10 on a Theme: Educated
Books for back-to-school season
Whether I like it or not, back-to-school season is upon us. It seems like everywhere I turn, I see gluesticks on sale, packs of Lysol wipes, and new backpacks featuring cartoon characters I don’t recognize. I love school supplies with my entire being, but all these signs of school's return mean that my summer break is almost over. I'll be back in my school libraries in a couple of weeks. That's good news because I love my job and colleagues, but summer break has been such a gift. I've rediscovered hobbies, de-stressed, and accomplished some tasks around the house. I have truly been living my best life and haven’t seen 5:00 a.m. in weeks.
Since part of me dreads the end of my break, I'm trying to focus on what I'm excited about, like seeing my favorite people and reading more books set in academia. I’m always eager to read campus stories or tales of teachers and students. In this post, I'm sharing some of my favorite scholastic picks. Whether you're a student, educator, parent, or have nothing to do with school anymore, I hope you find some exciting titles to add to your TBR. Let's get this class started.
Dare Me by Megan Abbott: Beth and Addy are high school cheerleaders beginning their senior year. Their new coach, Collette, instantly intrigues them. She represents the womanhood they crave. As Collette grows closer to the squad, Beth remains an outsider. She doesn't trust the coach, and she's frustrated by Addy's fascination with her. When a suicide happens, the police start asking questions of Collette and her girls, testing their bond.
Dare Me is a tense yet slow-burn thriller that perfectly captures the uncertainties and yearning of girlhood. As a little kid, I was enraptured by cheerleaders, so reading about them as an adult was a lot of fun, even though this book gets quite dark. If you've yet to read anything by Megan Abbott, this is an excellent place to start. She's one of my go-to thriller and mystery writers because she’s great at creating suspense.
The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu: In The Faculty Lounge, readers follow a cast of characters working at a local Texas high school. The school is struggling, and so are many of its employees. We meet the overwhelmed principal, a new teacher who finds a dead substitute on the lounge sofa, a custodian worried about her immigration status, and several others. Each chapter is like a short story, but the characters often overlap, helping the book feel cohesive. I don't usually laugh out loud when I read books, but one of the early scenes in this novel had me cackling.
Along with being hilarious, the characters in this book seem like people I've met. They're each well-crafted and memorable, and I finished their stories wishing I had more time with them. Educators will love this book and feel seen, but I'm certain people outside of academia will love it, too. The Faculty Lounge is charming, creative, and a joy to read. It's one of my favorite books of 2024 so far.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai: Successful podcaster and film professor Bodie Kane returns to New Hampshire and the boarding school she attended as a teen, where she’ll teach a podcasting course. A girl in Bodie’s class wants to make a podcast about the murder of a former student who happened to be Bodie's roommate. The killer has been in prison for years, but the student thinks there's more to the story. Bodie doesn't stand in her way and quickly gets pulled back to the past as she reconsiders the crime and whether the right man is behind bars. Did Bodie know more than she realized? Who was actually telling the truth?
This book is everything I want a mystery to be: full of atmosphere, complicated characters, and twists galore. You'll enjoy this tale if you're a fan of ominous stories that reexamine the past.
The Laughter by Sonora Jha: The Laughter is told from the perspective of Dr. Oliver Harding, an older white English professor. He quickly becomes infatuated with a new Pakistani colleague in the law department, Ruhaba Khan, and the nephew who just moved in with her. Oliver begins to insert himself into Ruhaba's life more and more, full of desire and intrigue. The two begin to clash when student protests break out on their campus. Ruhaba supports the vocal students calling for more diversity, but Oliver doesn't see the need for change. Their conflict comes to a head with tragic consequences.
I admire how well Sonora Jha writes from the perspective of an unlikable white male. It's easy to believe universities around the world are full of Olivers, men content to keep their power and status at the expense of women and more diverse voices. The Laughter tackles modern DEI conflicts with superb creativity. This book is an underrated campus novel with much to say about modern academia.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell: In last week's reading roundup, I said that I read Consent by Jill Ciment, a memoir detailing the author's relationship with a teacher that began when she was a teen. I recommended My Dark Vanessa to those wanting an excellent fictional take on the same topic. Loosely inspired by Lolita, My Dark Vanessa explores the relationship between Vanessa and her English teacher, Jacob Strane.
When Vanessa was 15, Strane, who was 42 at the time, began showing her attention and affection. She'd stay after class, and he'd encourage her writing, taking her seriously as a creative thinker. She fell in love with Strane, and the two began a relationship that she believed was entirely consensual. But when Vanessa is an adult (who's still in touch with Strane), the #MeToo movement is underway, and another girl accuses Strane of assault and contacts Vanessa, raising questions she'd rather not ponder. Suddenly, Vanessa is forced to face her past and determine whether she experienced a grand love affair or abuse from a predator who groomed her.
As you can imagine, this novel is quite bleak and difficult to read at times, but it's such a powerful story that illustrates how easily women can be blamed for their own assaults. As Vanessa reconsiders her past, she shows how others can seek justice and healing by facing the truth.
Normal People by Sally Rooney: Classmates Marianne and Connell aren't in the same social circles. He's popular with a solid friend group, while Marianne is quiet, blending into the background. When their paths cross, giving them a chance to connect and talk in private, something sparks between them that follows them to the same Dublin college they attend. Now older, Marianne is more outgoing, while Connell is aimless. No matter how the two change and grow throughout the years, they're always drawn back to each other.
Normal People is a masterclass in writing believable dialogue. Sally Rooney writes honest characters, allowing the reader to be pulled all the way into their heartaches and decisions. I couldn't get enough of this book and was sad when it ended, not yet ready to say goodbye to the complex people I'd grown to love.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt: I couldn't create an academic book list without including The Secret History, the very best of dark academia. The story follows a group of elite students at a private college in New England. They're a small group studying classical literature under a charismatic and mysterious professor. In the book’s beginning, Donna Tartt explains that a character has died, and she tells how it happened. What's left for the reader to uncover is the why.
I read The Secret History over ten years ago, and when I finished it, I remember wishing I could read it all over again for the first time. It quickly became one of my top three books and has remained there since. I've been delighted to see the online fandom for this book grow in recent years. (Thanks, #BookTok!) It's a modern classic for good reason, and if you've yet to read it, now's the time.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl: Blue is a teenage girl who moves around a lot with her eccentric father. When she enrolls in a prestigious new high school, she finally meets some kids like her: curious, intelligent, passionate, and a little weird. When suspicious deaths occur, Blue wants to solve the mysteries and figure out the truth.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics is like The Secret History's lighter and funnier younger sibling. Marisha Pessl's novel is full of literary references, making it an extra-fun read for bibliophiles.
Stoner by John Williams: Nine of the ten books on this book list feature entertaining plots, and then there's Stoner, which sits alongside The Secret History in my top three novels of all time. It's a simple story about William Stoner, a man born in Missouri and expected to work as a farmer. Instead, Stoner follows his passion and enrolls in college to study literature, becoming an English professor. Stoner is the story of his life at the University of Missouri.
Even though this book doesn't have much plot, some critics have called it a perfect novel, and I tend to agree. (There’s even a book about it.) Stoner has everything I want in a story, including impeccable writing, introspection, a believable protagonist, and a full display of human emotions. A former coworker recommended this book to me several years back, assuring me I'd love it. He was right.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi: When this novel came out, I was slightly nervous about reading it. I loved Yaa Gyasi's debut, Homegoing, and wondered if her sophomore effort would be as good. While I still like Homegoing a little more, Transcendent Kingdom is undeniably excellent. It tells the story of a scientist named Grifty, who's working on her PhD at Stanford. Her mom, who's been struggling with depression since the overdose and death of Grifty's brother, comes from Alabama to stay with her. As Grifty deals with her mother and wrestles with her own pain, she seeks to solve the answers of suffering and addiction through science. Her search for facts and absolutes brings up childhood memories of faith and the evangelicalism in which she was raised. Gyasi's novel addresses religion, immigration, addiction, family, and love in powerful ways that have stayed with me since the book's final sentence. I can't wait to see what Gyasi publishes next. She's a brilliant storyteller.
If you’d like to support my work, comment, share, upgrade to a paid subscription, buy me a coffee, or shop my bookshop or affiliate links. I love doing this work, and I’m thankful to have you in this community!
Do you love any of these books as much as I do? What other titles would make your “educated” list? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Also, I’m so close to reaching a new subscriber milestone, so I’d love it if you shared my work! Thanks so much!
Oh, I must read The Faculty Lounge immediately…or maybe suggest it for my book club of fellow teachers 😁
Great list! I absolutely loved I Have Some Questions For You!