Going back to school is always a mixed bag. On the one hand, it's a chance to check in with friends, to get back to the activities you love, and to feel one year older and at least one year cooler. On the other hand, it's school, and even for those of us who love learning, school can be a drag. So this year, let's follow Mark Twain's example when he said "I never let my schooling interfere with my education." Here are the top five extracurricular reads for you high school and college social entrepreneurs.

5. The Unknown Soldier: Vol 1: One of the most different and powerful artifacts of social change I've come across, the Unknown Soldier resets the famous WWII comic story in northern Uganda, where an African-American doctor loses himself in the madness and violence of the Ugandan Government's war with the Lord's Resistance Army. It's violent, terrifying, and not necessarily the most positive outlook, but it's immensely powerful and, although it's a comic book, far more personal than just about any media about war out there.

4. Stoking the Fire of Democracy: For many Millennials, President Obama feels distinctly of our generation. He is smart, principled, but pragmatic, and has experience not just in the halls of power but on the ground. The question is what we do with the inspiration of the moment around him not just to elect more people but to actually create change. Stoking the Fire of Democracy is the story of a member of this generation, Stephen Noble Smith, who has gone out to understand community organizing, from Botswana to organizing in Chicago, to more recently co-founding a social enterprise that gets ex-cons in better jobs.

3. The White Tiger: This novel is a story of the underbelly of the modern developing world. Set in India, it is the story of a young, disturbed man who grows up without much hope or prospects, but fashions himself an entrepreneur as he uses violence and deception to advance. An important counter-narrative for anyone interested in the reality of modern poverty.

2. Zeitoun: In Zeitoun, Dave Eggers tells the real story not just of a family trying to recover after Hurricane Katrina, but of the incredible and pervasive mismanagement that characterized the government's response to the crisis. This painful but important story is a necessary complication of our ideals of self in the wake of disaster.

1. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: The story of William Kamkwamba has inspired millions. As a young teenager growing up in one of the worst droughts in Malawian history, William was forced to drop out of school. Instead of sitting idly, he used a local library book to learn about electricity, and eventually built a windmill that could power his house. This story is about far more than just a precocious young boy. It's a window into the soul of a continent that, like the story's protagonist, is bursting with passion and potential.

(Photo: Arria Belli)