Self-Help Books

Self-Help Books describes a diverse selection of titles that focus on self-discovery and self-improvement. The self-help genre is characterized by literature that shares research and advice to promote self-understanding and prompt changes in one's outlook or behavior, thus improving one's quality of life. The Self-Help Collection features texts that discuss topics ranging from business and personal finance to interpersonal relationships, mental health, and sexuality.

Nudge

by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Trust & Doubt, Politics & Government

Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Politics & Government

In 2021 the behavioral economists Richard H. Thaler and the legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein released an updated, “final” version of their 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Drawing on research from psychology, economics, sociology, and elsewhere, Thaler and Sunstein make the case for the importance of “nudges.” Nudges, according to these authors, are “aspects of choice architecture” that predictably alter behavior without forbidding or commanding anything (8). Choice architecture refers... Read Nudge Summary

On Death and Dying

by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Publication year 1969

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Grief, Death, Family

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Grief & Death, Health

On Death and Dying is a 1969 psychological study by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. It is best known in popular culture for introducing the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Kübler-Ross’s work with terminally ill patients inspired the model. She wrote the study as a response to the lack of instruction in medical schools about how to handle the topic of death. It was the very first book written by Kübler-Ross in her... Read On Death and Dying Summary

On the Shortness of Life

by Seneca

Publication year 49

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes The Past, Future, Death, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Classical Period, Philosophy, Ancient Rome, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

by Stephen King

Publication year 2000

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Childhood & Youth, Language

Tags Arts & Culture, Self-Improvement, Biography

Stephen King’s 2000 memoir, On Writing, details King’s formation as an author and provides writing advice. The memoir is divided into five sections: “C.V.,” “What Writing Is,” “Toolbox,” “On Writing,” and “On Living.”In “C.V.,” King provides a curriculum vitae describing how he was formed as a writer. He begins in his early childhood and describes his life with his mother, Nellie, and older brother, David. King’s father is not in the picture, and the family... Read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Summary

Originals

by Adam Grant

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance

Tags Business & Economics, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Leadership, Science & Nature, Psychology

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Outliers

by Malcolm Gladwell

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Education, Fame

Tags Psychology, Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

The nonfiction book Outliers: The Story of Success is Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, published in 2008. Gladwell is a prolific writer for the New Yorker, where he has been on staff since 1996. His writing often incorporates research from the social sciences, as in Outliers, in which he makes the case that the way we understand and portray success is wrong. Before joining the staff of the New Yorker, Gladwell was a reporter for the... Read Outliers Summary

Outlive

by Peter Attia

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Aging, Mental Health, Death, Midlife, Science & Technology

Tags Health, Science & Nature, Self-Improvement, Sports, Psychology, Psychology

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Pragmatism

by William James

Publication year 1907

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, American Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction

Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907) is a philosophical work by the American philosopher and psychologist William James. It consists of eight lectures originally delivered at the Lowell Institute in Boston and at Columbia University in New York. James is closely associated with the philosophy of pragmatism, originally formulated by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, and this book is considered the major statement of the ideas and principles of... Read Pragmatism Summary

Prepared

by Mike Glover

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Community, Order & Chaos

Tags Self-Improvement, Action & Adventure, Military & War

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Presence

by Amy Cuddy

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Language

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Leadership, Science & Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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Principles

by Ray Dalio

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Teamwork, Power & Greed

Tags Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Leadership, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

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