Summer Reading Recs with Nina Salamatova
Class of 2026 Valedictorian Nina Salamatova shares her recommended beach reads for this summer.
With a professor for a father, growing up in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nina Salamatova remembers her childhood home having thousands of books stacked everywhere.
Inspired, she picked up Plato’s Republic when she was 12 to see what was so interesting about one of the greatest philosophers of all time.
It didn’t go well.
“I couldn’t comprehend a single page,” said Salamatova, laughing.
Now the Middlesex College Class of 2026 valedictorian is proud to say she has read through the great Plato’s dialogues, encouraged by Professor Jonathan Finnerty’s Philosophy class. She now finds them enlightening, challenging, and thrilling.
“I found so many allegories and metaphors to real life: from education, politics, down to what makes a person one whole individual,” said Salamatova, who will attend Princeton Univeristy in the fall. “I want to delve more into philosophy and recommend doing so to others. Books I thought I’d never understand now make sense, and it’s exciting.”
Here are some of Salamatova’s favorite books she recommends to read this summer:
Intermezzo by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky
“This is an autobiographical story about a Ukrainian writer who becomes exhausted from witnessing human suffering and injustice. The natural world becomes a character in the story, helping him regain his strength and appreciation for life. Coming from Ukraine, it reminds me of my childhood at dacha (a small house in the village), where I grew up running through fields and escaping the bustling world away from phones and schoolwork in nature. A great read for busy college students (like me) who need a reminder that there is more to life than cramming on a laptop.”
ReCoding America by Jen Pahlka
“This is one of my favorite professional-ish books because it changed the way I think about government. Pahlka shows how the purpose of government is to make life effective for people, with people. She uses simple stories about her work to show how she and others tackled one of the most confusing problems in recent American history. She summarizes my experience: even the best policy can fail if the government cannot implement it effectively.”
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“When I was a child, I loved the sentimentalism of the main character—how he cares for the rose and grows with it, on this one planet. I think this is how we as humans should take care of each other. In a world bustling with hatred and violence, The Little Prince is my escape to a sentimental childhood filled with life lessons to be revealed.”
Looking for more reading recommendations? Check out our summer reading recommendation series:
