Required reading that you actually want to read.
Your university program says a lot about you. Besides telling others what you’re interested in, it can give others insight into your lifestyle and more importantly, your sleep schedule. An engineering student is probably sleep-deprived, and a life science student is probably worrying about grad school.
As an avid reader, I wanted to use my understanding of McMaster’s biggest programs to recommend books that I think you’ll enjoy. I hope you find something that you can read in between all of your required readings!
- For the health sciences students: mayflies by andrew o’hagan
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As a Life Science student, I’ve taken quite a few Health Science electives during my degree. Whether that’s courses on demystifying science or understanding medical innovations, I appreciate how the Health Science courses are so focused on society. Instead of just focusing on health and the human body, there’s an opportunity to see how health and wellness impact people all over the world.
As a result, I would recommend Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan. If there’s anything you need to know about this book, it’s that I cried on the bus when I reached the end. So, maybe save it for after finals. This book provides a beautiful snapshot of humanity. It explores youth, friendship, illness and has so many beautiful lines that I had to stop reading in order to really appreciate it. It does a beautiful job at conceptualizing health and wellness and applies some of the same concepts that Health Science students in their classes. This is a must-read for everyone!
- For the life sciences students: blue sisters by coco mellors
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The Life Science program is so broad and flexible that two people in the same program and the same year could have vastly different experiences. This makes recommending a book difficult because there is so much for me to choose from. After careful deliberation, I recommend Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors. This book follows four sisters who live vastly different lives. It’s told through multiple perspectives and follows multiple storylines. I think this variety will appeal to Life Sciences students because it allows you to learn and read about a lot of things at once, which mimics the broad and generalized aspects of the program.
- For the engineering students: the circle by dave eggers
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Like Life Science, the MacEng program is broad. There are so many different streams, each with their own unique focus. Again, this makes giving a recommendation quite difficult.
With that said, I would recommend The Circle by Dave Eggers. This book came out a while ago, and there was a relatively recent adaptation starring Emma Watson. It follows a tech company that isn’t necessarily what it seems and asks important questions about privacy, ethics, and consent. Despite its age, the book is even more relevant today and could provide some helpful insight for any aspiring software engineers.
- For the commerce students: How to get filthy rich in rising asia by mohsin hamid
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Mohsin Hamid is such an underrated writer. He writes in a way that speaks directly to the reader, making the reading experience feel more like a conversation. It’s refreshing and easy to read, perfect if you’re getting back into reading after a long time. Despite what it may sound like, this actually isn’t a self-help book. It’s a satirical piece of writing that raises social commentary on money, economy, and what it means to “get rich”. While it might not be exactly what a commerce student wants to hear, I think it provides some alternative insight that might be interesting to consider.
Honorable mention to anything written by Sally Rooney, her critiques of capitalism, especially in “Beautiful World, Where Are You” might also pique your interest.
- For the social science students: small things like these by claire keegan
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It was difficult to just pick one book to recommend here. Like some of the other programs I mentioned today, the social sciences are quite broad. There are a variety of books I could recommend that would interest different people, depending on what you’re studying.
But, one of my favourites is Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. This is a short book, but it packs a punch. The storyline is achingly beautiful and the prose is also remarkable. Like Mayflies, there were so many quotes that stood out to me after I was done reading.
I would definitely recommend picking this up in the winter, as it’s set during Christmas time, and I think some atmospheric reading is always fun.
So, whether you pick one book off of this list, or a few, I hope you find something that resonates with you. I loved all of these books, and I hope you enjoy them just as much!