Education in San Antonio

College administrators often assign incoming freshmen a book title to read before showing up for their first day of classes. These books, separate from the material they will be required to read for their courses, are simply meant to break the ice and prepare students for an increased level of learning and thought process. Even if your college hasn’t made this assignment, why not start your college career off right by exceeding expectations? Here are the most popular nonfiction titles this fall:

“The Soloist” (Steve Lopez, author). Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez came upon a homeless musician one day and it changed everything about the way sees humanity. The musician was a former Julliard student whose schizophrenia led him away from the stage and onto Skid Row. Lopez put his head together with both doctors and musicians in order to improve musician Nathaniel Ayers’ life.

“Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers. If you think you’ve already heard the most gut-wrenching stories that resulted from the natural (and federal) disaster that was Hurricane Katrina, think again. Zeitoun was among the hearty group who stayed in New Orleans to protect his home but ended up in a far different predicament than the others. Accused of being a member of Al-Qaeda, his tale lead to what the New York Times refers to as “great narrative.”

“This I Believe”, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. Allison and Gediman are editors who put together this collection from the Edward R. Murrow’s National Public Radio series of the same name. Each essay showcases an author’s anecdote that influenced his value system throughout life. The radio program, originally aired in the 1950′s and brought back in 2005, provided Allison and Gediman with hundreds of essays to choose from when compiling the book. In addition to unknown authors, readers hear from Eleanor Roosevelt, John Updike and others in regards to lessons to live by.

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. This book gives readers a look at the American food chain from cornfields in the heartland all the way to the ever-present fast food window. The book discusses the differences between industrial farming and organic growing as well as the art of hunting and gathering for survival. The author makes it alarmingly clear how much fossil fuel is used in order to bring food to our collective table and how paramount corn is to the American diet.

“Enrique’s Journey” (Sonia Nazario, author). The incredible story of a 17-year-old illegal immigrant’s trip from Honduras to the United States in search of his mother gives readers a lot to think about. This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is the basis for an upcoming series on HBO.

Alan Greene writes on college life, online colleges, online degrees, financial aid, and scholarships.