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A curated collection of must-read books exploring humanity's relationship with Earth, the unfolding climate crisis, and the pathways to a sustainable future. These works traverse a range of perspectives—systemic critiques of capitalism and industrialization, heart-wrenching narratives of collapse and biodiversity loss, and inspiring visions of hope through innovative solutions and ancient wisdom.

From the hard truths of ecological limits and the science of climate change to the poetic beauty of rewilding and the practicalities of redesigning our systems, this list celebrates the urgency and wonder of living on a planet worth fighting for. Whether you seek to deepen your understanding, reimagine the future, or find hope amidst the chaos, this list offers something for everyone who cares about the fate of our shared home.

As the American empire unravels before our eyes, echoes of past collapses—Rome, the Weimar Republic, the Soviet Union—remind us that decline is not a singular event but a process, one that can be studied, understood, and endured. These books explore the rise of fascism, the fall of superpowers, and the lives of those who survived the wreckage. Some offer practical wisdom for resisting authoritarianism, while others document the brutal realities of political and economic collapse. Together, they form a guide to navigating the darkness ahead, not with naïve optimism, but with the hard-earned knowledge that even in the longest night, understanding can be a kind of solace.

This reading list is a comprehensive deep dive into existentialism and absurdism, tracing their evolution from classic philosophical works to their relevance in 21st-century crises—climate collapse, racial injustice, gender identity, and the failures of late capitalism. For the ambitious self-studier, I think you could split this list into two semester's worth of content over the span of a year.

The first half of the year establishes a foundation with existentialist fiction and philosophy from Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir, Dostoevsky, and Frankl, exploring alienation, freedom, and the search for meaning. Alongside these canonical texts, critiques from MacIntyre, Taylor, and Crosby challenge existentialism’s individualism and ethical ambiguity, ensuring a rigorous, self-interrogating study.

The second half expands existentialism beyond its European and 20th-century roots, engaging with Black existentialism (Fanon, Baldwin, Wilderson), queer and feminist perspectives (Butler, Muñoz, Federici), and climate existentialism (Hägglund, Wallace-Wells, Tesson). These readings push existentialist questions into urgent modern contexts, asking whether existentialism still holds up in the face of systemic oppression and ecological catastrophe. Interwoven critiques from Marxist, structuralist, and postcolonial perspectives prevent the philosophy from becoming an intellectual dead end.

By the end of the list, you won’t just have read existentialist philosophy—you’ll have tested it, applied it, and examined its relevance to contemporary struggles. This is more than a reading list; it’s an opportunity to engage deeply with existentialist thought as a living, evolving framework for navigating meaning, responsibility, and resistance in an uncertain world.

This list inspired by my own college days along with the wonderful "Teach Yourself CS" website. Only has undergrad material since I never went further past that level myself. List is ordered in the way you should read the books; not a ranking. Please note that Computer Science != Software Engineering/Development, though there is of course some overlap between the two.

If I were a CS student today (as of 2025), I'd learn Python as a high-level general language (including OOP; I think Java sucks) and Rust for lower-level MEMORY SAFE systems programming (along with exposure to C for contrast; you cannot escape C -especially for OS and compilers- and every CS student needs to experience the joys of SEGFAULT at least once in their lives). You'd do well in learning how to write bash scripts and use the CLI also, just from a practical standpoint. Considering that Data Science, ML, and AI are all the rage these days, I've also added some 300-400 level texts for those too.

This list inspired by my own college days along with Susan Rigetti's (née Fowler) wonderful "So You Want to Learn Physics..." blog post. Mostly weighted towards undergrad material since I never went further past that level myself. List is ordered in the way you should read the books; not a ranking. Assumes you have high school math at the level of algebra, trig, and geometry decently mastered going into this list.