Lifelong Learning

Without throwing double-digit dates around, it's been awhile since I've had to deal with a required reading list for a class. To me, that's a good thing. I'm surrounded by books all day, every day, and it's an occupational hazard to have so much to read and so little time.

When several Slate writers posted their own recommended summer reading list for first-year college students, I thought I'd go through and order anything that the library doesn't have, and perhaps pick up a book or two along the way. After all, this list is directly geared towards young people at this overwhelming junction in their lives, not someone already advanced in a career and fairly entrenched in reading habits. Alas, in the three pages of short reviews, I found only a few books to order, but many, many more to read. The titles range from Matthew Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft to Zadie Smith's White Teeth. It's a blend of fiction and non-fiction, humorous and brutal. While I'd like to dive into at least five from the list, the one that jumped in my hand first is McSorley's Wonderful Saloon by Joseph Mitchell.

While I'm still quite pleased that my college years and recommended reading lists are far behind me, I'm thrilled that the next time I'm in doubt about what to read, I've got a nice list of suggestions waiting for me. Even better, without being half-way through a semester course load, I've got all year or decade to get through them all. What about you? What book would you require a new college student to read?