Your Summer Reading List Based on Your Major

Cady Crowley

 

Whether you’re under palm fronds or high rises, on beaches or in offices, sipping cocktails or coffee, you’re out of exams and into the summer. And whatever your plans, a good book is a must-have in any work, travel, or day-to-day tote bag. I’ve kept at least two books on me at all times since leaving St Andrews—Uncommon People, a rock and roll biography by David Hepworth, Factotum by the late Beat author Charles Bukowski, and Naked Lunch, the raunchy and disturbing novel that characterized the name of William Burroughs, have been my go-tos since leaving Scotland. And while it can be difficult to find the book to keep by your side, I’ve take the liberty to organizing the perfect summer duo for your major; a Major Must-Read, which closely ties into your subject and may be a fun academic injection to your park picnic, and a Take A Break read, which should peak your scholarly interest without sacrificing a great storyline. So flip through the list and find your favorites—nobody says you have to stick to your courses.

 

Anthropology:

Major Must-Read: Myth and Meaning (Claude Levi-Strauss)

One of the 20th century’s most prominent anthropologists explores the history and psyche of mythology and religion.

Take A Break: Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)

Not for the faint hearted—Cormac McCarthy, author of The Road, tells the tale of an unnamed teenage boy who travels the southwest with various sidelong characters. Fantastic for religious imagery and gory description, less fantastic as for late night flip through.

 

Biology:

Major Must-Read: Silent Spring (Rachel Carson)

Carson’s famous 20th century environmental masterpiece observes the changing climate through the landscape of America’s bird populations.

Take A Break: The Sixth Extinction (Elizabeth Kolbert)

Kolbert vividly explains the shift into the modern Anthropocene—the most recent man-caused geological age we are living in—by describing her own excursions and the wildlife she encounters (or doesn’t).

 

Divinity:

Major Must-Read: The Sunflower: on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness (Simon Wiesenthal)

Though only about 90 pages, The Sunflower tells an evocative story of a Jewish man in one of Germany’s most brutal concentration camps being begged for forgiveness by a Nazi officer. Strongly suggest picking up an edition with post commentary—many of the most brilliant spiritualists and world leaders have offered up their beliefs on this heart breaking story.

Take A Break: Dharma Bums (Jack Kerouac)

                  Jack Kerouac follows up his brilliant 1957 novel On the Road with this less famous spiritual account of his years following the cross country trip. If you like reading about drugs, jazz, and Buddhism, this is the novel for you.

 

Economics:

Major Must-Read: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Steven Levitt and William Morrow)

One of the most highly rated pleasure reads for Economics, Steven Levitt explores how economics can be applied to pop culture, and discusses economics as a science of incentive.

Take A Break: Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)

                  Malcolm Gladwell picks on several case studies to describe his theory of success and successful people—a mix of luck, skill, and consistently 10,000 hours of practice. His book looks at the outlier incidents in society from airplane crashes to the creation of the atom bomb, and why the occur. And if you think this doesn’t sound very interesting, you’ve clearly never heard Malcolm Gladwell tell you a story.

 

English:

Major Must-Read: Letters to a Young Poet (Rainer Maria Rilke)

Beautiful series of essays by the Austrian poet Rilke on success in writing and poetry.

Take A Break: The Human Stain (Philip Roth)

Potentially the 20th century’s best Jewish-American author, Philip Roth writes this lesser known novel that can entertain on the surface, but invites layers of in depth analysis if you’re willing to annotate. And do not skimp on the mythological research.

 

Environmental Sciences:

Major Must-Read: A Sand County Almanac (Aldo Leopold)

A beautiful 1940s environmentalist book written in three parts and several essays. Skip through or read cover to cover, Leopold veils his fear of the changing environment through beautiful descriptions of the American flora and fauna. I reread excerpts from this at least once a year.

Take A Break: The Sixth Extinction (Elizabeth Kolbert)

Kolbert vividly explains the shift into the modern Anthropocene—the most recent man-caused geological age we are living in—by describing her own excursions and the wildlife she encounters (or doesn’t).