, others have chosen safer options or eliminated such programs altogether.
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