@JamieSaives
Try "When Lovers Are Friends" by Merle Shain (1978). Won't make you smarter, but it will let you see the inner you and make choices that will improve the way you see and live your life. Here's an excerpt: "There is no perfect person who can make you whole. You have to do that yourself, and if you wait for someone to fill you up you always wait in vain, because no one is ever equal to the task. Waiting for another to give to you always makes you feel vulnerable and insecure. The only way you ever feel strong and sure is when you are giving to others instead of wishing that they would give to you."
@noctrl007
-"The mosquito", Timothy Winegard -"Science Fictions" Struart Richie -"Democracy for realists" Christopher Achen, Larry Bartels -"The Denial of death" Ernest Becker -"Understanding Media" Marshall McLuh -"The Lessons of History" Will & Ariel Durant -"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" Thomas S.Kuhn -"The WEIRDest People in the World" Joseph Henrich -"Apocalypse Never" Michael Shellenberger
@PaGeonDE
The book that recently absolutely blew my mind was Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregmann. Why Humans are actually good, deep within. A really easy read, highly recommended.
@AnticitizenOneC17
"Punished by Rewards" by Alfie Kohn completely changed my approach to parenting, business, and almost every human interaction. Behaviorism--the psychological view that we are basically rats in cages that can be trained and controlled via conditioning, punishments, and rewards--was embraced and championed by society to such a degree that most people don't realized it is only ONE way (and far from the best way, given it was developed by research on rodents, not human beings) of treating other humans. Gold stars for toddlers, honor roll for school kids, bonus programs for workers: all based on an assumption that human beings are little different from lab rats, which is why these programs often feel so condescending, dehumanizing, and humiliating, and yet, they are everywhere!
@victor3297
I recently read 'Quit: The Power of knowing when to walk away' by Annie Duke. It has become my top book that changed part of my world. It put a well needed crack in my tendency to stay with things for too long, with some great insights on why sticking with something is not always the best path. Grit is not always the answer. Sometime quitting is.
@SteveChambers-br2it
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman Cosmic Banditos, AC Weisbecker Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
@j.f.almeida9081
I love Discourses and selected writings by Epictetus. As I love history, I'll check the Lessons of history and The Mosquito. Thanks
@whatiswithsteph
As a youth, three of the most impactful books I read were: Jessica Mitford’s “The American Way of Birth” and “The American Way of Death”. Also “Crumbling Walls: why prisons fail” by Ruth Morris. I worked as a shelver in a public library from ages 13 to 19 and was constantly exposed to works I never would have thought to look for myself. 🤯
@joebradshaw2816
"The User Illusion" by Tor Norretranders "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl "Middle Age" by Joyce Oates "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
@jamesleeschmidt7312
Books that made a big impact to me.......... so far -For Common Things, Jedediah Purdy -Meditations, Marcus Aurelius -Animal Farm, George Orwell -A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking -How to Argue and Win Every time, Gerry Spence -Atomic Habits, James Clear - Good to Great, James Collins - Cosmos, Carl Sagan
@teblar
please keep making more videos like these:)))) I began buying every single book you recommended were life-changing and they're sooo amazing
@tlalocdeli6885
Dan Barber’s book The Third Plate nicely presents a road map for food sustainability where good farming and good food intersect. A must read.
@andersoni9477
In 2021, I met a woman at a silent retreat deep in the mountains. She didn’t speak often, but when she did, it was like her words came from another dimension. One day, I asked her why people keep searching but rarely find. She just smiled and said: “Because they’re playing a game that was never theirs. They’re trying to win inside a simulation they didn’t choose. Imagine what it feels like to finally find your own level.” That moment shifted everything. I started questioning what I thought I knew about success, money, and reality itself. Before we parted, she handed me a USB. On it was an unpublished manuscript: "Hidden Galaxy Money Secrets". I didn’t open it for months. When I finally did, it didn’t feel new—it felt like I was remembering something I had once known and somehow forgotten. That book didn’t give me answers. It reminded me of the truth beneath the noise. If life feels misaligned, if something inside you knows this can’t be all there is— this might be your invitation to start playing the real game.
@earleenthomas2572
I also read The Prince decades ago and often quote it to others in helping to sustain an historical perspective of who we are, avoiding the angst of alarmists today. Thank you so much for the list! So happy I “stumbled” into your site today.
@arbee89
One of the most prescient books I've ever read is "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis. The way he navigates through the idea of objective and subjective judgments and how we've essentially wrenched the heart out of everything we do is brilliant.
@jefflee8133
Just found your channel. Your nine book list is compelling. TY and keep up the great work! Cheers.
@darkwoodmovies
I don't normally go for book recommendations, but this list is right up my alley. Will definitely be checking some of these out!
@aliyamathiesen7290
Just found your channel and so excited! I love reading non fiction and these sound so interesting!
@mvhuber
Mark, I absolutely love your work, and share it wherever I can. Out of curiosity, have you ever thought of doing deep dives on some of these books? If you did, I would certainly watch a 20 minute discuss on "The Mosquito", or whatever. Just a thought. I probably won't read a 500 page book on mosquitos but I would certain listen or watch an executive summary.
@mik7062