Literature

about a dozen covers of books in the 2025 summer reading list

Arts & culture

This year’s UC Berkeley summer reading list theme? Generosity

Curated by Berkeley faculty, staff and students, the list of more than a dozen books includes everything from a story about a human and a robot to an alum's Pulitzer Prize-wining account of coming of age at Berkeley.

two images side by side: on the left, the cover of the book Open Socrates and on the right, Judith Butler and Agnes Callard in a conversation

Events at Berkeley

Berkeley Talks: The case for a philosophical life, with Agnes Callard and Judith Butler

Fiona McFarlane holds an award for The Story Prize and smiles

Arts & culture

English Professor Fiona McFarlane’s ‘Highway Thirteen’ wins The Story Prize

Fiona McFarlane juxtaposed next to the cover of her book Highway 13

Arts & culture

In 12 short stories, ‘Highway Thirteen’ traces the ripple effects of one man’s violence

Berkeley Talks: Poet Ocean Vuong on disobedience and the power of language

Two young girls sit closely together in this scene from the HBO series

No. 1 book of the century, ‘My Brilliant Friend’, is subject of UC Berkeley research, courses

The white cover of an artist book with a sepia-toned drawing of an eye next to a row of several vials labeled things like,

Artists’ books shine in new exhibit at the UC Berkeley Library

Berkeley Talks: Reconsidering Black America’s relationship to the plantation

Jeff MacKie-Mason, dressed in all black, sits on a couch and smiles for a portrait

Jeff MacKie-Mason has seen the future of libraries

Off-script at Berkeley: How one graduate made a home on campus apart from her twin

Two images side by side: The first is a book cover of The Ministry for the Future; second is Kim Stanley Robinson holding a mic while giving a talk

Berkeley Talks: Sci-fi writer Kim Stanley Robinson on the need for ‘angry optimism’

Saagar, with short dark hair and glasses, wearing a powder blue suit, holds a viola to his chin while standing in a courtyard

Berkeley Voices: Medieval song holds clues to lost dialects

Berkeley Talks: Poulomi Saha on why we’re so obsessed with cults

Berkeley Talks: Poet Ishion Hutchinson reads ‘The Mud Sermon’ and other poems

a student sits surrounded by tall grass reading a book

UC Berkeley summer reading list for new students

images of three book covers: one that reads

Check out this year’s Library picks of books by LGBTQ+ authors

All Literature