5 Books To Read Before Going To College

By Rachel Pasholk on May 26, 2016

The time before entering college can be seen as a time of freedom: freedom from homework, freedom from rules, and freedom from anything that even remotely resembles school. It is a time when many people try to find themselves and figure out what kind of life they want to lead.

While all of that freedom and self examination can be fun, there is also another end of summer and getting ready for college activity that many students don’t do but should consider. Books. Reading.

There are some books that will help you better understand college, and some that you just should have read before you go into the big world of adulthood.

Image from: http://www.uglydogbooks.com/

1.) This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book is an important one to read before going to college because it can teach everyone a little about themselves. It is a novel that teaches about the importance of finding one’s self and having to decide what is most important to you.

The main character is a college student who ends up enlisting in the military to join the cause for World War 1. The character faces love, heartbreak, poverty, and trying to decide who he is meant to be. It is a story that many may be able to relate to to some degree.

2.) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Many have probably read this novel for a school assignment or simply because they have heard so much about it. This novel is about a young girl whose father is a lawyer in the South and chooses to defend an African American man, even though it was obvious the whole town would not side with him.

This is a good story to read as a college student because it teaches about the importance of doing what is right even when it is hard, and to not be too quick to judge based on appearance alone.

3.) Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

This novel follows the life of a typical American family over a number of years as they experience many things such as love and death. This is a good book to read before going into college because it shows that despite all the things that can happen to a person throughout their life, things will end up okay.

It also shows that even if your dream life doesn’t happen over night, the world isn’t over and you are still okay. It teaches many valuable lessons that a person can carry with them forever.

4.) A Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

This story follows a number of characters that are living in a dystopian society. The lives of the people are governed by a select few. There is almost no control of their own lives, and people are created in a lab. This is a book that is good to read before college because honestly, a dystopia always makes you feel better about the world we live in. It also is good because it is an older novel, and it can make you seem more intelligent having read it.

5.) Lolita, by Vladimir Nobokov

This is a touching novel about what someone will do after the loss of someone they love. This novel is one full of heartbreak and disappointment, but it shows what a dedicated attitude can do for someone. The male lead is determined to find Lolita and even though he cannot ever have her, he still shows intense care for her.

This is a good book to read before college because it will show you that there are good people and bad, but it is important to stay true to yourself, and do what you believe is the best for you.

There are many other books that are good to read before you start college, and these are just a few. It is best to find books that really speak to you, but if you can’t, these are a good place to start.

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