Books every college student should eventually read

Photo by brewbooks, via flickr 

Alexandre Nunez/Contributing Writer

For starters, these are not the best nor the most important books a college student should read. I tried to stay away from obvious classics that should have been read in high school or even on your own. Instead, I focused more on some hidden gems that will resonate with college students. I realized that the further along we move in the 21st century, the closer the art of reading a physical book is reaching its last breath; especially among young people.

So consider this for this upcoming semester, if you want to exceed a bit in your readings, be more cultured, have something more interesting to talk about, then I say no more but to read these books.

“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

Ok, maybe this one isn’t such a hidden gem but if is, then you’re welcome. Cheers. Confusion, a common side effect most college students suffer from being in college. Guess what? Nothing’s changed. This book was written back in the sixties by a young person who was extremely confused about everything. Life, sex, marriage, her future, her own sanity. Sylvia Plath puts all in “The Bell Jar” not shying away from sharing any of her fears. When she cries you want to cry with her (yeah I’m a guy and I cried so what), when she laughs you want to laugh with her.

You should read this book because it’s alright to be confused about everything. So go on with your confused self and get your “Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath on. Warning, this is a book mostly for young women but guys should read it too if only to get some tail. Boom!

“Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs” by Hunter S. Thompson

If the first thing that comes to mind is Johnny Depp when “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is mentioned, then shame on you. If nothing comes to mind then either A) run to your local bookstore or order it online right now–as long as it’s a physical copy, that part is very important. Or B) if you plan on not reading it or worse, not read anything by Hunter S. Thompson, then purposely blind yourself. There are only a very few writers who have been chosen by the Gods.

The sky opens up and they point and say this one was born to write. The pen becomes an antenna receiving the words from the sky. Hunter S. Thompson was not one of those writers. He’s the renegade. He’s the fallen angel that was seduced by whiskey, a .44 Magnum, and extremely heavy hallucinogenic drugs.

That’s the reason why I chose “Hell’s Angels” as opposed to “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Because after you’re done reading it you’ll want to ride a motorcycle and do ridiculous things, things you’ll regret doing years later. Which is exactly what you should be doing while in college. His sentences are constantly jumping from the page guaranteed to keep anyone with a severe case of ADD focused for long hours of time. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, “Hell’s Angels,” read it.

“Ham on Rye” by Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski. The poet, the writer, and the foul-smelling unshowered homeless you’re willing to put up with. He was rude, he smelled of alcohol, he always looked like he came out of the worst place you can ever think of and he hated Hemingway and Mickey Mouse, two very beloved things in the world. He especially hated people. He’d probably hate me too. His hobbies included going to the race tracks, drinking vodka mix with sprite, and maintaining a love life that would cripple Casanova. All this, and yet the man still found a way to get under your skin. You hate to love him, chances are he wouldn’t even want you to love him and yet you can’t help yourself. He wrote everything that is dirty beautifully on the page. If you hate the sight of vomit and then read a Bukowski novel, you might grow a newly found fondness for it.

The thing with Bukowski is that he was as genuine as they come. He had it worse than anyone and he still kept going. He found out that there are worse things than being alone the hard way; he actually wrote about it in a poem. “Ham on Rye” is a perfect read while in college. It’s like “Catcher in the Rye” but dirtier.

 life@fiusm.com