A room without books is like a body without a soul.
Marcus Tullius CiceroAncient Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator and writer
In this 15th edition of the annual “Essential Reading” feature, a select group of faculty and staff members in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University recommend books of fact and fiction from which they believe students can reap knowledge, wisdom or lessons that offer valuable insight for navigating life’s myriad challenges — all while enjoying some insightful, entertaining and edifying writing.
Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller
Recommended by Samantha Brunhaver, an associate professor of engineering in The Polytechnic School
I picked up this book because I was intrigued by the title. What I found was a book far more nuanced and wide-ranging than I expected. It begins as a biography of David Starr Jordan, a scientist whose life’s work centered on classifying and organizing the natural world.
Through a blend of science, history, memoir and reflection, Miller uses both Jordan’s story and her own to examine how people search for meaning in the face of uncertainty, loss, and experiences that resist easy explanation.
What resonated with me most is the way Miller explores how people make sense of complexity and uncertainty. Much of higher education involves helping students develop frameworks for understanding complex phenomena.
We create categories, theories and models that help us make sense of what we observe. Yet some of the most interesting discoveries occur when those frameworks fall short.
Miller captures this tension particularly well, illustrating both the power and limitations of the systems we use to understand ourselves and the world around us.
This book is both intellectually engaging and deeply human. At its core, it is a reflection on how we search for meaning when life doesn’t unfold according to plan. It is also a reminder that some of our most meaningful learning happens when we become more curious than certain.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Recommended by Paniz Hazaveh, associate teaching professor in the School of Integrated Engineering
This is one of those books that really shifts how you see the world. It walks through the history of humans in a way that feels surprisingly relatable, connecting early human behavior to the systems and technologies we live with today.
I like recommending it to students because it reminds us that engineering and innovation don’t happen in isolation but are part of a much bigger human story.
It also encourages you to question assumptions about progress, success and what we are actually building toward.
It’s thoughtful, easy to read and the kind of book that sparks conversations long after you finish it.
The Second Kind of Impossible by Paul J. Steinhardt
Recommended by Yang Jiao, professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Steinhardt’s book offers a compelling story about scientific discovery, persistence and intellectual courage.
The narrative follows Steinhardt’s decades-long pursuit of quasi-crystals — materials once thought to be impossible because their atomic structures violated conventional rules of crystallography.
His journey moves from theoretical prediction to laboratory discovery and eventually to a daring expedition in the remote Russian wilderness to find naturally occurring quasicrystals.
This book can provide students with valuable insights into navigating life’s challenges and pursuing ambitious goals. It shows that major breakthroughs often require questioning accepted wisdom, tolerating uncertainty and persisting through skepticism and failure.
The book is also an engaging adventure story, combining physics, geology, history and exploration.
Students should come away with a deeper appreciation for curiosity-driven research and the idea that the “impossible” can sometimes become possible through imagination, rigor and perseverance.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Recommended by Aisha Kaddi, communications specialist, School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks
This novel follows Nora Seed, a woman plagued by regret and uncertainty, who discovers “The Midnight Library” — a magical place between life and death where each book reveals a different version of her life based on choices she could have made.
As Nora explores these alternate realities, she begins to understand that happiness is not found through living a perfect life, but in appreciating life’s small moments and unique twists and turns.
Haig’s novel thoughtfully explores themes of hope, resilience and self-acceptance while reminding readers that it is impossible to predict exactly how life will unfold.
The story would especially resonate with students approaching graduation or other major life transitions, when decisions about careers, relationships and the future can feel overwhelming.
Nora’s journey demonstrates that there is no single “right” path forward, and that even choices that feel uncertain can lead to meaningful experiences, personal growth and fulfillment.
The novel encourages readers to let go of constant “what-ifs,” be present with themselves and remember that perspective is everything.
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Recommended by Hannah Kerner, assistant professor of computer science and engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
In this book, Ed Yong explores the unique sensory bubble each species inhabits. The book is organized by sense and explains how other organisms detect the world through smell, vision, touch, vibration, echoes, and even electric and magnetic fields, and how their abilities compare with our own.
In doing this, Yong reveals the realities most of us never knew existed right alongside us. What I loved most was how the book reframes perception itself.
I learned that some senses co-evolve between species, meaning certain traits aren’t just adaptations to an environment, but adaptations that maximize how well another organism can perceive them.
Above all, it left me with the humbling realization that there is no single, complete way to observe the world; every creature, humans included, takes in only that slice of the world its own biology allows.
Metropolis by Ben Wilson
Recommended by Richard King, professor of electrical engineering in the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
This book’s story travels through time and around the world, introducing you to the people who lived in both ancient and modern cities.
The gathering of individuals and tribes in what we call cities is arguably the most impactful innovation of humankind, creating the free and easy communication needed for technological innovation and essential for the human mindset to emerge and flourish.
Wilson takes you from the first recognizable city, Uruk, roughly 6,000 years ago, to important past cities of Asia like Malacca, to Paris of the Belle Époque, to the dynamic cities of today.
I found it fascinating to learn about the everyday lives of people in those cities long ago who set the trajectory of our civilization and could even be said to have invented it.
Beyond the grand arc of what cities have meant for human cooperation, it is alternately funny and heartbreaking to see what people have attached great importance to over the years, and poignant to see familiar motives that we recognize today playing out in utterly different circumstances in cities of the past.
Our system of commerce, sea changes in culture and religion, our self-concept of who we are as humankind, and many of the other breakthroughs we benefit from today were born from the rapid and plentiful flow of ideas that takes place in cities.
The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
Recommended by Thurmon Lockhart, the MORE Foundation Professor of Life in Motion in the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering
I read this book when I was 20 years old, at a time when things were not going well for me. I was scraping by, and I didn’t know where I was going. So, I had a lot of discontent, and I was looking for something to help me guide my life.
Hill basically tells you in a no-nonsense way how to live your life in a challenging world, with purpose, a clear mind and clear goals. It focuses on the things you need to do to construct a meaningful life, and he gives you the basic directions to guide you on the journey.
Gothika: Vampire Heroes, Human Gods, and the New Supernatural by Victoria Nelson
Recommended by Eric Alexander Portillo, human resources specialist in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence
Nelson’s book explores how modern culture has reshaped traditional Gothic stories, turning supernatural figures like vampires and demons into complex, often heroic characters. It argues that these popular stories reflect a broader cultural shift, where ideas about spirituality, morality and the supernatural are being reimagined and woven into everyday modern life.
Students should read this book because it shows how popular culture, such as movies, books and other entertainment, along with news media, can reveal deeper truths about society and human belief.
This book teaches valuable lessons about critical thinking, encouraging readers to question our assumptions about good and evil, to understand our changing cultural values and to recognize how storytelling influences our perspectives and skills that are essential for success in university education, in careers and in life overall beyond academia
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Recommended by Gregory Raupp, Fulton Schools director of partnerships and innovation
Enzo, a golden retriever, the narrator and engine of this story, is at the end of his life and is reflecting on his role as the essential witness to the human life of Denny Swift, his owner.
Denny is an aspiring Formula One racecar driver. He teaches Enzo — and through Enzo he teaches you, the reader — the fundamental truths of racing in the rain (a metaphor for the uncontrollable storms and chaos we experience) that turn out to be laws for life.
The laws? Finesse. Precise calculated touch rather than brute force. Radical focus in the present moment, and the ultimate truth of the racetrack, the one Enzo really latches onto as the key to our destiny: Your car goes where your eyes go. Simple as that.
If you stare at the wall, the obstacle, you’ll hit the wall. You steer toward what you focus on, guaranteed. But when you instead connect precise physical control and mental presence with intentional directed focus, you get this really powerful idea: That which you manifest is before you. That profound philosophy gets tested to the absolute breaking point when Denny faces intense personal crises — unbearable loss, grief and injustice. How does it all end for Denny, and for Enzo, too? Read this heart-wrenching and heartwarming book to find out.
AI and the Art of Being Human by Jeffrey Abbott and Andrew Maynard
Recommended by Xin Xu, assistant professor of engineering in The Polytechnic School
Subtitled “A practical guide to thriving with AI while rediscovering yourself in the process,” Abbott and Maynard’s book show how with the rapid advances of artificial intelligence, many of us are asking not only what machines can do, but what remains distinctly human about the nature of intelligence.
Through a series of fictional vignettes, the authors explore how AI may challenge our work, our sense of competence and even our identities. Their book argues that our embodied experiences, relationships and humanity are central to learning how to coexist with increasingly capable technologies. The book offers an accessible way to think through the hopes, anxieties and ethical questions surrounding AI. It complements technical knowledge with a deeper discussion of intention, care, connection and meaning — qualities that will matter in college, in careers and in life beyond school.
At a time when students are preparing for a future shaped by AI, it offers a timely reminder that technology should not replace human judgment but invite us to clarify what we value most.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Recommended by Claudia E. Zapata, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
This book is far more than a classic novel. It is a powerful exploration of ambition, resilience, family, identity and the cyclical nature of human decisions. Through the story of the Buendía family and the mythical town of Macondo, García Márquez blends history, imagination, and emotion in a way that defines the literary style known as magical realism, where the extraordinary becomes part of everyday life.
For students preparing to navigate the uncertainties of life and future careers, this book offers meaningful insights into how people respond to success, failure, isolation, love and change. García Márquez shows how personal choices, ambitions, and relationships can shape entire generations, reminding us of the importance of self-awareness, adaptability and human connection.
At the same time, the novel is deeply entertaining, filled with unforgettable characters, surreal moments and vivid storytelling that challenge readers to think beyond conventional boundaries. I especially admire how García Márquez transforms ordinary experiences into something magical while still capturing universal truths about human nature.
