Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

What makes life worth living when freedom, comfort, and hope are stripped away? Drawing from his time in Nazi concentration camps, Viktor Frankl weaves his theory of logotherapy—rooted in the Greek word for “meaning”—into an enduring lesson on resilience, suffering, and the will to live. His account urges readers to uncover significance not only in triumph, but in the very act of living.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

In his acclaimed dystopian novel, Aldous Huxley envisions a future where humanity trades freedom and individuality for a life of engineered comfort. Written in the 1930s yet hauntingly relevant today, Brave New World is a chilling warning about the seductive power of technology and control, daring readers to confront the cost of comfort without liberty.

Four Texts on Socrates by Plato and Aristophanes, translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West (ΦBK, Scripps College)

Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito, along with Aristophanes’ Clouds, offer contrasting views of Socrates—one as a principled seeker of truth and the other as a subversive figure. While Plato presents a philosopher who defends virtue and chooses death over injustice, Aristophanes satirizes him as a corrupter of youth. Together, this volume highlights Socrates’ relentless pursuit of truth and the controversies it stirred in Athens.  

The U.S. Constitution 

America's founding document establishes the framework of government through separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism, ensuring that no single branch or level of government holds absolute authority. The Constitution's central themes remain vital as the nation continues to grapple with complex questions of equality, representation, and the balance between security and freedom. Today, it serves as both a guardrail and a guide, shaping debates on democracy and the rule of law in an evolving society. 

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton 

In a post-collapse world reshaped by climate change, a young girl named Wanda comes of age in a Florida slowly being reclaimed by nature. Structured around the elements of power, water, light, and time, it offers a layered meditation on human resilience and adaptation. Both elegy and vision, it reflects on how we can evolve and preserve our humanity as the familiar world falls away.

First Gen: A Memoir by Alejandra Campoverdi

Through personal stories and cultural insight, Alejandra Campoverdi traces her path from welfare to Harvard while facing the emotional costs of being a trailblazer. Challenging conventional views of the American Dream, this candid narrative offers insights into the struggles and triumphs of navigating life as a "First and Only."

Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj 

The story centers on the Baladis, the Salamehs, and the Ammars – Palestinian families in Baltimore whose paths cross in unexpected ways as they navigate personal, cultural, and intergenerational challenges. Through humor and heartache, the novel reveals the complexities of contemporary immigrant life.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, this novel captures 24 hours in the lives of six astronauts and cosmonauts from five countries on their journey through space. Traveling at over 17,000 miles per hour, the four men and two women navigate personal moments, daily routines, and the deep connections formed in isolation. Against the vastness of the universe, the story asks readers to reflect on human bonds and a fragile planet.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 

When a Korean American father goes missing in Virginia, his family’s search for answers unravels hidden truths about their lives. Told through the perspective of Mia, the family’s analytical daughter, the novel explores the intersection of mystery, family secrets, and the complexities of communication. With sharp prose and philosophical depth, it examines the ways in which love and understanding shape our connections.

Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton

After a personal upheaval, a man sets out to visit every U.S. national park in a single year. Along the way, he has experiences both humorous and transformative that encompass landscapes, culture, and human identity. Through reflective insights on history, conservation, and modern life, the chronicle of his journey becomes a passionate call to protect these shared national treasures.

A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet 

A dozen precocious children find themselves trapped in a lakeside mansion with neglectful, hedonistic parents in a disintegrating world. As a storm approaches, they rebel against their parents’ apathy, leading to a perilous journey into a chaotic, apocalyptic landscape. A Children’s Bible explores themes of generational disconnect, the fragility of society, and the haunting moral consequences of environmental collapse.

Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi

A young Albanian girl grows up in a society that promises security through family and nation, only to watch everything unravel with the fall of the Berlin Wall. As she discovers uncomfortable truths about her family’s past, she confronts the complexities of identity and political change. Her story asks deep questions: What does freedom really mean, and who is truly free?

The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration by Jake Bittle 

In communities from Louisiana to Arizona, people face displacement from rising seas, wildfires, and drought. This book weaves together geography, environmental science, and human stories to show how climate migration is transforming the nation's physical and social landscape. It is both a record of present upheaval and a warning of the vast migrations yet to come.

I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

As artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into daily life, a psychologist explores how it is reshaping human behavior, decision-making, and social interaction. Drawing on psychology, ethics, and technology, readers are challenged to consider how empathy and self-awareness can help us remain fully human in an increasingly automated world.

On the Fringe: Where Science Meets Pseudoscience by Michael D. Gordin (ΦBK, Harvard University) 

In the murky line separating science from pseudoscience, some ideas get dismissed as nonsense while others are embraced as truth. From alchemy and ESP to climate denial and anti-vaccine movements, this book uncovers how culture, politics, and power shape what we call “science.”  The book challenges readers to rethink how we define science and how this shapes contemporary debates in society.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

Adolescent mental health has declined sharply since the early 2010s, driven by a shift from play-based to smart-phone-based childhoods. Haidt argues that this transformation disrupts crucial social and neurological development, intensifying such issues as anxiety, loneliness, and addiction. Drawing on psychology, sociology, and education, Haidt proposes actionable strategies for society to reclaim a healthier future for youth.

What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

This provocative collection interlaces art, data, science, culture, and policy to craft a richly textured vision of climate futures often dismissed as impossible. Through incisive essays, poetry, and dynamic conversations, it refuses despair, instead wielding wit and humanity to illuminate paths toward justice and regeneration. For readers ready to move beyond climate fatigue, it asks the ultimate question: what if we get it right? 

Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis

People began to notice in the late 1800s that human progress was turning wildlife into history. This lively story tracks the heroes, missteps, and messy politics behind the fight to save such diverse species as bison and black rhinos. Mixing science, history, and ethics, it argues that conservation is less about saving “nature” and more about saving ourselves.

We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy by Eboo Patel

Eboo Patel’s transformation from sharp critic to institution builder offers a thoughtful blueprint for creating pluralistic civic spaces in a diverse democracy. Drawing on personal experience and social science, he emphasizes that lasting social change requires building fair institutions rather than just protesting. To improve society, his call to action focuses less on tearing down systems and more on building ones that bring people together.

Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert M. Sapolsky (ΦBK, Harvard University) 

In Determined, Robert Sapolsky delivers a bold and deeply researched case against free will, dismantling every major argument for its existence. By showing how biology and environment shape all human behavior, he challenges us to rethink morality, justice, and responsibility—and reveals how letting go of free will might lead to a more compassionate world.

Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive by Eliot Stein 

Drawing from anthropology, history, folklore, and the natural sciences, Eliot Stein profiles 10 individuals preserving rare cultural traditions – from Inca bridge building in Peru to metal mirror making in India. These stories reveal how ancient knowledge systems shape contemporary life, offering a rich, interdisciplinary reflection on resilience, memory, and meaning.

Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work by Dave Isay 

Callings celebrates the power of meaningful work through intimate, real-life stories of people who discovered purpose in unexpected places—from bricklayers and waitresses to teachers and public defenders. Told with warmth and humanity, these conversations reveal how following one’s passion can transform both individual lives and entire communities.

Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness by Houston Kraft

Far from platitudes like “just be kind,” Deep Kindness offers an interdisciplinary inquiry into what it actually takes to practice meaningful kindness in a fractured world. It examines empathy, emotional regulation, and the cultural forces that complicate our good intentions. This is a practical philosophy for turning values into action.

Selfless: The Social Creation of “You” by Brian Lowery

This exploration challenges the idea of a fixed, autonomous self and presents identity as a fluid social construct shaped through relationships and social interactions. Drawing on social psychology, philosophy, and political realities, it argues that the self is not an inner core but a constantly evolving product of how others reflect us back. While definitions of the self will remain contested, the book raises important interdisciplinary questions about identity, agency, and social connection.

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek H. Murthy

In a world more connected yet increasingly isolated, a former U.S. Surgeon General argues that loneliness is a hidden epidemic with deep effects on mental and physical health. Drawing on medicine, psychology, and social science, Dr. Murthy sees genuine human connection as a vital remedy and reveals practical strategies that make communities stronger, healthier, and happier together.

Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel by Loretta J. Ross

This memoir-manifesto-handbook by pioneering Black feminist Loretta Ross combines personal narrative with a new approach to handling conflict through connection rather than confrontation. Drawing on decades of activism, Ross advocates for "calling in" as a method that holds others accountable with love and invites unlikely allies into dialogue. Based on insights from social justice, psychology, and communication, Calling In offers practical strategies to transform divisive moments into opportunities for shared understanding in personal, professional, and political settings.

Tell Me Who You Are: A Roadmap for Cultivating Racial Literacy by Winona Guo (ΦBK, Harvard University) and Priya Vulchi

Before starting college, two teens hit the road for a gap year, traveling across America to ask 150 people how race and culture have shaped their lives. Their resulting book, Tell Me Who You Are, captures a wide range of voices that showcase complex and overlapping identities. The authors combine thoughtful analysis and tools for dialogue to understand—and reimagine—our country.