The Great Gatsby

Recommended by Molly Brady, Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School

Brady first read “The Great Gatsby” in high school, and at the time she didn’t think much of it. But when she revisited the novel for a class as a Harvard first-year, she had an entirely different experience. “We blew it apart — analyzing it as a matter of history and literature, and even assessing it as a matter of pop culture,” she said.

In writing her essay about “Gatsby,” she found she had a lot to say, and it resulted in her first A in college. It was quite the feat for a student who was struggling in the class, and that victory gave the novel a place on her list of favorite books of all time.

“[Through that essay,] I realized that I could find my voice [at Harvard] when I was doing things I liked and for which I had passion,” she said.