The Best Books to Give to Grads

I’m often wary of self-help books, but this book has real, actionable tips for how to actually break your bad habits—and how to form new ones. It emphasizes that the system readers implement is what’s important, not some individual failure to meet their goals. Naturally, it suggests a new system and approach that works better. Include a gift receipt: if your grads email it to the makers of the book, they can also get a habits cheat sheet, a companion reading guide, and a habit tracker template.

At Tulane University’s graduation in 2018, two-time National Book Award–winning author Jesmyn Ward gave a speech about grit and holding strong through difficult times. She talks about her family’s history and the systemic issues surrounding their choices. She advises graduates to be patient, hold on tight to their dreams, celebrate what they have been given, and keep at it with rugged persistence. This short, beautifully illustrated volume will inspire new graduates (as well as, frankly, any other readers who pick it up).

These graduates will probably call their parents several times a year to ask important questions. Questions like: how do I clean a burnt stove? Or, how am I supposed to dust my ceiling fan? But Jolie Kerr knows there are some questions your grads won’t be able to ask their parents, like how to get bong water out of their cute little dorm room shag carpet. That’s where Kerr comes in. She’s funny and accessible, and uses silly (and slightly raunchy) examples, but she also has seriously good tips on how to clean and tackle real messes, and what basics to always have on hand for good cleaning.

Every twentysomething seems to believe that sleep is something they can catch up on, and every thirtysomething I know wants to go back and tell their younger self that it is not. Matthew Walker does two things. First, he talks about all the different sleep issues we have, in a way that’s helped people I know fix their problems. And second, he talks about how getting bad sleep can ruin your life. Scare those kids straight! Just kidding, sort of, but if I’d read this at age 18, I would have gone to a sleep specialist much, much earlier for my insomnia.

We’ve all talked about it: school doesn’t teach you essential things, like whether to get a credit card. Or how to manage your student loans alongside your rent. This book helps to walk younger readers through just about all of it: managing student loans, being honest with your partner about finances, being careful about credit checks, how to find the right savings account, and much more. Readers will find it accessible and practical, but imbued with a tone that makes it sound like advice from a good family friend. (Even if your grad isn’t exactly a millennial.)

Chances are, climate change has impacted your graduates. Some might be wondering whether there’s any hope given what former generations have done. But good news: climate scientists do not believe we are doomed. This book will help present your graduates with the possibilities and ways to imagine a future world where we can be better to Mother Earth and save our communities as well. Follow it up with a recommendation for What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and your graduate will be infused with hope.

Sometimes, it helps to hear it from someone you know is successful. And graduates will know the name of hitmaker Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal). Rimes describes herself as an introvert, uncomfortable with public speaking and confrontation, actively avoiding publicity opportunities. Then, one day, her sister told her, “You never say yes to anything.” Rhimes decided that for a year, she would practice saying yes to all the things she didn’t want to do. Her journey will be inspiring and her success self-evident to any young, shy introverts or media hopefuls.

I once watched, fascinated, as a group of fellow college students stood around a stovetop tried to figure out how to “make the water boil.” I have met thirtysomethings who live purely off of pre-made frozen food and takeout. So here’s an idea: get these kids a cookbook! This cookbook is in its 15th edition for a reason. Tried and tested hundreds of times by thousands of Better Homes & Garden readers, these recipes are simple and proven quantities with a wide variety of cuisines and approaches to cooking. (Though for an extra personal touch, choose a cookbook whose recipes mirror what your graduate would be eating back at home.)

For better or for worse, figuring out “your brand” is kind of crucial these days, whether for entrepreneurs and influencers or to communicate to potential employers the kind of person you are through your one-page resume. Estrada, a queer Latine man turned real estate broker and public speaker, talks readers through finding their brand in an authentic way, which can help readers grow their influence or business. Estrada layers in dozens of examples and case studies that help reinforce his concepts.

We’ve all been there: it’s been a long day, you have dozens more things to do, and you look at how messy your room is, and can’t figure out where to start…so you feel bad about yourself and skip it all together. This book understands. It walks readers through how to avoid the “stress-mess cycle” (where your stress and mess both get worse and worse), negative self-talk, and feeling overwhelmed. Davis, a therapist who encountered this problem as a mom, helps readers do things like get their room to “good enough” in 10 minutes, or shift their mindset to making their room work well for their daily routine.

Let me say it once again: it’s easy, right now, for recent graduates to feel a little hopeless. Butler was an author famous for her dystopian futures—Parable of the Sower, published in 1993, recently went viral for its eerily correct predictions. So it’s all the more prescient that in this essay, Butler focuses on hope. She doesn’t say the answers are easy: there’s no one easy fix. But she had a lot of wisdom for how to look towards the future, both realistically and with an eye towards hope. We can never truly predict the future, Butler says—but we can give warnings, point out wise courses of action, and do our best to shape the future into something good. Graduates will be bolstered by this realistic but inspiring outlook.