Top 16 Inspirational Books For Men Updated 04 /2024

Make sure you don't get weighed down by these tumultuous times by using your phone or scrolling through doomsday stories. Instead, pick up a good book. A list of some books that will make you want to read more, both new bestsellers and old classics, will help you see the good in other people. Whether you read one or all of these books, they're sure to make your day better. That's a good start.

No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh

In Thich Nhat Hanh's best-known book, No Death, No Fear, he talks about how you don't have to be a Buddhist to get a lot of ideas. Instead, you just need to be a person who has ever had doubts, depression, loneliness, anxiety, and so on. Stoicism, transcendentalism, Buddhism (obviously), and Existentialism are all part of a philosophy that combines them all. This way, the author shows how we can change our thinking about life so deeply that the very times we are living through can become a blessing instead of a burden. All you have to do is look at his analogy of two astronauts who are stuck on the moon and will die in two days when their air runs out. There's no way for them to get help. All they want is to be back on Earth, and they don't care about money, fame, power, or anything else. They just want land under their feet and air to breathe, things you already have, right? (The book came out a long time before the Sandra Bullock movie Gravity, but the movie's ending is perfect for this situation, by the way).

Make Your Bed by Admiral William McRaven

It might seem like a joke to say that major success starts with making your bed, but that would be wrong, too. In fact, William McCraven's point in writing the book can be seen in that way. Make a bed doesn't lead to success in business, politics or the arts. It's the simple act of taking care of what needs to be done, no matter how small, that gets you there. He wrote a best-selling book about what to do when you've agreed to do what needs to be done.

The Endurance by Caroline Alexander

After more than 20 years, the Endurance was a huge hit. It's a great story about one of the best survival stories of the 20th century, and it will be just as moving to read in another 100 years. People who were stuck at the bottom of the Earth for almost two years on Antarctica have told their story. It is harrowing, inspiring, terrifying, and, at the end, very uplifting because of all the many examples of human strength and because no one died, which is a big surprise.

The Checklist Manifesto by Dr. Atul Gawande

Because this book may bring you both comfort and inspiration, it might be a good idea to read it. In the first place, it may help you improve your own life by removing barriers and clearing clutter, both physical and mental. This can help you achieve more than you thought possible. Second, it might help you see how well you can compete with people who have failed because they didn't keep things in order and who have succeeded in large part because of it.

My Life On the Road by Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is a well-known author, feminist activist, and rock star from the 20th century and into our own times. Her memoir is almost certain to make you want to travel, but until the pandemic is over, it's not a good idea to go on vacation. This well-traveled and always outspoken icon lived through and left her mark on so much of the history of the United States. For now, maybe you can live through her eyes. When she dies, her world will be very different from the world that she left behind. By and large, many people won't be "different" anymore. Then we should all be moved by that, too.

Tuesday’s With Morrie by Mitch Albom

When this book was first called "Letting Go," it was about death, if that's how you see it. The wrong lens is that. Not at all: This is a book about life, but it's just been written from the point of view of a man who is gracefully ending his own life. People all over the world have read Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz's book, which is a best-seller. You'll cry more than once, but you'll also be richer because you saw life through the eyes of Schwartz and Albom.

A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.

He died before he was 40. A lot of people are still looking to him as an example of how to be, more than 50 years after he died. The man gave his whole adult life, even though it was short, to a good cause. This is sad in a way, because 50 years after the fact, we still have so much work to do as a group. On the other hand, it shows how good of a person this man was. He set a great example that still inspires people today and will always do so.

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

In some ways, this book is a little out of date. Praying is a little more important than it used to be in this more secular world that we live in now. It wasn't written with the perspective gained from the Civil Rights Era, the Vietnam protests, Women's Lib, and so on. It wasn't written with that in mind. But in other ways, it's refreshing to see that a book written when most of our grandparents were in their prime still has a lot to say to people who need help keeping their chins up. Agnostics, atheists, and most people who aren't Christians should be ready to take what they read with a grain of salt. For Christians, though, it's a charming book.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Becoming is a book about the author's life. It's not a call to action, a history book, or an argument for or against something. But through her skillful writing and casual grace, the former First Lady of the United States manages to make the reader want to be a part of the American story, get more involved in community and politics, and experience a lot of recent American history through the eyes of someone else. This book is both easy to read and elegant and insightful, and it never comes across as preachy.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an interesting book, but it's not what you might expect. It's a mix of memoir, philosophy, and fiction, and it's both interesting and a little delusional at times. It's also a lot of fun to read. A father and son took a road trip in the middle years of the last century. The book talks about everything from metaphysics to music to madness. Almost everyone who reads these pages will find at least a little bit of himself or herself in them. They are strange and unique.

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