One of the biggest things I despise about my major (biomedical engineering) is the lack of reading and writing I get to do. Let me preface this by saying that I genuinely love my major and am incredibly grateful to be studying it; but after a long day filled with calculations, lab reports, and MATLAB plots, I often find myself craving something more human — something reflective, creative, or just something different. I often want to pick up a book, and no, not one on circuit theory or principles of mechanics. If you were hoping for a list of STEM books, I’m so sorry to disappoint you, but maybe that can be an article for another day.
Spending so much time in STEM has made me hyperaware of just how little I know about other areas of the world: art, politics, psychology, and philosophy. So, over the past year, I made an intentional effort to educate myself beyond the boundaries of science. I started picking up books that tackled these themes, hoping to at least become educated enough to talk about them if they are brought up in conversation.
What follows is a list of some of the books I’ve read and loved — books that helped me feel more grounded in the world outside of my major. Whether you’re in engineering, philosophy, or just curious, I truly believe there’s something in these reads for everyone!
The Body Keeps Score
By: Bessel Van Der Kolk
I think most people find psychology relatively fascinating, and when I saw this book at a quaint little bookstore in Mystic, CT, I knew I had to have it. This book was my first real dive into psychology, and honestly, it shook me in the best way. It explores how trauma physically embeds itself in the body and brain, and how healing is more complex than just “talking it out.”
Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist with decades of experience at every renowned hospital in the country, explains science in a digestible way, without feeling watered down and insignificant. The majority of the book is about his work with war veterans diagnosed with PTSD, but what struck me most was his multifaceted approach to every patient and scientific explanation for every diagnosis. If you’re looking to better understand mental health, trauma, or even just how our minds and bodies work together, this is a powerful and necessary read for anyone.
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
By: Jonathan Haidt
As someone who is not strongly politically educated, I really wanted a book to explain why people think and decide the way they do in politics. Not only did this book teach me about divisiveness in politics, but I learned so much more about how our brain is just as much intuitive than justified.
Haidt, a social psychologist and NYU professor, dives into the psychological roots of our values and why people across the political spectrum often talk past each other and conflicts often arise. This book taught me that morality isn’t just about logic but it’s deeply emotional and intuitive. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the complexities behind human belief systems, especially in today’s polarized world.
The Secret History
By: Donna Tart
I physically cannot stop myself from recommending this book — seriously, it’s become a problem. In almost every article I’ve written about book recommendations, The Secret History somehow makes an appearance. I first discovered it through TikTok back in 2023, immediately ran to my nearest Barnes & Noble to grab a copy, and since then, I’ve read it a whopping three times.
The book follows a group of eccentric classics students at an elite college in Vermont who get a little too caught up in their own world of academia, and it takes a dark spiral. Tartt writes in a hauntingly beautiful way, full of philosophical undertones and literary flair, but in a way that never comes off as pretentious. It’s part mystery, part philosophical exploration, and entirely poetic. If you’re looking for a story that dives into morality, beauty, obsession, and the consequences of intellectual arrogance, this is a must-read.
The Shortest History of Israel and Palestine
By: Michael Scott-Bauman
I think it is a well-known fact that the Palestine and Israel conflict is a main furnace in America’s political climate. As some of my friends were talking about the war’s complexities last year, I realized how little I knew of the facts of the matter. I’m no historian or political scientist, but I knew to have no knowledge of such a significant conflict would be downright wrong.
This book lays out the history in a way that’s both digestible and balanced, giving context without overwhelming you with detail. It doesn’t pretend to offer easy answers, but it does provide the historical background needed to make sense of an incredibly complex situation. Even though I don’t know everything about how deep-rooted the Israel-Palestine war truly is, this read has made me significantly more confident in my understanding of the issue. If you’ve ever felt confused, hesitant, or intimidated by the topic (like I was), this is a great place to start learning with some clarity and compassion.
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America
by Heather Cox Richardson
Heather Cox Richardson, a history professor from Boston College, does a beautiful job of unpacking how America’s current political climate didn’t come out of nowhere but is the product of centuries of choices, systems, and power struggles. What I appreciated most was how she tied past events to the present in a way that’s clear, calm, and actually hopeful for our future.
My only complaint with this book is that it was strongly left-leaning, and I was trying to make my own inferences from an unbiased standpoint. Nonetheless, learning any educated person’s perception of our world’s politics is fascinating to the naked eye. For anyone trying to make sense of the news or just understand what’s really at stake in our democracy, this book is a great pick to get started.
Overall
In my last year, exploring these books has reminded me that education isn’t limited to what we learn in college. I may spend the majority of the time using Coulomb’s law or integrating factors, but reading outside my expertise has given me a deeper understanding of the world and my place in it. Whatever your major or your path is, I hope these books inspire you to read more broadly, think more deeply, and never stop learning!