Welcome to Berkeley! Every summer, we send new freshmen a list of books suggested by faculty and staff from across campus. This is not an “official” list, or even a list of required reading. It’s just for you to enjoy as you wish.

This year, we asked the Cal community to recommend books—of any genre—about survival: the threats to survival, the paths to survival, tales of survival from the past, and thoughts on what it means to survive—or not. The books they recommended variously explore how humans, plants, and animals struggle to cope, and sometimes thrive, in certain environments. Collectively the list offers scientific, humanistic, social, historical, and futuristic perspectives on how this theme relates to us as individuals, cultures, species, and as a planet.

These books are all available in the UC Berkeley libraries. Since many of you will be far from campus this summer, you may want to check out a copy from your local library or buy one from a bookstore near you. We hope you’ll choose to read at least one, as a reminder that UC Berkeley is a vital intellectual community that generates and debates fascinating and important ideas.

Elizabeth Dupuis
The Library

Steve Tollefson
College Writing Programs
Office of Educational Development