Buy any of these Amazon affiliate-linked books and my commission will be donated to the FSYF scholarship fund.
In both application essays and interviews, a question that has shown up for year is: “What’s something you’ve read recently? Can you tell me about how it affected you?”
They’re not looking for a book report summarizing the key details of the plot. They’re looking for what you thought about it, whether it connected to other things you know about or have experienced. They’re also evaluating your reading level and adventurousness in reading choices. And, as with all of the essays and interview questions, they’re trying to understand who you’d be on campus.
The summer is a great time to read something that isn’t assigned by a teacher. Buy any book from the list of affiliate links below and the commission will be donated to the FSYF scholarship fund.
An octopus is the main character in this very readable novel about a human coping with the loss of a child. It’s a “laugh and cry” book, and has been made into a Netflix film. Watch that after so you can give a classic “the film was different from the book” commentary.
TCKs and other global nomads are no strangers to being alone. But what’s it like to be truly alone, stranded? This is a book that pulls you along, keeps you up reading at night, and is funny enough to make you laugh even in the face of the horror. Follow it up with the movie and compare your imagination to the director’s interpretation of the story.
If you’ve already read The Martian, but like stories about being alone, try Life of Pi
Dig into the legacy of slavery and racism in American history through this powerful work of time-traveling fantasy. How would a modern woman deal with life on a 19th century slave plantation? With the tension between wanting to punish the white plantation owners and her knowledge that they are her ancestors and thus a key to her own existence?
Does language shape our society? Does society shape our language?
As the authors of the Oxford English Dictionary collect the words that will be accepted as “official,” some words don’t make the cut. This book of historical fiction, based on some true events, is great for budding feminists, lexicographers, and all those children who hid under the dining room table listening to adults do grown-up work things.
High school athlete with a tragic backstory? Grumpy old neighbor? Spooky, abandoned shed? An epic quest? These are the elements of a modern fairy tale that you can’t put down. The story skirts the border between horror and fantasy. My only spoiler? Don’t worry, this is not a “the dog dies” book.
*While it’s very long, this one has a slightly lower lexile level than some of the previous selections, making it even more accessible to infrequent readers.
Have a niche interest and not super attracted to fiction? Read a book in your interest area! Steal Like an Artist is a motivational, but practical, guide to just doing what you love. Don’t wait to find originality or perfection, they don’t exist. If you used this book to answer the question above, you could talk about your interest in art, your journey toward a growth mindset, or the advice you’ve heard from other people in your life.
If you choose this angle, make sure you have another book in your back pocket to talk about, as you might have already gone into this theme in talking about your possible majors or other interests.
Some other niche-interest non-fiction books to try:
Photo Basics: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Great Photography
Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking
For more suggestions, try:
