Stanford UniversityStanford Orientation: Three Books List
The Three Books program introduces incoming Stanford students to thought‑provoking themes and authors before they arrive on campus. Each year, a faculty member selects three works designed to spark conversation and reflection, serving as a shared intellectual experience for the new class. This archive presents past selections, ranging from explorations of biodiversity and environmental science to discussions of perspective, empathy, and hope — a tradition that connects students to ideas and to one another from the very start of their Stanford journey.
1. Self-Making
Stories of grit, learning, and transformation under pressure.
Educated
Picked by Shashank Joshi, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Groundbreaking psychology of perseverance and success.
One Bullet Away
Recommended by Scott Sagan, Professor of Political Science
Strength in What Remains
Picked by Debra Satz, Professor of Philosophy
2. Memory
Personal and collective histories confronting trauma, survival, and identity.
Between the World and Me
National Book Award–winning letter on race in America.
First They Killed My Father
Recommended by Nicholas Jenkins, Associate Professor of English
Cane River
Recommended by John Hennessy, President of Stanford University
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Picked by Debra Satz, Professor of Philosophy
3. Hidden Worlds
Science that reveals unseen layers of nature and human systems.
An Immense World
Picked by Liz Hadly, Professor of Environmental Biology and Earth System Science
The Sixth Extinction
Recommended by Noah Diffenbaugh, Professor of Earth System Science
The Innovators
From John Hennessy, President of Stanford University
4. Imagination
Fiction that reimagines human experience and opens emotional landscapes.
Salvage the Bones
Picked by Noah Diffenbaugh, Professor of Earth System Science
The Kite Runner
Recommended by Tobias Wolff, Professor of English
My Year of Meats
From Persis Drell, Dean of the School of Engineering and Professor of Physics
The Art of Fielding
Picked by Nicholas Jenkins, Associate Professor of English
Fargo Rock City
Picked by Mark Applebaum, Associate Professor of Music