AP+Language+Reading+List

Goodwin, Doris Kearns. **//Wait Till Next Year.//** (Pulitzer author about childhood and baseball) Albom, Mitch. //**Tuesdays With Morrie**.// (Dying teacher and life-long student) McCourt, Frank. **//Angela’s Ashes.//** (Poverty, starvation, and exuberance in depression Ireland) McCourt, Frank. **//Tis’// (**Continuation of McCourt’s story in NY) McCourt, Malachy. **//Swimming with Monks.//** (Frank’s brother tells his side of the story) Ashe, Arthur. //**Days of Grace.** (//Ashe’s personal struggles with prejudice and AIDS) Wright, Richard. **//Black Boy//.** (Life to age 19 in the deep south) Griffin, John Howard. **//Black Like Me.//** (Eyewitness history by white man who becomes black) Rodriguez, Richard. **//Hunger of Memory.//** (Social assimilation / education with alienation) Karr, Mary. **//The Liar’s Club.//** (Poetic insight into one of the ugliest places on earth) Wolff, Tobias. **//This Boy’s Life//**. (Somber, dark funny story of growing up in the ‘50’s) Drakulic, Slavenka. **//Café Europa.//** (Idiosyncratic look at westernized ex-communist countries) Wideman, John Edgar. **//Brothers and Keepers.//** (One a professor, the other an inmate) Cheng, Nien. **//Life and Death in Shanghai.//** (Imprisonment, resistance, justice) Mathabane, Mark. //**Kaffir Boy**.// (Civil rights in South Africa) Orwell, George. **//Down and Out in Paris and London.//** (Life as a tramp in Europe) Hurston, Zora Neale. **//Dust Tracks on a Road.//** (Account of her rise from poverty to prominence) Dawson, George. **//Life is So Good.//** (101 year old recounts life in context of 20th century) Armstrong, Lance. **//It’s Not About the Bike.//** (Honest, open, smart autobiography) Moss, Barbara. **//Change Me Into Zeus’ Daughter.//** (Female version of //Angela’s Ashes)// Lynch, Thomas. **//The Undertaking.//** (Essays by a small town undertaker) Conover, Ted. **//Newjack.//** (Chronicles a year as a prison guard at Sing-Sing) Gawande, Atul. **//Complications.//** (A surgeon writes about his ‘craft’) Eire, Carlos. **//Waiting for Snow in Havana.//** (Yale prof. about his childhood in Cuba before Revolution) Angelou, Maya **//I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings//** (African-American writer traces her coming of age) Walls, Jeannette. //**The Glass Castle** (//story of childhood with eccentric, bordering on abusive, parents) Satrapi, Marjane. **//Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood// //(//**graphic novel--author describes her youth in revolutionary Iran) Mortenson, Greg and David Oliver Relin. **//Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time//**. (sheltered and nursed in a remote mountain village, author vows to return to build schools throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan) Krakauer, John. **//Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson, Humanitarian Hero, Lost His Way//** (Krakauer's investigation revealing the "truth" about Mortenson's story) Ung, Loung. **//First They Killed My Father//** (memoir of a young girl whose life torn apart by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia) Sheff, David. **// Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey through His Son's Addiction //**. (father’s anguished account of his promising son’s meth addiction and its painful impact on the entire family is honest, raw, and full of information about the realities of drug addiction) White, Neil. **//In the Sanctuary of Outcasts//** (man sent to prison set in last leper colony in America)
 * __ Autobiography / Memoir __**

Sobel, Dava. //**Galileo’s Daughter**.// (Father/daughter’s vastly different worlds) McBride, James. **//The Color of Water.//** (A tribute to his remarkable mother) Gunther, John. **//Death Be Not Proud.//** (Father tells of 17 year old’s struggle with brain tumor) McCullough, David. //**John Adams**.// (Palace intrigue, scandal, and political brilliance) Kennedy, John F. **//Profiles in Courage//** (Classic study of courageous lives) Walker, Alice. **//Possessing the Secret of Joy.//** (story of female circumcision in Africa and traumatic results) Ellis, Joseph. **//Founding Brothers.//** (6 stories about the “gestative” 1790’s) Maraniss, David. **//When Pride Still Mattered: The Life of Vince Lombardi.//** (touchstone for 60’s) Isaacson, Walter. //**Benjamin Franklin: An American Life**.// (Insightful bio of his career and relationships) Leblanc, Adrian Nicole. **//Random Family.//** (Four teens grow up in the Bronx) Krakauer, Jon. **//Under the Banner of Heaven.//** (Violent religious extremism in our own country) Gleick, James. **//Isaac Newton.//** (Comprehensive and intimate look at a great scientist) Spiegelman, Art. **//Maus: A Survivor’s Tale//** (author struggles to come to terms with his parents' brutal past at Auschwitz in this seminal graphic novel)
 * __ Biography __**

Kinder, Gary. //**Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea**.// (Engineer’s scheme to salvage $1 billion) Junger, Sebastian. //**The Perfect Storm**.// (Swordfish boat vs. Mother Nature) Krakauer, Jon. **//Into Thin Air.//** (Everest climb gone wrong) Larson, Erik. **//Isaac’s Storm.//** (1900 hurricane still deadliest of all time) Sobel, Dava. //**Longitude**.// (Thorniest scientific problem of 18th century is solved) Werbach, Adam. **//Act Now, Apologize Later.//** (former Sierra Club pres. On steps to stop environment loss) Fromm, Peter. **//Indian Creek Chronicles.//** (modern day //Walden// in Idaho wilderness) Winchester, Simon. **//The Map the Changed the World.//** (obscure historical figure with strong impact on civ.) Lamott, Anne. **//Bird by Bird.//** (practical advice for aspiring writers and life in general) Alvarez, Walter. //**T.Rex and the Crater of Doom**(//story of impact theory of dinosaur extinction development) Roach, Mary. //**Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers**(//humorous, touching, and respectful look at how scientists utilize the human body) Silverstein, Ken. **//The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor//** (boy's obsession with nuclear energy creates radioative device with potential to spark environmental disaster in his community) Menzel, Peter and Faith D'Aluisio. **//Hungry Planet: What the World Eats//**.(photo-chronicle of families around the world, the food they eat, and how uncontrollable forces like poverty, conflict and globalization affect our most elemental human need – food) Firlik, Katrina. // **Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside.** ( // honest appraisal of work as a doctor) Melville, Greg. **// Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future //** (humorous road trip with the author and his college buddy in a converted 1980’s Mercedes from Vermont to California, and learn a little about how to be more eco-friendly along the way) Thoreau, Henry David. **//Walden//** (spends 26 months alone in the woods to "front the essential facts of life.") Thompson, Gabriel. **//Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won’t Do//** (author works in various unskilled labor jobs providing engaging and gruesome details) Skloot, Rebecca. **//The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks//** (story of a woman whose cancerous cells were developed in culture without her knowledge and became the HeLa line scientists used in researching some of the most important and astounding medical discoveries of the 20th century)
 * __ Nature / Adventure / Science __**

Remnick, David. **//King of the World.//** (Ali as racial and cultural hero in the 1950’s) Reynolds, Bill. **//Fall River//** //**Dreams**.// (team searches for glory, town searches for soul) Gildea, William. **//Where the Game Still Matters.//** (Last championship season in Indiana) Millman, Chad. **//The Odds.//** (1 season, 3 gamblers in Las Vegas) Dent, Jim. **//The Junction Boys.//** (10 days in training camp with Bear Bryant) Lewis, Michael. **//Moneyball.//** (how Oakland A’s general manager is changing baseball) Conroy, Pat. //**My Losing Season**.// (famous author on his senior year at The Citadel) Riley, Rick. **//Who’s Your Caddie?//** (Sports Illustrated writer caddies for famous people) McManus, James. **//Positively 5th Street.//** (World series of poker and murder in Vegas) Shapiro, Michael. **//The Last Great Season.//** (Brooklyn Dodgers 1956 pennant race) Powell, Robert Andrew. **//We Own This Game.//** (Pop Warner football in Miami run by race, politics, money) Asinof, Eliot. **//Eight Men Out//: //The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series.//** (the scandal and damage caused)
 * __ Sports __**

Lacey, Robert and Danny Danziger. **//The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millenium//** (facts and principles inside and outside Saxon England) Winchester, Simon. **//The Professor and The Madman.//** (tale of compilation of Oxford Dictionary) Ambrose, Stephen. **//Undaunted Courage.//** (Compelling story of Lewis and Clark expedition) Tuban, Jeffrey. //**A Vast Conspiracy**.// (well researched account of Clinton tragedy) Sontag, Sherry. **//Blindman’s Bluff.//** (story of American submarine espionage, for Clancy fans) Cahill, Thomas. **//How the Irish Saved Civilization.//** (just what the title suggests) Herman, Arthur. **//How the Scots Invented the Modern World.//** (just what the title suggests) Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. **//Notes on a Kidnapping.//** (investigation behind Pablo Escobar’s terror) Diamond, Jared. **//Guns, Gems, and Steel.//** (readable work of 13,000 years of history) Larson, Erik. **//The Devil and the White City.//** (the Chicago World’s Fair and the first serial killer) Schlosser, Eric. //**Fast Food Nation**.// (behind the scenes at the most popular restaurants) Fleming, Thomas. **//Duel//.** (story of duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton) Gladwell, Malcolm. **//The Tipping Point//.** (explains why changes in society occur suddenly) Gourevitch, Phillip. **//We Wish to Inform You Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families.//** (Rwanda Genocide) Menzies, Gavin. //**1421: The Year China Discovered America**.// (discovery before Columbus?) Huggington, Arianna. **//Pigs at the Trough.//** (what to do about greedy CEOs and politicians) Lewis, Bernard. **//The Crisis of Islam.//** (origins of 9-11 thru history of conflict between Islam and West) Levitt, Stephen and Stephen Dubner. //**Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything**.// (interesting illumination of mysteries of everyday life) Friedman, Thomas. **//The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century//** (advances in technology) Brown, Dee. **//Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West//** Tuchman, Barbara **//A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous Fourteenth Century//** (example of a single feudal lord to trace the history of the 14th century) Machiavelli, Niccolo //**The Prince** (//A treatise giving the absolute ruler practical advice on ways to maintain a strong central government) Karlsen, Carol **//The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England//** (The status of women in colonial society affects the Salem witch accusations) Epstein, Norrie **//Friendly Shakespeare: A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard//** (perspective on Shakespeare's works through these sidelights, interpretations, anecdotes, and historical insights) Gwynne, S.C. **//Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, The Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History//** (war with Comanches, story of Cynthia Parker whose son became the last and greatest chief of the Comanche tribe)
 * __ History / Politics / War __**

Berendt, John. **//Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.//(**entertaining true crime story) Capote, Truman. **//In Cold Blood.//** (the first, some say the best, in this category) Cornwell, Patricia. **//Portrait of a Killer.//** (the Jack the Ripper crimes are solved?) Metress, Christopher. //**The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative**.// (murder in the south)
 * __ True Crime __**

Pirsig, Robert. //**Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance**.// (travel, philosophy and bikes) Paterniti, Michael. //**Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein’s Brain**.// (yes, it’s true) Kerouac, Jack. //**On the Road**.// (cross country bohemian adventure) Wolfe, Tom. //**Electric Kool Aid Acid Test**.// (Wolfe travels with the Merry Pranksters)
 * __ Travelogue __**

*Reading list compiled from American Library Association Young Adult Library Services Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners [] Advanced Placement Summer Institutes, Numerous College Summer Reading Lists

40 Modern Nonfiction Books Everyone Should Read
from Marc and Angel Hack Life at []
 * 1) **[|The Road Less Traveled]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0743243153 width="1" height="1"]] by M. Scott Peck – Pretty much the granddaddy of all self-improvement books, it’s easily one of the best nonfiction works I’ve ever read. By melding love, science, and spirituality into a primer for personal growth, Peck guides the reader through lessons on delaying gratification, accepting responsibility for decisions, dedicating oneself to truth and reality, and creating a balanced lifestyle.
 * 2) **[|Radical Honesty]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0970693842 width="1" height="1"]] by Brad Blanton – The book’s basic point is sound – honesty is the best policy. With a brash, ‘in your face’ writing style, Blanton states that lying is the primary cause of human stress and advocates strict truthfulness as the key to achieving intimacy in relationships and happiness in life.
 * 3) **[|The Art of Learning]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0743277465 width="1" height="1"]] by Josh Waitzkin – Josh Waitzkin transformed himself from a championship chess master into an elite Tai Chi martial arts practitioner. This book is part autobiography, part chess memoir, and part martial arts philosophy. Essentially, Waitzkin offers his own approach to becoming a student and applying certain disciplines and habits toward learning and eventually mastering any skill.
 * 4) **[|Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream][[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061714364 width="1" height="1"]]** by Adam Shepard – Shepard started his life over from scratch in Charleston, South Carolina, with $25 and the clothes on his back. He lived in a homeless shelter while looking for work. His goal was to start with nothing and, within a year, work hard enough to save $2500, buy a car, and to live in a furnished apartment. “Scratch Beginnings” is sometimes sad, sometimes amusing, pointed and thought provoking - all the makings of a book well worth reading.
 * 5) **[|The Joy of Simple Living]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1579541046 width="1" height="1"]] by Jeff Davidson – A great resource for anyone wanting to cut down on the clutter and confusion in their life. Davidson takes a step-by-step, easy to follow approach to simplifying your house, garage, office, car, etc. Not only will you learn to create an orderly home, you’ll gain the knowledge necessary to be a more successful spouse, parent, and worker by learning how to prioritize and simplify.
 * 6) **[|Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=006124189X width="1" height="1"]] by Robert Cialdini – Arguably the best book on the science of persuasion. Cialdini explains the six psychological principles that drive our powerful impulse to comply to the pressures of others and shows how we can defend ourselves against manipulation (or put these principles to work for our own interests).
 * 7) **[|Secrets of the Millionaire Mind]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060763280 width="1" height="1"]] by T. Harv Ecker – This book competently discusses the missing link between wanting success and achieving it. If you suspect that your mindset is holding you back from making more money and achieving your goals, you’d be wise to give this title a thorough read.
 * 8) **[|Management of the Absurd]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0684830442 width="1" height="1"]] by Richard Farson – Farson zeros in on the paradoxes of communication, the politics of management, and the dilemmas of change, exploring relationships within organizations and offering a unique perspective on the challenges managers face. I highly recommend this book for anyone in a management or leadership role, including parents and teachers.
 * 9) **[|Overachievement]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000NJMMTK width="1" height="1"]] by John Eliot – According to Eliot, in order to achieve spectacular success, one must change his or her thoughts about pressure and learn to welcome it, enjoy it, and make it work. Eliot says that goal-setting, relaxation, and visualization, the typical self-help suggestions, just don’t work well for most people. This book provides some great food for thought that attempts to counteract the primary points of other major self-help gurus.
 * 10) **[|The Magic of Thinking Big]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0671646788 width="1" height="1"]] by David Schwartz – This is another classic self-improvement book. Schwartz gives the reader useful, proactive steps for achieving success. He presents a clear-cut program for getting the most out of your job, marriage, family life, and other relationships. In doing so, he proves that you don’t need to be an intellectual or have innate talent to attain great success and satisfaction in life.
 * 11) **[|An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn’t]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345468902 width="1" height="1"]] by Judy Jones – Simply fun and insightful, this book is truly a wonderful supplement to any person’s mental knowledgebase. It’s basically an intellectual outline of history with a lot of helpful charts and guides. It’s written in a very humorous tone and nails the humor attempts more often than not. Whether you’re interested in a ‘refresher’ or just a quick briefing on an academic area you never had time for, this book is for you. It’s not in depth, but it does tell you what you should know in all areas, including history, philosophy, music, art, and even film.
 * 12) **[|How to Win Friends and Influence People]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0671027034 width="1" height="1"]] by Dale Carnegie – Easily one of the best and most popular books on people-skills ever written. Carnegie uses his adept storytelling skills to illustrate how to be successful by making the most of human relations.
 * 13) **[|How to Talk to Anyone]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=007141858X width="1" height="1"]] by Leil Lowndes – Another practical book about conversational people skills. Lowndes helps the reader discover how to make small talk work, how to break the ice, how to network at a party, how to use body language to captivate your audience, and much more.
 * 14) **[|The Irresistible Offer]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0471738948 width="1" height="1"]] by Mark Joyner – Create an irresistible offer. Present it to people who need it. And sell it almost instantly. A great sales and marketing primer for anyone trying to sell something.
 * 15) **[|Nickel and Dimed]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0805088385 width="1" height="1"]] by Barbara Ehrenreich – This is the book that provoked Adam Shepard to write “Scratch Beginnings.” It’s another first person perspective on poverty in America. In the book, Ehrenreich moves into a trailer and works as a waitress, hotel maid, and Wal-Mart sales clerk. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and duality. I found it to be an extremely thought-provoking read.
 * 16) **[|The Power of Less][[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401309704 width="1" height="1"]]** by Leo Babuta – Babuta’s message is simple: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest. Get on your way to living a simpler life in order to do and achieve the things that are of real value to you and your family. This is my favorite book on the art of simplicity.
 * 17) **[|Outliers: The Story of Success]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0316017922 width="1" height="1"]] by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell embarks on an intellectual journey to figure out what separates the best, the brightest, and the most successful people from everyone else. He investigates these high achievers by looking closely at their culture, family, generation, and the individual experiences of their upbringing. This book really gets you thinking about success from a totally different perspective.
 * 18) **[|Freakonomics]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061234001 width="1" height="1"]] by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner – This book just may redefine the way you look at the modern world. Through skillful storytelling and wry insight, Levitt and Dubner set out to explore the hidden side of everything from the inner workings of a crack gang to the myths of political campaign finance to the true importance or unimportance of gun control. It’s an eye-opening read.
 * 19) **[|Maximum Achievement]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0684803313 width="1" height="1"]] by Brian Tracy – This book is probably exactly what you would expect from a well-written, classic self-improvement book. Tracy’s straightforward advice is accompanied by easy-to-do exercises and enhanced with inspiring stories of successful, highly motivated achievers in many fields.
 * 20) **[|You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0446578215 width="1" height="1"]] by Harry Beckwith – Beckwith concentrates on the importance of being a considerate human being as it relates to running a successful business or living a successful life. The title is somewhat deceiving because the book is more about giving than it is about selling… or should I say, it’s about giving as a way to sell yourself. Either way, this book is packed with practical tips and insightful stories.
 * 21) **[|Getting Things Done]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0142000280 width="1" height="1"]] by David Allen – The ultimate ‘organize your life’ book. Allen’s ideas and processes are for all those people who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed. The primary goal of this book is to teach you how to effectively get your ‘to-do inbox’ to empty.
 * 22) **[|The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1591841666 width="1" height="1"]] by Seth Godin – Godin challenges the age old idea that winners never quit. He states that every new project or career starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets hard and less fun, until it hits a low point - and at that point you have to figure out if you’re in a dip or at a dead-end. This book provides a look at how the market actually expects people to quit and what to do about it. It’s a short and insightful read.
 * 23) **[|Predictably Irrational]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061854549 width="1" height="1"]] by Dan Ariely – Looks at the reasons so many of us continuously make irrational decisions on a daily basis. It’s a scientific but easily readable and unquestionably insightful look about why we do what we do on a daily basis, and why we never change our ways even though we often ‘know better.’
 * 24) **[|The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000R344PC width="1" height="1"]] by Daniel R. Solin – A short, no-fluff guide to investing. Solin provides an easy-to-follow four step plan that allows investors to create and monitor their portfolios in 90 minutes or less per year, explaining how to asses risk and how to allocate assets to maximize returns and minimize volatility. This book was absolutely invaluable to me when I first started investing my money.
 * 25) **[|The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0743269519 width="1" height="1"]] by Stephen Covey – A classic self-improvement book. Covey presents a principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems by delivering a step-by-step guide for living with integrity and honesty and adapting to the inevitable change life brings us everyday. It’s a must-read.
 * 26) **[|Made to Stick]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1400064287 width="1" height="1"]] by Chip Heath and Dan Heath – Why do some ideas and stories thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances that our ideas and stories will catch on with others? Heath and Heath tackle these questions head-on. This book is extremely entertaining, while simultaneously providing practical, tangible strategies for makings things stick.
 * 27) **[|Fast Food Nation]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060838582 width="1" height="1"]] by Eric Schlosser – “What we eat has changed more in the last forty years than in the last forty thousand,” Schlosser observes, yet most Americans know very little about how that food is made, where, by whom, and at what cost. In a wonderfully horrifying way, this book exposes the American fast food industry’s evil side. It’s a true eye-opener.
 * 28) **[|Stumbling on Happiness]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1400077427 width="1" height="1"]] by Daniel Gilbert – Gilbert, a Harvard professor of psychology has studied happiness for decades, and he shares scientific findings that just might change the way you look at the world. His primary goal is to persuade you into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where you imagined it would be. This is my favorite book on happiness by a long shot.
 * 29) **[|The Wisdom of Crowds]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0385721706 width="1" height="1"]] by James Surowiecki – Surowiecki argues that “under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them.” He uses statistical examples to backup this theory. For example: “…the TV studio audience of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire guesses correctly 91 percent of the time, compared to ‘experts’ who guess only 65 percent correctly.” Hmm… perhaps this is why Wikipedia is so successful.
 * 30) **[|The 4-Hour Workweek]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0307353133 width="1" height="1"]] by Tim Ferriss – Ferris challenges us to evaluate our perspective on the cost and availability of our dreams. And he teaches us that hard work isn’t very hard when you love what you’re doing. Although there’s certainly some pages of self promotion within, Ferris provides invaluable tips to help us remain aligned with our goals, set expectations on our terms, and eliminate unnecessary time-sinks while increasing our overall effectiveness.
 * 31) **[|Personal Development for Smart People]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401922759 width="1" height="1"]] by Steve Pavlina – A surprisingly well-written, broad, and totally raw look at the different aspects of self-improvement. Pavlina skillfully unveils the truth about what it takes to consciously grow as a human being by teaching what he calls ‘the seven universal principles’ behind all successful personal growth efforts.
 * 32) **[|The Now Habit]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1585425524 width="1" height="1"]] by Neil Fiore – Quite possibly the best book ever written on overcoming procrastination. Fiore provides an optimistic, empathetic, and factual explanation of why we procrastinate and then delivers practical, immediately applicable tips for reversing the procrastination spell. On many levels, this book saved my life.
 * 33) **[|Ignore Everybody]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=159184259X width="1" height="1"]] by Hugh MacLeod – Where does inspiration and creativity come from? This little book attempts to uncover this mystery. MacLeod states that creativity is not a genetic trait, nor is it reserved for professionals. Everyone is creative sooner or later, but unfortunately, most people have it drilled out of them when they’re young. MacLeod’s primary goal is to un-drill it and unleash your creative mind.
 * 34) **[|Never Eat Alone]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0385512058 width="1" height="1"]] by Keith Ferrazzi – Ferrazzi explains the guiding principles he has mastered over a lifetime of personal and professional networking and describes what it takes to build the kind of lasting, mutually beneficial relationships that lead to professional and personal success. Most of this book is fantastic - you learn how to relate to people, how to establish contacts and maintain connections, and how to create a social network. If you interact with a lot of people on a regular basis, it’s a great read.
 * 35) **[|Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1590302672 width="1" height="1"]] by Shunryu Suzuki – This inspiring work ranks with the great Zen classics, in a voice and language completely adapted to modern-day sensibilities. Suzuki’s words breathe with the joy and simplicity that make a liberated life possible. As he reveals the actual practice of Zen as a discipline for daily life, the reader begins to understand what Zen is truly about. If you’re even slightly curious about the practice of Zen Buddhism, you’ll find this book to be extremely enlightening.
 * 36) **[|Eating Well For Optimum Health]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060959584 width="1" height="1"]] by Andrew Weil – If you only read one health and nutrition book in your whole lifetime, read this one. Weil sheds light on the often confusing and conflicting ideas circulating about good nutrition, addressing specific health issues and offering nutritional guidance to help heal and prevent major illnesses. Of particular value is his examination of recent dieting fads, such as low-carbohydrate, vegan and ‘Asian’ diets, with an eye toward debunking the myths about them while highlighting their benefits.
 * 37) **[|The Tipping Point]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0316346624 width="1" height="1"]] by Malcolm Gladwell – Gladwell looks at how small ideas can spread like viruses, sparking global sociological changes. The ‘tipping point’ is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.
 * 38) **[|A People’s History of the United States]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0060838655 width="1" height="1"]] by Howard Zinn – Although this book is likely to be more interesting to Americans than citizens of other countries, it’s truly a great read either way. Covering Christopher Columbus’s arrival through President Clinton’s years in office, as well as the 2000 election and the War on Terrorism, the book features an insightful and frank analysis of the most important events in American history told from the perspective of minorities and the working class.
 * 39) **[|I Will Teach You To Be Rich]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0761147489 width="1" height="1"]] by Ramit Sethi – This is the ultimate personal finance book for twenty-somethings (and anyone else in need of a financial planning makeover). It’s one thing to know about finance, another to be able to write about it, and another entirely to write about it in a way that aptly motivates the younger generation. Ramit hits the tri-fecta here. He tells you exactly what to do with your money and why.
 * 40) **[|Career Renegade]**[[image:http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=marandang-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0767927419 width="1" height="1"]] by Jonathan Fields – This book is simply about building a great living around what you love to do most. And it’s one of the best guides I’ve ever read on the subject. Fields, a big-time lawyer turned serial entrepreneur, shows you how to turn your passion - whether it’s cooking or copywriting, teaching or playing video games - into a better payday and a richly satisfying career.