Welcome to our common reading experience! As a first-year student, you’ll read a book selected by a team of faculty, staff, students and community members in an English or communications course. The team chooses books that lead to insights on identity, gender, race, ethnicity and civic responsibility.

In addition to class discussions and assignments, you can participate in events that engage with the book’s themes. We hope you’ll be inspired to go beyond the book, and bring the sense of community and new perspectives you acquire to all your NIU experiences.

The book for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years is the New York Times bestseller “When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir” by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele. Learn more about the book.