Celebrating First-Generation College Student Day: Our favorite First-Gen Book Recommendations

Are you a first-generation college student? If you are thinking “I don’t know, what does it mean to be first-generation” then you are not alone. Until I came to college, I didn’t realize what being first-gen meant, or how significant the title was.  

To be a first-generation college student, it means that your parents did not complete a four-year bachelor’s degree. By pursuing a four-year degree, these students will be the first among their immediate family to attend college. Many universities like to recognize first-gen students because they realize that they may lack a family support system for navigating the complexities of college admission and college life. To recognize first-gen students, Susquehanna University celebrates First-Gen Day. 

First-Gen day is celebrated annually on November 8th and is a day to honor first-generation college students. At Susquehanna, we celebrate by holding first-gen centered events leading up to the 8th for our students. At the  Blough-Weis Library, we have created a list of our favorite memoirs, realistic fiction, and graphic novels that highlight first-generation student’s experience!  

Memoirs 

Educated

by Tara Westover 

Our first recommendation is an exemplary memoir for first-generation students. In her memior Educated, Tara Westover tells her story of growing up in a survivalist family and having no access to public education to earning her PhD from Cambridge University. As a first-generation student, Westover explains the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that so many first-gen students have. Whether you are a first-gen student or want to learn more about being first-gen, this is an excellent book to start with! 

Real Life

by Brandon Taylor 

Real Life by Brandon Taylor takes inspiration from Taylor’s own life. The novel follows Wallace, a Black and queer graduate student attending a predominantly white Midwestern university. As Wallace navigates his identity and academic life, he grapples with emotional isolation as he tries to understand the shadows of his childhood and past. This novel explores the complexities of higher education for those who are unfamiliar and takes a raw look at uncovering one’s past. 

Becoming

by Michelle Obama 

We all know how much former First Lady Michelle Obama values education, as seen through her numerous education-centered campaigns both in and out of her time at the White House. In her memoir Becoming, Obama discusses the importance of education as she reflects on her own life. Obama shares her journey from the South Side of Chicago to the White House, writing a powerful testament to the power of perseverance that all first-gen students can relate to! 

Hunger

by Roxane Gay 

Our next memoir of recommendation is Roxane Gay’s Hunger. In this memoir, Gay writes about her sensitivity to food and her image of her body. As she reflects on her past, Gay brings readers along on her journey to understand herself and find the courage to speak about her struggles. This memoir incorporates how difficult it can be to admit when you need help, something that many first-gen students may understand, and works to get over that stigma. 

My American Journey

by Colin Powell 

Colin Powell writes about his journey of his hard childhood in Harlem, New York to becoming the United States Secretary in his book My American Journey. He shares insight into the hard work it took him to rise in military ranks, and the perseverance he had to administer to achieve his goals. Powell’s writings exemplify the values of hard work and self-discipline that resonate with first-generation achievers. 

The Undocumented Americans

by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio may be a familiar title to you, and that is because it was also featured on our Hispanic Heritage Month list! In this memoir, Villavicencio writes about her experience as an undocumented immigrant living in America. She writes about attending Harvard, detailing the struggle and powerfulness of seeking higher education. This memoir is a great look at the unseen struggles many first-gen students face. 

The Glass Castle

by Jannette Walls 

Our last memoir recommendation is a powerful one. In The Glass Castle, Jannette Walls recounts her unconventional childhood growing up in a nomadic family. She shares her experience in living with her unstable parents, and in finally having the courage to leave home. Wall’s tale is inspiring and is an incredible look at the resilience and determination it takes to create a new life through dedication and education. 

Realistic Fiction 

Make Your Home Among Strangers

by Jennine Capo Crucet  

As we move into some realistic fiction recommendations, Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capo Crucet is an excellent one. This debut novel follows Lizet, the daughter of Cuban immigrants and the first in her family to graduate high school. As Lizet navigates her parents’ recent divorce, she also must face being away from home for the first time as she attends Rawlings College, an elite and privileged university. This novel beautifully illustrates the cultural and emotional challenges first-gen students face when stepping into higher education and shares the new story of what it means to be an American today. 

Anita de Monte Laughs Last

by Xochitl Gonzalez 

Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a dual timeline novel that follows Raquel, a third-year art history student as she uncovers the story of Anita de Monte, a forgotten Latina artist. As the novel transfers back and forth between Raquel’s story and Anita’s, author Xochitl Gonzalez emphasis the importance of representation and finding one’s voice in institutions not built with everyone in mind. This is defiantly a novel that I will be picking up this week! 

My Friends

by Hisham Matar 

My Friends by Hisham Matar tells the story of Khaled, a young boy growing up in Benghazi, Libya. When Khaled attends the University of Edinburgh, his life changes as he is thrusted into a new world and then finds himself injured after an explosive protest, unable to leave London. In a unique stroke of luck, Khaled soon is entangled in a friendship with an author of one of his favorite short stories, leading to his exploration of friendship and his search for belonging. 

Tar Baby

by Toni Morrison 

Our next fiction recommendation is Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. Tar Baby is about the affair between Jadine and Son, two Black Americans from very different backgrounds. While Jadine is a fashion model and graduate from the University of Paris, Son is an impoverished Black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison writes about these two characters coming together, she also comments on what happens when personal identity and social expectations collide. 

On Beauty

by Zadie Smith 

On Beauty explores the relationship between two feuding families, the Belseys and the Kipps.  When the Belseys’ life begins to unravel after Howard Belsey’s affair and ongoing feud with his academic rival, Monty Kipps, the two families find themselves unexpectedly connected through love and friendship. This book challenges what education means and who it is for, making it a prevalent topic as we celebrate first-gen day. 

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

by Erika L. Sánchez 

Another recommendation from our Hispanic Heritage Month list is I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez. This young adult novel centers around Julia Reyes as she deals with the grief of her older sister. Faced with her mother’s criticism about her lack of perfection, Julia begins to uncover family secrets and works to come to terms with her own identity as she dreams of leaving home for college. Sánchez captures the pressures of cultural compliance in her novel and details the process of growing up and discovering your identity, a central theme important for first-generation students. 

Joe College

by Tom Perrotta 

Set at Yale in the 1980s, Joe College is a coming-of-age novel that follows Danny, a working-class student. While his friends are spending Spring Break having fun, Danny spends it behind the wheel of his father’s lunch truck. As Danny navigates the differences between his humble hometown roots and his elite academic surrounds, he also finds himself navigating young-adult love. This novel is an excellent example of many first-generation students’ experiences. 

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong 

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is written as a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. As the speaker, Little Dog, writes the letter, it unearths his family’s history in Vietnam, and opens up pathway into his mother’s life that he has never known. Ocean Vuong shows the power of education as communication in this novel and pushes the idea of how important it is to learn history not just from books, but also from our family history. 

The Sympathizer

by Viet Thanh Nguyen 

Our next recommendation is a thrilling spy novel set in Vietnam. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen is narrated by an unnamed half-French, half-Vietnamese Communist double agent, who is known only as the Captain. The novel captures the tension of living between cultures and identities, an experience that many first-gen students may experience. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie 

Our last realistic fiction recommendation is yet another familiar one, this time from my Banned Books recommendation list. The Absolutely True Diary of the Part-Time Indianfollows Junior, a Spokane Native American boy, as he transfers from his reservation school to a predominantly white high school for more opportunities and a quality education. Although set in high school, Sherman Alexie writes about the same problems that many first-generation college students may face. As Junior struggles with his identity, racism, poverty, and loss as he navigates his two new worlds, he also works to find himself and his place. 

Graphic Novels 

Squire

by Sara Alfageeh 

Squire by Sara Alfageeh is a fantasy graphic novel that revolves around Aiza, a girl who dreams of becoming a Knight in hopes to gain citizenship in a divided empire. However, it is not everything that she hoped it would be, and Aiza must navigate her new world, friendships, and rivalries as she works to find her place. This heartfelt story about courage demonstrates the importance of seeking new experiences, something that first-gen students exhibit well. 

Ironheart

by Eve L. Ewing 

Our last recommendation is Ironheart by Eve L. Ewing, a graphic novel apart from the Marvel universe. This series stars Riri Williams, a Black teenage genius who builds her own Ironman suit. When Tony Stark disappears, it is up to Riri to step up to be a new hero. As she navigates her life as a new superhero, and as a first-generation college student at MIT, Riri must find out what being a hero means on her own terms. If you are a superhero fan, definitely pick this graphic novel up! 

I hope that some of these books sounded interesting to you. As we celebrate first-generation day, I hope that you read at least one of these books to understand more about what being first-gen means. If you are a first-gen student, I hope that you find comfort in these books that help to illuminate your inspiring journey! 

Madeline Davis (’28) is a sophomore at Susquehanna University.  She is a Marketing and Advertising & Public Relations dual major. In addition to her marketing work at the Blough-Weis Library,  Madeline serves as the Public Relations manager for Susquehanna’s Best Buddies chapter and as an editor for Ginkgo Magazine. Outside of school, she enjoys reading, writing, and antiquing with friends.