Books for College Students (And Their Parents)

I read a blog post for students heading to college (and their parents). It was a list of recommended books to help them form a Christian worldview. I forwarded the link to my friend, Tim Raymund, who has two starting college this Fall. I asked him if he had any additions to the list. Here was his response (with his permission):

I would consider Joshua Harris' book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." This book proposes a rather challenging view on co-ed relationships that one is not likely to ever encounter in secular thinking. It seems a good book for parents and students to read together and I would expect it to provoke some rather interesting discussions...

The other book that seemed helpful was Rovert Kiyosake's "Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens." Warning - this book has no Christian perspective and rather unashamedly promotes wealth as success! Despite having this rather major drawback, the book is full of simple and practical advice (which I have to say I sometimes disagree with). The book actually seemed to inspire some thought and (gasp) action towards improving money management on the part of our students. I really enjoyed the implicit assumptions and commentary about money and our society, but that may not be generally interesting.

I also recommend (though so far have had no takers) John White's book "The Fight." (White also wrote "Daring to Draw Near" and "Eros Defiled"). "The Fight" takes the reader through a measured, succinct and yet thorough review of Christianity, often pointing out the difference between worldly and Godly thinking and behavior. It's not an easy read - White tends to lecture, the chapters are a bit long, and the Bible studies at the end of each chapter are sometimes rather simplistic. Still, the material is quite good and the effort worthwhile.

I am, of course, a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. I recommend any of his nonfiction to anyone wanting to get a grasp on what the world thinks. Unfortunately, students seem to find him hard to read and it may take some experience before one acquires an interest.

tim

How about you? Got any "Must Read" books for Christian students setting out on their own?