20 Professors pick one book every student should read in 2025

Every college student goes through a recommended reading list from professors throughout their college years. Books not only widen your vocabulary but also expand your view of the world.

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From politics, to fiction, and social science books – we’ve rounded up a list of the most recommended books for every college student to read.

These 20 books come with a professor-approved stamp with them to give you a reading boost:

1. “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr.

The Elements of Style is a prescriptive American English writing style guide in numerous editions by William Strunk Jr. The book covers some practical advice to improve one’s writing skills.

2. Plato’s “Republic” by Simon Blackburn

Plato’s Republic is widely regarded as his most famous dialogue. It is a discussion of the perfect city and the perfect mind. The book has laid the foundations for Western culture.

3. “Campbell Biology” by Jane B. Reece, Martha R. Taylor, Eric J. Simon, Jean L. Dickey

The book contains cutting edge information that connects biology to students’ lives.

4. “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Gareth Stedman Jones

The Communist Manifesto is one of the most important political theories ever formulated. After four years of collaboration, they produced an incisive account of their idea of Communism.

5. “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington’

Understanding the realities of global politics in the next century, the Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order is one of the most important books to have emerged since the end of the Cold War.

6. “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle torn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

7. “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli

THE PRINCE was written by Niccolo’ Machiavelli in the 1500s. It has continued to be a best seller in many languages. Presently, it is translated into modern English, with illustrations by Benjamin Martinez and an Introduction by Adolph Cso.

8. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King

King drafted his most extensive and forceful written statement against social injustice – a remarkable essay that focused the world’s attention on Birmingham and spurred the famous March on Washington.

9. “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” by Richard Hofstadter

This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter’s classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.

10. “Orfeo” by Richard Powers

Powers tells the story of a man journeying into his past as he desperately flees the present. Composer Peter Els opens the door one evening to find the police on his doorstep.

11. “The Undoing Project” by Michael Lewis

Best-selling author Michael Lewis examines how a Nobel Prize–winning theory of the mind altered our perception of reality.

12. “The Strategy of Conflict” by Thomas Schelling

A series of closely interrelated essays on game theory, this book deals with an area in which progress has been least satisfactory–the situations where there is a common interest as well as conflict between adversaries: negotiations, war and threats of war, criminal deterrence, extortion, tacit bargaining.

13. “A Theory of the Drone” by Gregoire Chamayou

In a unique take on a subject that has grabbed headlines and is consuming billions of taxpayer dollars each year, philosopher Grégoire Chamayou applies the lens of philosophy to our understanding of how drones are changing our world.

14. “Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life” by Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields

Sociologist Karen E. Fields and historian Barbara J. Fields argue otherwise: the practice of racism produces the illusion of race, through what they call “racecraft.” And this phenomenon is intimately entwined with other forms of inequality in American life.

15. All of Shakespeare’s Books

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist.

16. “Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back. He never finished his enormous project and even the completed tales were not finally revised.

17. “Paradise Lost” by John Milton

John Milton’s Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption.

18. “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad

Dark allegory describes Marlow’s journey up the Congo River and his meeting with, and fascination by, Mr. Kurtz, a mysterious personage who dominates the unruly inhabitants of the region. The book is a masterly blend of adventure, character development, and psychological penetration considered by many Conrad’s finest, most enigmatic story.

19. “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare

One of the greatest plays of all time, the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide.

20. “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, a man confronts his physical sexuality during an elite social gathering. The man, J. Alfred Prufrock, breathes in his surroundings and then uses them to define his own appearance as the antithesis of what he sees.

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