The Honors Read
About the Honors Read
Since 2002, incoming Honors College students have been presented with a copy of the year’s Honors Read selection. The Honors Read provides a common experience for students coming to UMaine from across the state, the country, and the world. It serves as a starting point in students’ Honors journey and informs subsequent discussions and explorations throughout their time in Honors.
The Honors Read is chosen each spring by a group of students enrolled in The Honors Read Tutorial. In this class, students consider texts nominated by members of the University community, narrow the list down to eight books, and then carefully analyze and evaluate each text based on criteria they have developed. The deliberation on each text includes consideration of reviews written by members of the tutorial and a discussion with the nominator of the text. In the final weeks of the course, students make the final selection and craft a letter to the incoming students that accompanies each copy of the book.
Check out the previous Honors Reads below!
The 2025 Honors Read
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
This powerful and deeply researched book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman whose cells—taken without her knowledge or consent—became one of the most important tools in modern medicine. Known as HeLa cells, they have enabled countless medical breakthroughs, from the development of the polio vaccine to cancer treatments and gene mapping. Yet, Henrietta herself was buried in an unmarked grave, and her family has struggled for decades with the ethical, emotional, and financial consequences of her unacknowledged legacy.
As a land, sea, and space grant university—and an R1 research institution—it is essential that we engage not only with the promise of scientific discovery, but also with the ethical and social responsibilities that come with it. This book brings to light uncomfortable truths about race, gender, consent, and justice in the history of science. It reminds us that the benefits of research are not always equitably shared—and challenges us to think critically about the moral dimensions of progress.
Previous Honors Read Selections
Nominate a book to be the next Honors Read!
Each fall, we call for nominations for the following year’s Honors Read. Nominations are typically open in September and October. We welcome your submissions!