Recommended Reading

I’ve recently been doing a lot of reading and exploration about what it all means. You know…life. 

And whether there’s any point in trying to change the things that seem so horribly wrong with our planet—like climate change, genocide, sexism, racism, divisive politics, and widespread poverty, to name only a few. 

And if we can change things, how we might go about doing that when power structures seem so entrenched and efforts to budge them seem to amount to yelling into the wind.

The books below have really opened my eyes in one way or another, and helped me come to what feels like an optimistic place. If you’re also looking for a way through the fog, I highly recommend you give them a read.

If you’d be interested in starting an online book club to discuss these and other books, send me a message. I’d love to connect with you.

❤️ Jennifer

Disclosure: I’m an Amazon affiliate and receive a small commission each time you purchase one of these books through my links. But you could also consider checking them out at your public library or supporting your local independent bookstore. Spread the ideas and the love. :heart:

   

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The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life

Lisa Miller, PhD

From the cover:
Weaving her own deeply personal journey of awakening with her groundbreaking research, Dr. Lisa Miller’s book reveals that humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality, and that our brains become more resilient and robust as a result of it. For leaders in business and government, truth-seekers, parents, healers, educators, and any person confronting life’s biggest questions, The Awakened Brain combines cutting-edge science (from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more) with on-the-ground application for people of all ages and from all walks of life, illuminating the surprising science of spirituality and how to engage it in our lives.

Jennifer's take:
This is hands down one of the most deeply impactful books I have ever read, and one that I can say is truly life-changing.

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Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

Rainn Wilson

From the cover:
The trauma that our struggling species has experienced in recent years—because of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us—is not going away anytime soon. Existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level.

Jennifer's take:
A thoughtful, optimistic, and practical look at what humans and our world need to survive. Even if God is not your thing (it's not mine), this book has gems galore for exploring a more spiritual approach to solving today's problems.

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Team Human

Douglas Rushkoff

From the cover:
Team Human is a manifesto—a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff’s most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together—not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; education, conceived as way to elevate the working class, has become another assembly line; and the internet has only further divided us into increasingly atomized and radicalized groups. Team Human delivers a call to arms. If we are to resist and survive these destructive forces, we must recognize that being human is a team sport.

Jennifer's take:
I might wish for a few more practical ideas for putting the ideas into action but Rushkoff's incisive commentary lights a fire in the belly, as all good manifestos must do.

 

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The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

Sean Carroll

From the cover:
Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on Higgs bosons and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions: Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void? Do human purpose and meaning fit into a scientific worldview?

Jennifer's take:
Clocking in at almost 500 pages, The Big Picture is a comprehensive yet utterly engaging read through the history of science and philosophy. Instead of 10 commandments, Carroll closes the book with 10 considerations—and they are all bangers. Really enjoyed this book.