15 Books For Better People, Better Society

Why is the world the way it is, one ripped apart by conflict, violence, hate, anger, and confusion? Why does the world have wars, civil unrest, and crime? Why do even people who love each other – family, friends, spouse – sometimes want to kill each other or do harm to themselves? Why do we allow setbacks, change, and fears to dictate how we live our lives?

These are deep questions, some without answer. But that should not stop us from trying to live our lives so that we enjoy them, so that we can contribute to a better world, and so that we live a fulfilling existence. So how should we live our lives and be the best that we can be?

I think if we literally were on the same page, the world would be vastly different. But it’s rare that even a small percentage of society reads the same book – and an even smaller percentage reads it at the same time. But even if more people read the same book, as the same time, we’d disagree on how we interpret these books. We’d have to also enjoy the same reflections and discussions if we are to have a chance that these books lead to uniform personal change and worldly actions that bring about peace, love, and democracy.

Perhaps it starts with a recommended reading list. How many books would we all need to read to start to feel the same way? Which books would they be?

Here is a list to start with. It is not comprehensive and I am sure someone will disagree with some of my choices and all will challenge at least one of these books. Nevertheless, here is my list of 15 books that we all should read (in no set order).:

Man’s Search For Meaning

Viktor Frankl

Awaken The Giant Within

Tony Robbins

How To Win friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Harold S. Kushner

The Greatest Salesman In The World

Og Mandino

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

Robert Fulghum

The Power Of Positive Thinking

Norman Vincent Peale

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch

As A Man Thinketh

James Allen

The Road Less Traveled

M. Scott Peck, MD

Think & Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill

Living, Loving & Learning

Leo Biscaglia

Republic

Plato

Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle

The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People

Stephen Covey

I usually don’t give a crap about people’s recommended reading lists. Who cares what 5,7, 12, 20 books – or 100 or 1000 someone says I should read?  I suppose you could take the same approach with my list. But I will tell you that my list is based on a simple filter. These are the books that make you think, set priorities, choose your values, and determine who you are and how you fit into the world. They repeat messages of love and hope, of right action, and even of healthy thinking.

You can dismiss the list and ignore it. You can have your own list to share. Or you may say that no list can exist, for who has read all of the millions of books out there to properly and fairly determine we should narrow our lives down to these 15 books?

No doubt, some will quickly look at the list and cry foul, that all of the books are written by men. White men. There are awesome books written by women and ethnic minorities. Find the ones that work for you. These books, however, in their messages, are not sexist, racist, or anything but beautiful creations that preach ethics, love, peace, and the betterment of the individual who as a result, can contribute to society. If anything, the list is guilty of providing positive empowerment to its readers. I hope that is alright.

It is fair to debate any list, no matter who composes it, for what purpose, from what means and methods. But I swear to you that you cannot go wrong by reading any and all of the books mentioned above. They may challenge you, even hurt your brain, but you will come out of the experience with the inspiration to live a truly wonderful life.

Read, Read, Read!!

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Brian Feinblum, the founder of BookMarketingBuzzBlog, can be reached at  brianfeinblum@gmail.com.  His insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are the product of his genius. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo.