Before I went to NYU for my undergraduate degree, many adults in my life said college was an environment that encouraged radical politics. Fox News pundits opined about how professors were indoctrinating their students into the far left. This talking point is still popular today.

When I arrived, I saw a reality that was the opposite of what I had heard. Most colleges produce people who uphold the status quo, intentionally or not. If you enter a university as a Democrat from a blue state, you will likely leave with the same politics. Administrators, law enforcement and employers severely punish the few students who protest and adopt radical politics outside the two-party system.

During my four years at NYU, none of my professors assigned me a book that challenged my political views or made me the slightest bit uncomfortable. It was only after college that I had time to read books and consume content that pushed me past status quo opinions.

If you’re in college right now, it is possible to read books that will make you uncomfortable, but also wiser. Don’t expect help from your professors, though. Here I will offer you curated books lists and tips on how to make time for the reading that really matters.

The Types of Books That Will Make You Uncomfortable in a Good Way

There are useful and useless types of discomfort. For people who have hemaphobia, there’s not much sense in reading a book about mosquitoes. Regarding political, cultural and religious views, however, there is value in books that catalyze intellectual discomfort.

Use this breakdown of hot topics and books to find your starting point:

• The Two-Party System: “The Tyranny of the Two-Party System” by Lisa Disch
• Palestine: The Rauch Review’s List of Books About Palestine
• Political Labels: “The Death of the Liberal Class” by Chris Hedges and “Listen Liberal” by Thomas Frank
• Controversial Political Ideologies: 6 Books on Socialism, Not Written by Fake Socialists or Capitalists
• Religious Scripture vs. History: “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” by Reza Aslan

How to Make Time for This Reading: Delegate Busywork

I was horribly busy during college. There wasn’t any time for pleasure reading.

Looking back, many of my assignments were busywork. Some of the books I wrote essays on were titles I had already covered as assigned reading in high school. If I could do it again, I wish I had the option to pay someone to write my assignment at PapersOwl — this way it could be done online and quickly. That way I could have saved the interesting work for myself and made more time for the reading I wanted to do. Having a real person do the work is the smartest approach. Professors are improving their ability to scan for AI usage. Speaking for myself, I am opposed to AI usage that takes work away from skilled writers who deserve income sources.

Another big timesuck is assignments for job and/or internship interview rounds. When you’re applying to dozens of places every week, it’s not always realistic to do every single assignment yourself. During the employee phase of my career in content marketing, there were times when I wish I had sought marketing assignment help online. Again, it would’ve been nice to spend more time reading books that strengthened my mind.

Extra Credit Reading

If you think we are missing important book suggestions, please let us know in the comments below! We especially love discovering hidden gems. There’s a good chance the book you suggest will make it onto our social media and newsletter.