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Common Read Program

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The Common Read is an annual Provost Office initiative that helps to build community by providing our students and faculty a shared experience that inspires conversation and meaningful debate. The Common Read also helps to increase our overall sense of unity, encourages creativity, and improves campus awareness of the biggest challenges that face our world.

2025-2027

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Nevada State’s Common Read book for Fall 2025 – Spring 2027 is The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green.

“The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar. Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity.”

Read more about the book.

Library Book Access

Ebook copies are available to borrow from the University Library via the OverDrive and Ebook Central platforms. Audiobook copies are available via OverDrive. Print copies are available for checkout from the Library Service Desk on the 2nd floor of the RSC building. 

View all library copies.

Please contact Gregory.Robinson@nevadastate.edu with any questions about the Common Read program.

Common Read Selection History

2023

The Common Read for 2023 and 2024 will be All These Wonders: True Stories about Facing the Unknown, edited by Catherine Burns.

2021

The Common Read for 2021 and 2022 will be Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World – a versatile collection of nonfiction, fiction, essays, and poems by international writers exploring climate change through the lens of inequality. This hits a lot of important topics for the campus and can be viewed/discussed using multiple disciplinary conventions.

2019

“Educated has really resonated with me as I am a first-generation student, and my growth through my educational journey has been instrumental in getting me where I am today. I was lucky to have a few people in my life that believed in me and saw my potential to accel academically and they helped to foster my motivation and determination for getting my Bachelors of Science and then my Masters in Education. It was inspiring to see where Tara came from and to see where she is today, and I feel the same when I look at myself and see everything I have overcome and the amount of growing I have experienced is hard to put into words. I am a better person because I was given the opportunity to be educated and advance in that realm of my life. I am eternally grateful to my uncle and aunt, my older sister Victoria and my of course my tribe (who it all financially possible for me) – Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians.” – Chantelle Cook, Post-Licensure Coordinator in Nursing

2018

Our first Common Read under Provost Shields told the story of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells are still used in biological research. Events on campus included student presentations, a viewing of HeLa cells, and several faculty panels.