1. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
There’s never a wrong time to read Vonnegut, but as a prospective student beginning to question the world, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. A relatively short novel, Cat’s Cradle is a story about religion, the arms race, science and politics all crafted into a highly satirical novel that will seriously make you skeptical about the modern world.Cat’s Cradle follows Dr Felix Hoenikker, who is not only one of the founders of the atomic bomb but also the creator of ‘ice-nine’, a chemical capable of freezing the entire planet. First published in 1963, the novel remains hugely relevant due to its direct look at the threat of nuclear weapons and the fact that it will make you consider the world in a different light. Students everywhere, political or not, can learn a lot from this cult classic, including how to laugh in the face of fear and the true meaning of irony.2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Adapted into the great film starring Jack Nicholson, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is the tale of the incarceration of Randle Patrick McMurphy, a brawling, loud-mouthed, yet ultimately likeable man who believes he has been wrongly institutionalized onto an Oregon mental ward in the 1960s. In historical context, the novel was written at a time when America was in the midst of the civil rights movement, a time when big changes were happening that affected the way human psychology and psychiatry were viewed. The novel is about more than just the perception and treatment of madness, however; it also ponders human empathy, the power of authority and daring to defy the norm; all good preparation for any degree course that requires an inquisitive and questioning mind.3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Arguably one of the finest writers to come out of Colombia, perhaps even the whole of Latin America, Gabriel García Márquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude presents the tragic yet uplifting story of the Buendía family in the fictitious Colombian town of Macondo. Published in 1967 and tracking the path of seven generations as they experience war, miracles, deaths and magic, Márquez’s novel, part fantasy and part realism, looks at how history repeats itself by compressing centuries of cause and effect into one family’s unique story. An historical novel as well as a political one, One Hundred Years of Solitude will teach any prospective student about how different cultures are shaped and how fact and fiction are very closely entwined. 4. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
Labeled a “hippie novel” by many, Tom Robbins’ Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a story which covers themes of free love, political and social rebellion, animal rights, drug use and religion, spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s. We follow the story of Sissy Hankshaw, a woman born with the gift of huge thumbs, who hitchhikes through her coming-of-age journey via a homosexual tycoon, a lesbian cowgirl named Bonanza Jellybean and an escapee from a Japanese internment camp. Just as the hippie movement did, Robbins poses underlying questions about human existence and what it is to be free in society. And although often sexually explicit and sometimes farcical, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is perfect for any student wanting to break the mold.
See my full top 10 list at TopUniversities.com.
