The Books Colleges Are Choosing for Common Reads in 2026
Common Reads, sometimes called One Book, One College or All Campus Reads, have been a popular project for U.S. colleges and universities for the last decade.
- They invite incoming students to all read the same book and spend the first weeks—or even the full first year—talking about it.
- It’s both a smart way to prepare students for higher education and a way to build community among new students.
At some institutions, the books rotate every few years, allowing all levels of students to connect over the same book. At others, the books change annually. Many times, students are even treated to events that bring the book’s author to campus.
This summer’s Common Reads at universities across the country offer an interesting mix of fiction and nonfiction. Among the featured titles:
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A few colleges and universities save their Common Reads for the school year itself. Among the picks from the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026:
It’s important to think about these selections in context of our current political moment. Higher education has been under siege by this administration from the beginning, and many schools have actively folded to demands, eliminating departments, courses, and programs that fall under the categories of diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”). Any selection is political, and while many institutions have committed to selecting titles that showcase America’s diversity, others have made safe choices or eliminated such programs altogether.
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