Influential Books

was first introduced to this book in high school, which was such a gift. Whenever you are given the opportunity to read this book, it is a gift. The writing itself is of another level. It is both very clear and very poetic.

The real specialness though is in the wisdom. The book is about a traveler who has lived among a group of people for an extended period of time, but whose ship is now returning for him to take him to his motherland. The people of the village realize he has been living among them and watching them, so they ask him to tell them about themselves.

He tells them what he has witnessed regarding friendship, work, marriage, love, joy, sorrow and so many other topics. If you find yourself feeling a certain way or dealing with a certain situation, you can look up that topic and read the most eloquent words about that topic and being a human being dealing with that issue.

It is a very little book but profound in its message.

You don’t need to practice yoga to appreciate this book. If you have begun a practice in yoga and are fascinated by the change it has created within you, this book explains it. I would say this book includes yoga, but it is more about personal growth and change.

The author is a psychologist who began practicing and teaching yoga extensively. He was curious why a series of poses would manifest in great personal evolution. For me, this book explains change and development and the circumstances needed to create it.

The book follows a group of individuals, each grappling with their own challenges. It reads like a story but with underpinnings in mental health. I really appreciated how the book would talk about a person and their issue and then give a psychological perspective. It helped answer the “why” questions about human behavior.

I like all of Brené Brown’s books. I like to read about being human and its inherent challenges, and she writes about them so well. I really also loved I Thought It Was Just Me. Her words resonate especially when she talks about parenting.

I think we are all so vulnerable as parents, because we all want to do a good job. The
sanctimommy’s and daddies can really do damage. There is just nothing worse than feeling as though you aren’t a very good parent. Brené is excellent at making you feel better about yourself and definitely helps you avoid those who can’t admit vulnerability.

I am a huge Glennon, Abby and Amanda fan. I love their podcast, We Can Do Hard Things. Glennon’s writing style is very relatable, and she is a powerful storyteller. I could write more and more here, but the very best thing I can tell you is, her writing leaves you changed.

Can we start with a book, written by an anonymous mystic several centuries ago still being in print? That is what first attracted me to this book, but then wow, I read it. This book is not for everybody, and the author goes to great lengths expressing that.

If you find it is for you though, well, I guess I wish it was true for everyone. I felt different and continue to feel different as a result of reading and rereading this book. The main topic is contemplative prayer. Reading the book is also considered to be a form of contemplative prayer. The best way I know to describe it is, I feel this book provided a key to unlock areas of my brain.
I’d love to hear your thoughts if you read it.

Even an atheist can appreciate the unique writing, the imagery, the message and the poetic nature of the writing within the bible’s many books. For me, I mostly read the Psalms. I also like to Book of James and Paul’s writings.

I imagine each person is struck by their own section or passage. I find reading it improves my writing, and I can’t even begin to explain why.

You know how sometimes you find a book that speaks to you at a certain time in life? My father was dying, my dysfunctional family couldn’t communicate, and I felt alone with so many feelings that felt like a ball of tangled up yarn.

The author writes about his own father’s journey from life to death. It was really helpful to me in putting words to my many emotions. You know how you remember the people who help you out when you are feeling down? This author did that for me.

This book is about trauma and how it finds a home in your body. A friend of mine calls herself a cutter, because she will read about topics that have traumatized her. This book was not easy for me to read, so I understood what she meant.

Sometimes reading about trauma can put you right back there. I found I could read a little, take a week or longer break from it and then go back and read more. If you are in the middle of stuff, I wouldn’t read it. If you have found tools to ground you in the present, it is very informative. It certainly forces you to accept just how great an effect trauma has on a person.

Kate Bowler is an incredibly special, smart, funny person. I don’t know how to express how a woman who has a young child and is struggling with incurable cancer, wrote a book that made me change and improve my mindset. She has this gift. It’s as though she has touched the sun and keeps going back and then tells you about it. I’m struck by her bravery, her humor, her humanity and her generosity.

This list is in no particular order, but this man, well, he is at the top of any list I could ever write about truly transformative authors. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan monk. His is a church I would attend.

You know how there are people who seem to really understand us human beings, even with all that is not likable or good about us, but who helps us work with our ugly parts to accept them and make them better? That is Richard Rohr. He meets you in your humanity, acknowledges it, tilts your thinking a little this way or a little that way, and you feel better about not only yourself but your neighbor as well.

I subscribe his free daily email meditations. On the very best day of my writing, when every word has been selected so carefully, I don’t even come close to his worst day. He is that gifted as a writer; he is an amazing thinker, philosopher, historian. He takes being human and wraps it up and puts a bow on top. Your thinking will be changed for the better if you spend time in his writings.