TED Talk speakers recommend these books that feature fresh and often inspiring ideas. Borrow them from the Lititz Public Library.
How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD.
New research shows emotions are formulated in the moment by core systems that interact across the whole brain aided by a lifetime of learning.
The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying by Nina Riggs
A woman, who was just thirty-eight when she received the devastating news that her cancer was terminal, explores motherhood, marriage, friendship and memory, asking what makes a meaningful life.
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
According to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence or history, but rather every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence, including factors such as identified passions and following through on commitments.
Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston
In 1927, Hurston went to Alabama to interview eighty-six-year-old formerly-enslaved Cudjo Lewis and she recorded the first-hand account of his capture, bondage and life in the African-centric community he founded with other former slaves from his ship.
A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story about Schizophrenia by Sandra Allen
The author tells the story of her uncle who spent time in mental hospitals while growing up in the 60s and 70s, was called “crazy” by the family and wrote his autobiography, an often-incomprehensible portrait of a young man striving for stability in his life and mind.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
The author was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and trapped in the farthest reaches of the justice system.
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race edited by Jesmyn Ward
National Book Award winner uses James Baldwin’s 1963 examination of race in America, The Fire Next Time, as a jumping off point for a collection of essays and poems about race from contemporary writers.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, the author explores how the currents of history have shaped human societies and even our personalities.
Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress by Steven Pinker
An assessment of the human condition presents data demonstrating that life quality, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge and happiness are on the rise due to the conviction that reason and science enhance human flourishing.
The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans and Our Quest to Understand the Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen
New research suggests that climate change played a major role in the most extreme catastrophes in the planet’s history, an exploration that offers a glimpse into our possible future.
Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown, PhD
Social scientist argues that we are experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge what we believe about ourselves and each other.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
Personal memoir uses the author’s own emotional and psychological struggles to explore our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance and health.
Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet by Jesse Itzler
Entrepreneur and one-time rapper, feeling himself drifting on autopilot, stepped out of his comfort zone and hired an accomplished Navy SEAL as a physical trainer to live and work with him for a month.
August 17, 2018