MIT Reads embraces the power of reading and storytelling to cultivate social connection, individual reflection, and a sense of our shared humanity. Designed to foster empathy, curiosity, and belonging, the program brings together the campus community – and readers everywhere – through common reading experiences, author talks, and group discussions.

10th anniversary of MIT Reads

To celebrate 10 years of MIT Reads, President Sally Kornbluth has chosen our fall 2026 selection Exhalation, a short story collection by Ted Chiang.

About the book

Ted Chiang’s much anticipated second collection of science fiction stories is full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. In “Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and the temptation of second chances. In “Exhalation,” an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality. And in “The Lifecycle of Software Objects,” a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over twenty years, elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two brand-new stories: “Omphalos” and “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom.”

In this fantastical and elegant collection, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth – What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human? – and ones that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning, and compassion.

Events

Information about events and group discussions will be coming soon. Please join our email list or watch this space for further information.

MIT Reads is sponsored by the MIT Libraries and the MIT Press Bookstore.