13 Books That Would Make Awesome Graduation Gifts

Give the new grad in your life the gift of reading for pleasure, not homework

May 12, 2025

Hi, friends.

The weather is warming up in earnest, the blooms are blooming, and my sunscreen has made its way into my purse for the season. That can only mean one thing: graduation season is upon us.

To some, a book might feel like a weird graduation gift — won’t they have had enough of reading from all that studying? But I remember when I graduated from college, with my time suddenly my own again, all I wanted to do was read for pleasure for the first time in years.

So this week, I have a roundup of 13 books that I think would make awesome graduation gifts, no matter what kind of reader your grad is.

Wisdom to pass along

Wallet Activism: How to Use Every Dollar You Spend, Earn, and Save as a Force for Change by Tanja Hester: For most grads, personal finance is obviously going to be a lot more relevant than it has been before. In this book, Hester does an incredible job of explaining how to align your spending with your values and make ethical choices when deciding things like where to bank and what to invest in.
Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives by Sami Sage and Emily Amick: This is a super approachable and helpful guide to civic engagement, from where to start to how to find opportunities that best fit your skills and lifestyle.
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman: This one is for the type A grad in your life. I wish I could go back in time and teach younger Deedi that there’s no such thing as the bottom of a to-do list, so she shouldn’t break her back trying to find it.
Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey: This one is on my TBR, but it comes highly recommended by a friend whose values align with mine, and I think the name says it all.
Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone by Sarah Jaffe: Another pick from my TBR that seems like a book I wish younger Deedi could read.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer: If you’ve read this, you know: Braiding Sweetgrass is one of those books that not only changes the way you see the world, but also becomes one of your most cherished possessions.

Novels to reignite their love of fiction

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: Chances are high that they read The Hunger Games when they were younger, and this book is flying off shelves. Better yet, just get them a boxed set of the whole series so they can reread from the beginning.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: This is one of the most beautiful pieces of fiction I’ve ever read, and it’s all about divorcing your self-worth from shoulds, letting go of the idea that you need to earn your rest, and giving yourself permission to simply exist.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: This is my can’t-miss book recommendation. I don’t know anyone who’s read it who didn’t love it. A slam dunk for anyone, but especially someone picking up their first for-fun novel in years.

For those with niche interests

For the environmentalist: What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: You know what, actually, get them this one on audio. Trust me.
For the writer: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: A classic for a reason! See all the tabs in my personal copy above?
For the athlete: Choosing to Run by Des Linden: An incredible memoir by an incredible athlete, full of wisdom and paced perfectly.
For the history buff: Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham: This legitimately reads like a thriller. And since your grad (presumedly) wasn’t alive when the explosion happened, I bet a lot of the details will be new to them — making it even more mind-blowing.

As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post. I’d love to hear your go-to recs for new grads in the comments, too.

Finally, if you like this newsletter, please send a few friends my way.

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Until next time,

— Deedi (she/her)