2013 First-Year & Common Reading (Knopf Doubleday Group only)
Sailing Alone Around the Room, by former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, was read by all first-year students at Roger Williams University as part of its 2011 Common Reading Selection.
The University of Missouri (Columbia, MO) and Utah State University (Logan, UT) have both selected Dave Eggers's Zeitoun for their 2011/12 common reading programs.
Cleveland State University, San Jose State University, and the University of Maryland-College Park are three of the most recent additions to the growing list of more than 100 colleges and universities who have selected Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for their common reading programs.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks has been chosen by
University of Houston-Victoria (TX) for its 2011 Common Reading Selection.
Darin Strauss is the author of Half A Life: A Memoir, the powerful true story of how one outing in his father's Oldsmobile resulted in the death of a classmate and the beginning of a different, darker life for the author. Click here for NPR's This American Life interview with Darin Strauss "Life After Death".
Random House, Inc. publishes a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction books appropriate for first-year and Freshman Reading programs. The books suggested here should help initiate reflection and discussion among your incoming first-year students, who will begin their academic lives with a shared experience. They'll be prepared to discuss the stories of others and, thus, ready to share their own.
Many authors featured below are available to visit college campuses as part of a first-year program. Please email us for further information.
To order examination copies of any of these titles, please follow the instructions on our Examination Copy page.
The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Written by Isabel Wilkerson
Format: Trade Paperback, 640 pages
On Sale: October 4, 2011
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 978-0-679-76388-8 (0-679-76388-0)
Now in Paperback
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
Selected by Howard University and Grand Valley State University
"A landmark piece of nonfiction. . . . [Wilkerson's] closeness with, and profound affection for, her subjects reflect her deep immersion in their stories and allow the reader to share that connection."
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Profound, necessary and an absolute delight to read."
—Toni Morrison, author of Beloved and A Mercy
"[A] deeply affecting, finely crafted and heroic book. . . . Wilkerson has taken on one of the most important demographic upheavals of the past century . . . and told it through the lives of three people no one has ever heard of. . . . This is narrative nonfiction, lyrical and tragic and fatalist." —Jill Lepore, The New Yorker
Why we Do What We Do in Life and Business
Written by Charles Duhigg
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
On Sale: February 28, 2012
Price: $28.00
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6928-6 (1-4000-6928-9)
Selected for Common Reading by Babson College
Humans' most basic actions are not the product of well-considered decision making but outgrowths of habits. A habit is a simple neurological loop: there is a cue, a routine, and a reward. Tweaking even one habit, as long as it is the right one, can have staggering effects. In The Power of Habit, award–winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg combines in-depth research with beautifully told, fascinating narratives from companies and individuals that point out the world we all inhabit but often never notice.
Written by Karen Armstrong
Format: Trade Paperback, 240 pages
On Sale: December 27, 2011
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 978-0-307-74288-9 (0-307-74288-9)
Now in Paperback
"Rich with wisdom and provocative ideas that stimulate deeper thinking. . . . Chock full of practical ideas for examining one's life and modifying aims and behaviors. . . . What Armstrong's clear and concise little book offers [readers] is threefold: a greater appreciation of how widespread compassion is as an ideal, a spur to deeper reexamination of aspects of their own experience, and an impetus to define and act upon a fresh contribution . . . to the restoration of compassion in community life." —Jane Lampman, The Christian Science Monitor
"Leaning on the wisdom of disparate faiths and belief systems, Armstrong lays out a pluralistic and, ultimately, secular way to spread compassion that's easy to believe in." —The Washington Post
Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Written by Erik Larson
Format: Hardcover, 464 pages
On Sale: May 10, 2011
Price: $26.00
ISBN: 978-0-307-40884-6 (0-307-40884-1)
From the acclaimed author of The Devil in the White City, here is a riveting, true story about the American Ambassador to Germany, William Dodd, and his family at the time of Hitler's rise to power.
"Larson captivated our community when he came here to speak about [The Devil in the White City], the creative process, and how to weave history and fiction into one brilliant and bone-chilling masterpiece. He answered the many questions our students had about his work, and provided them with valuable and insightful information into the writing process." —Sanford J. Ungar, President, Goucher College
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