Common Read
Common Read 2020-2021
UPDATE
The selection of a new book for the 2020-2021 academic year has been postponed due to the shut down of normal campus operations that resulted from the COVID-19 outbreak.Common Read 2019-2020
Common Read: CALLINGS, The PURPOSE and PASSION of WORK by Dave Isay
The 2019-2020 Common Read book that the CSU East Bay Common Read team has selected is Callings, by Dave Isay.
From the back cover: In Callings, StoryCorps founder Dave Isay presents unforgettable stories from people doing what they love. Some found their paths at a young age, other later in life; some overcame great odds or upturned their lives in order to pursue what matters to them. Together they demonstrate how work can be about more than making a living, that chasing dreams can transform a job into a calling.
An essential contribution to the beloved StoryCorps collection, Callings is an inspiring tribute to rewarding work and the American pursuit of happiness.
Past Common Read Titles
| Year | Title | Author |
| 2018-19 | A Selfish Plan to Change the World | Justin Dillon |
| 2017-18 | In the Country We Love | Diane Guerrero |
| 2016-17 | Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant | José Ángel Navejas |
| 2015-16 | On the Run | Alice Goffman |
| 2014-15 | She's Not There | Jennifer Finley Boylan |
| 2013-14 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot |
| 2012-13 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot |
| 2011-12 | Live from Fresno y Los | Stephen D. Gutierrez |
| 2009-10 | Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance | Barack Obama |
| 2008-9 | Paper Daughter | M. Elaine Mar |
| 2007-8 | Not a Genuine Black Man | Brian Copeland |
| 2006-7 | Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini |
| 2005-6 | A Lesson Before Dying | Earnest J. Gaines |
| 2004-5 | Hunger of Memory | Richard Rodriguez |