31 Great Books for Grads

Around this time each year, Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss shoots to the top of best seller lists. Books do indeed make great graduation gifts. However, as William Strunk advised in his classic Elements of Style, “Avoid cliches like the plague." In writing as in gift buying, it’s a good idea to give something that your grad will love but might not expect. 

In the spirit of our mission—to teach the ways of great leaders, writers, thinkers, and citizens—we recommend these great works of non-fiction for the grad on your gift list. These books are sure to guide, encourage, inspire, and instruct—because learning is for life, not just for school. Plus, there’s a little something for everyone, from your budding writer to your future lawyer to your aspiring business leader. 

1) The American Spirit by David McCullough
2) Truman by David McCullough
3) Scalia Dissents by Kevin A. Ring
4) The Pleasures of Reading in the Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs
5) The Last Lion by William Manchester
6) Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
7) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
8) 7 Men by Eric Metaxas
9) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
10) Ida Tarbell by Kathleen Brady
11) Good to Great by Jim Collins
12) 7 Women by Eric Metaxas
13) 8 Women of Faith by Michael A.G. Harkin
14) Home Economics by Wendell Berry
15) His Excellency by Joseph Ellis
16) Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
17) First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph Ellis
18) The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
19) Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
20) L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer
21) Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
22) Rachel Carson: The Writer at Work by Paul Brooks
23) Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham
24) Rising to the Challenge by Carly Fiorina
25) The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharpe
26) You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life by Eleanor Roosevelt
27) Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
28) Poetic Diction by Owen Barfield
29) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
30) Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Clayborne Carson
31) Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas

These books are certainly worthy of a spot on your grad's reading stack. Also, we feature many of these authors and subjects in our new homeschool writing curriculum for high school students. Even if you don’t have a graduation gift to buy, these books make great summer reading for homeschool families--parents and students alike!  

---