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Best Reads

Recommend a best book read

Books Available from UCNJ Libraries (rotating gallery)

The Alchemist

"I love how Bible scriptures and real life are entwined." - Gerri Sutton, Student

The Book of Joy

"Incredible accounting of the friendship and spiritual lessons from the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. [This book] provides many insights and lessons for life." - Karen Venturella, Faculty

Born a Crime

"I loved this book it was deep and funny at the same time. Trevor Noah tells his story of his childhood and I learned about a lot of things I did not know about like apartheid." - Kiyanna Lawrence, Student

A Burning

"A riveting novel that is set in a vastly diverse and developing country and mirrors the lives of those who have experienced the challenges of acceptance and identity, class struggle, marginalization and social justice. In this fast-paced and globalized society, hunger for power, wealth and fame commonly leads to corruption, discrimination and scapegoating, which are central themes of this illuminating novel." - Dr. Sophia Mitra, Faculty

Can't Hurt Me

"Excellent book, describes that everyone is capable of reaching their goals, as long as they have will power and discipline." - Anonymous, Staff

Crossing the Line

"Fast moving memoir by Kareem Rosser, captain of an all-Black polo team that won a national pro championship." - Cathy Avino, Staff

Fairy Tale

"The plot of this book involves a teenage boy from the real world, who inherits the caretaking of a portal to a fantasy world. One of my favorite story telling devices is the combination of a real world character who goes into a fantasy world. Stephen King uses this device to great effect. The boy aids in the other world's fight against evil. It is a compelling story about taking a stand for the good creatures of every world." - Casey Williams, Faculty

The Glass Castle

"It's a true story and it's story is powerful." -- Karol Cabrera, Student

How to Win Friends and Influence People

"One of the best books I’ve read, teaches you a lot of psychology, how to psychologically persuade someone and understand them." Kamilla Tala, Student

The Insanity File: the Case of Mary Todd Lincoln

"A crazy account of the mental illness of Mary Todd Lincoln and how she was tried in court to see if she was legally insane enough to be committed. The book gives insight into the way women and mentally ill people were treated during this time." - Kelsey Gallagher, Staff

It Ends with Us

"its more like a romantic novel." - Jocelyn Soria, Student

Life of Pi

"The book Life of Pi is a game-changing masterpiece of the imagination that will both thrill and astound readers. In the words of one character, it is a tale that might make you have faith in God and the success of storytelling." - Student

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

"It is a brutally realistic story about the memories of a child soldier in war torn Sierra Leone. It opened a new perspective to war and its hardships." - Junaid Ilyas, Student

The Mysterious Island

"Amazing, informative story." - Carolina Vargas, Student

Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

"A beautiful book that takes you through four generations of a poor Korean family that takes through their journey until 20-century japan. This novel deals with issues such as struggle, sacrifice, immigration, etc. A heartfelt story that draws you in from the beginning making you want to read it all the way through." - Yongsuk Ilemabila, Student

The Personal Librarian

"I never heard of the protagonist in this novel before, but Belle da Costa Greene quickly became a character that I admired. She is a real person, and was the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan. The things she accomplished as a woman in the turn of the century inspired me. I needed to know more about her so I read An Illuminated Life by Heidi Ardizzone and visited The Morgan Library in NYC to she her office. The Morgan Library is such a treasury in midtown Manhattan. If you are also a fan of the book The Little Prince, they are having a Little Prince exhibition until February. It's worth the trip." - Jacqueline Zdziarski, Staff

Pretty Girls

"It's very creepy and suspenseful." - Naomi Martinez, Student

Pride and Prejudice

"The symbolism throughout the book is phenomenal. The underlying there are also so great and relate to human nature and roles for women back then." -- Caryn Albelo, Student

Purple Hibiscus

"Set in Nigeria this is an amazing story about a young girl's coming of age in the midst of political unrest, religious fanaticism, and family strife." - Dr. Joyce Maxwell, English Faculty

Ready Player One

"He book provides great storytelling and is very well paced. It deals with dystopia, action, adventure, and multiple areas of fiction." - Kentaro Taguchi, Student

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

"A fascinating history of the world of video game development. Also a love story, but not in the traditional sense." - Kate Ryan, Staff

The Scarlet Letter

"It was a very good book, where it shows things that happened since the beginning of time, is still happening today!" - Otenwaa Oppong-Boateng, Student

Books not Available from UCNJ Libraries (rotating gallery)

After You

"The journey of the main character is something that is very real and I loved the way Jojo Moyes portrays her in a realistic way. Her emotions and reasonings are very realistic as well. Even though I have never been through what she has experienced, I can still feel all her emotions." - Evana Akter, Student

Barely Breathing

"It is a romance series that tells the story of an abused high school girl, that tries out new things for love, but her abuser always gets in the way with ruining her chances at happiness. Recommend reading the other two books that come after in this trilogy. It’s is rated pg-13." - Wendy Zaleya, Student

City of Bones

"I recommend reading this book if you're looking for something more adventurous. City of Bones is about a 15 year old name Clary. She sees a murder happen and the body vanished into thin air. Also this book is apart of the Mortal Instrument series which you should definitely read as well." - Ana Condo, Student

Legendborn

"There is a black main character, magic, romance, LGBT characters and adventure (There's two books)." - Juanita Tillery, Student

Schoolgirl

"A very emotional book, dives into deep topics most authors wouldn’t discuss. It felt very natural and intimate." - Nicole Villavicencio, Student

The Summer Place

"Summer Book. I saw it on an ABC News and was excited to read it" - Kashia Francois, Student

The Things We Left Unsaid

"Very interesting." - Yaire Martinez, Student

Top Five Regrets of the Dying

"This book changed my perspective about life, and opened my eyes to many aspects I never considered such as being grateful for our life, and the life of our loved ones." - Sol Pinilla, Student

UCNJ LibGuides at Union College