Here is a long list of secular books I've found in my life that inspire me to try to become a better person. These are a quirky mix of nonfiction with fiction, poetry, and even children's picture books.
Could you pass this list along to some of the folks who are running America right now? Maybe some of them could use inspiration to be better people.
Have you read any of these? Are any of these on your list of books that inspire you?
If you have recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them.
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, the Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie ten Boom by Corrie ten Boom
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Eric Larson
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Civility by Stephen L. Carter
The Common Good by Robert Reich
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder, and Things that Sustain You When the World Grows Dark by Julia Baird
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue
I Really Needed This Today: Words to Live By by Hoda Kotb
Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Human by Kathleen Krull
Germinal by Émile Zola
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport
The Little Book of Saints by Christine Barrely
The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers
I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Monica Guzmán
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Every Day is a Gift: A Memoir by Tammy Duckworth
Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
Oh wow! Lots of picks here! Nice topic choice too! Lots of new to me ones here but I do recall reading The Secret Garden sometime as a kid!
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Have a GREAT day!
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To Kill a Mockingbird and The Secret Garden are great stories. I haven't read most of the rest of these, but they look like great reads. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this post so much. There are so many on here that caught my eye immediately.
ReplyDeleteBravo! I couldn’t agree with you more. If only they would read these books.
ReplyDeleteIf you are open to reading poetry, Mary Oliver’s work was so gentle and kind. She used examples from nature to give all sorts of advice about how to be a better person (but not in a pushy way. More like having a good conversation with an old friend). I think you might really appreciate it, especially now.
I've liked the Brooks books I've tried to date and should try that one!
ReplyDeleteStargirl, The Splendid and the Vile, and The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store are all on my TBR and I can't wait to give them a try! I think the latter is highest on my priority list this year so I hope to actually get to it :) Great list!
ReplyDeleteStargirl was one of my childhood favorites! Yesterday I finished How To Be Perfect by Michael Schur. It made me want to be better.
ReplyDeleteThe Hiding Place is one of my very faves! My TTT
ReplyDeleteI've read a number of these and I agree completely. I was going to add David Brooks but I found him at the end!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting topic! I haven't read any of these.
ReplyDeleteI loved Stargirl! It's been many years since I read it, but I thought it had such a good message. My granddaughter read it with me when she was in middle school. And The Secret Garden was a childhood favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteI loved The Splendid and the Vile. It's my favorite of Erik Larson's and one that I'd read again.
I read The Hiding Place a very long time ago. Should I read it again or would it make me even more depressed about our current government? I do want to reread To Kill a Mockingbird. And I especially want to read The Day the World Came to Town. Our Canadian neighbors have done nothing to provoke the ill treatment by the current administration. I stand with Canada!
A great collection of books. And I agree, the powers that be (not just in the States) need to be reminded how to be a decent human.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/mature-citizens-of-the-world-books-featuring-mature-characters/