Classics: I, Claudius
Classics students are no stranger (hopefully) to the vicissitudes of Roman Emperors’
fortunes. I, Claudius is a fictional autobiography written in the perspective of Claudius, Emperor from AD 41 to 54. Infamous figures, including Julius Ceasar, Caligula, and Nero, are abound in this gripping narrative of political scheming, murders, prophecies, war, and madness.
Business/Economics: American Psycho
Consider this recommendation a warning: don’t lose your soul to the world of business. Read American Psycho as a cautionary tale of the vanity-filled world of consumerist Manhattan, not as an aspirational character study. Although, Patrick Bateman’s blood-stained overcoat makes for a great Halloween costume.
Law: To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee’s classic tale of racial injustice in the American South should be on every law student’s to-read list; Atticus Finch is the archetypal lawyer. In a world of prejudice, he approaches the case at the heart of the book with tolerance, equality, and integrity. The book shows how the law impacts all participants of the trial, protecting some while condemning others.
Astrophysics/Engineering: The Martian
Set in the year 2035, Andy Weir’s The Martian is an epic tale of one man’s determination to live. Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars during a NASA mission, impaled by a rogue antenna. Despite all odds, he uses incredible resourcefulness to survive. The sci-fi novel follows his progress, as well as the team at NASA dedicated to bringing him home. This high-stakes mission is scientifically complex and universally ingenious.
History/Politics: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Based on the first-hand experience of author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s time in a Stalinist concentration camp, One Day is strikingly real. The innocent protagonist faces ten years in the Gulag after accusations of spying following his capture by Germans in World War II. This book is perfect for History and Politics students as a reminder of how real people’s lives are affected by the abstract concepts studied.
Mathematics: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Picture a two-dimension world where people exist as geometric figures (the narrator, a square). Flatland acts as a commentary on the Victorian hierarchy and social norms contemporary to its author through the unique lens of mathematical theories. Abbott’s satirical novel dedicates a lot of time to the concepts his universe is founded on, chiefly the existence of spatial dimensions from zero to four and what happens to these figures in each.
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