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First-year common reads

College common read books: every pick from 10 programs

Many US universities give every incoming student one shared book before classes start. We collected 144 picks from 10 programs, each from the university's own pages (retrieved 3 October 2026). 14 books were picked by more than one program.

Heading to a UK university? See Oxford and Cambridge reading lists by subject.

Programs

Books more than one program picked

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  1. 1.
    Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
    Bryan Stevenson
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Washington State University, Appalachian State University, University of Mississippi, Binghamton University and 1 more
  2. 2.
    Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work
    Dave Isay
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Appalachian State University, University of Mississippi, University of Houston-Clear Lake
  3. 3.
    What the Eyes Don't See
    Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: University of Mississippi, University of Houston-Clear Lake, South Dakota State University
  4. 4.
    A Long Way Gone
    Ishmael Beah
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Appalachian State University, Arizona State University (West Valley campus)
  5. 5.
    All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis
    Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katherine K. Wilkinson (curated collection)
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Binghamton University, Duke University
  6. 6.
    Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
    Robin Wall Kimmerer
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Washington State University, University of Kansas
  7. 7.
    Disability Visibility
    Alice Wong, ed.
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Kansas
  8. 8.
    Mountains Beyond Mountains
    Tracy Kidder
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Duke University, South Dakota State University
  9. 9.
    Ready Player One
    Ernest Cline
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Washington State University, Arizona State University (West Valley campus)
  10. 10.
    Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation
    edited by John Freeman
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Washington State University, University of Kansas
  11. 11.
    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
    Rebecca Skloot
    Books like this →Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Washington State University, University of Mississippi
  12. 12.
    The Other Wes Moore
    Wes Moore
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: University of Houston-Clear Lake, South Dakota State University
  13. 13.
    There There
    Tommy Orange
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Duke University, South Dakota State University
  14. 14.
    Three Cups of Tea
    Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
    Find it on Amazon
    Also on: Appalachian State University, South Dakota State University

How this list was made

We fetched the list from the institution's own page or PDF on the date shown and recorded each title and author as printed. We did not add books, and we copied no descriptions. Obvious misprints are corrected and marked. The extraction was done with AI assistance and checked against the source. Lists change every year, so check the source page before you buy anything.