As a junior at Notre Dame, it feels like I am reading all the time. And yet, I cannot remember the last time I read a book for myself. Everything I pick up has been assigned to me. More often than not, professors assign excerpts from a variety of authors instead of entire books, following a national trend. 

I am nearing the end of my time in college, which means I will no longer be assigned reading—thank goodness! But it also means I risk not reading altogether, since I now associate reading with school. 

In order to anticipate that risk and ensure I keep reading great books post-grad that positively influence my personal development, I asked a few of my favorite professors for their recommendations.

He Leadeth Me (Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ)

Recommended by Daniel Philpott

“A narrative of a tough priest from Pennsylvania who ventures into Stalin’s Russia and is redeemed in an unexpected way, it speaks about surrendering to God and finding vocation, a message that spoke to me and speaks to every young person starting out in his or her career.”

Prison Journal (George Cardinal Pell)

Recommended by Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C.

“I recommend all three volumes, but especially volume one, The Cardinal Makes His Appeal. Don’t be put off by the length of these journals that Cardinal Pell kept during his time of unjust imprisonment. The journals reveal the courage and strength of a good man in the face of humiliation and injustice. Pell’s story will aid all readers in deepening their Christian commitment in the face of contemporary challenges.” 

From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age (University of Mary)

Recommended by Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C.

“All serious adult Catholics need to read the book which emerged from conversations at the University of Mary, titled From Christendom to Apostolic Mission: Pastoral Strategies for an Apostolic Age (2020). This is a relatively short book, but it is filled with insight and wisdom about the course our Church must pursue in an era of increasing disbelief. It provides enormously helpful counsel as to how we must journey forward as missionary disciples.”

Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography (Thomas A. Schwartz)

Recommended by Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C.

“For those who have an interest in foreign policy and the U.S.’s role in the world, I commend the masterful biography by Thomas A. Schwartz titled Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography (2020). Schwartz gives a brilliant account of Kissinger’s life and career in a way that is accessible to a younger generation who might know little about him. He particularly shows how domestic political concerns inform and shape foreign policy development. While Kissinger was prominent in the twentieth century, his contributions teach important lessons for the twenty-first.”

Regime Change: Towards a Postliberal Future (Patrick Deneen) 

Recommended by Fr. Bill Miscamble, C.S.C.

“Patrick Deneen is now the most prominent and insightful public intellectual at the University of Notre Dame, and his book is a crucially important contribution to the debate over the future of the American society and polity as the neoliberal era comes to an end. All serious Catholics should reflect on Deneen’s development of the idea of “aristopopulism” and how they may contribute to its implementation.”

The Song of Bernadette (Franz Werfel) 

Recommended by Catherine Cavadini

“It is just a very beautiful story! It is historical fiction, based closely on the events at Lourdes, but written (by a Jew who escaped the Nazis via Lourdes) so as to help us love Mary better, and we do this by accompanying St. Bernadette through her life. If you want something beautiful to read, to fill your soul, read this, for sure.”

Sachiko (Shusaku Endo) 

Recommended by Catherine Cavadini

“This is a novel written by Shusaku Endo, famous for books like Silence and The Samurai. It was only recently translated from Japanese, c. 2020. It is the story of a woman named Sachiko and the man she loves, Shuhei. But their lives are entwined with that of St. Maximilian Kolbe, and so we get his story, too. I think it is a beautiful read, but it is also the opportunity to receive the Gospel through another culture, which can be eye-opening!”

I am confident that these books will help me reframe the way I sometimes think about reading: it is not something I have to do, but rather something I get to do. 

As I begin the journey of navigating life after my time at Notre Dame, I hope these books will help me rediscover the joy of reading a good book, which unfortunately is hard to remember amid the exams and papers. Hopefully, these suggestions can rekindle your love for reading as well, and help you in your new stage of life.