USA 2026-2027 Common Read Book Announced
Posted on May 7, 2026
The University of South Alabama has selected “Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection” by John Green as the 2026-2027 USA Common Read/Common World book.
“Everything is Tuberculosis” details Green’s experience meeting a young man named Henry in Sierra Leone, who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Inspired by the young man he met, Green researched why tuberculosis remains the deadliest infectious disease in the world despite being curable and examined the socioeconomic factors intertwined with the infection.
The book is available at the USA Marx Library. Faculty may consider including the text as an addendum to their fall course materials so it can be included in the University bookstore’s JagPack.
“This year's engagement level has been exciting, and we expect no less from this proposed text,” said Dr. Susan Ferguson, co-chair of the Common Read Committee and assistant professor in the Department of Leadership and Teacher Education at South Alabama. “Highlighting the book’s wide appeal, it was nominated for review by a student committee member and faculty from the USA College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Green, known for weaving biography, history and science into an engrossing narrative, takes readers on a journey that demonstrates how the past connects to the future and how local actions impact humankind locally and globally.
Green is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Paper Towns” and “Looking for Alaska.” Along with his brother Hank Green, the 48-year-old is the co-creator of the educational YouTube series “Crash Course,” which provides videos of historical, scientific and cultural content for all ages.
