Similar to my previous post on my favorite fiction books, the books below are all books that I have read multiple times. They are books that have profoundly influenced me and shaped my thinking. I reference them often. Limiting the list was difficult. Trying to prioritize them would be even more difficult.
As before, I would love to hear some of your favorite non-fiction books. Please comment so I can add them to my reading list!
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
A classic for a reason. I read this in college and continue to re-read it. One of the more impactful ideas over the course of my life has been, “Remember that a person’s name to that person is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” I have worked hard to remember people’s names and pronounce them correctly. It is a powerful way to be kind. There are many other gems in this book.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
These aren’t the only habits that someone needs to be effective, but they are solid. The more I remind myself to focus on them, the better. Their importance is almost self-evident when reading them. 1. Sharpen the Saw, 2. Be Proactive, 3. Begin with the End in Mind, 4. Put First Things First, 5. Think Win-Win, 6. Seek First to Understand, Then Be Understood, 7. Synergize. If you haven’t read this book, seriously, put it on the top of your list.
The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero
This book is even more important and necessary than it was when it came out in 2015. This book is written by a pastor from a Christian perspective. That perspective does not prevent it from being an incredibly valuable resource for any leader, regardless of their faith background. The drive to succeed makes it difficult for many people to remain emotionally healthy. We see evidence of that all around us every single day. The insights in this book can help maintain healthy habits and boundaries or help someone who has blown past those boundaries find their way back.
- A few highlights and quotes:
- “You can’t live at warp speed without warping your soul.”
- Practicing Sabbath delight. Also, Sabbath being an act of embracing our limits and trusting God.
- The difference between guilt (wrong doing) and shame (flawed being), and the destruction shame causes in our lives.
- We lead out of who we are, and the importance that truth places on our character and health.
- “Elephants in the room rarely disappear by themselves. In fact, they often feed off the silence and grow into bigger, crisis-laden elephants over time.”
Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler
Wow. If you could see my copy of this book… It is dog-eared, highlighted, written in, underlined… You can tell by looking at it that it has been used. The framework used in this book has been helpful to me for a couple of decades. When working at the church, I went through the book with people on my team because much of the work we did involved having difficult conversations with people. The concepts of the pool of shared understanding, safety, fight-or-flight responses when safety breaks down, how to reestablish safety, and the stories we tell ourselves. If I was going to teach a single class to a group of humans I knew nothing else about, this might be the one I pick as the best shot at being valuable. We all talk with each other, and we all seem to have problems doing it sometimes. If we could all get a little better at having hard conversations, the world would be a better place.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
When I read this book, I thought my head was going to explode. It was (and is) so good. I love this book. After teaching a class on Crucial Conversations, I think a class on Atomic Habits might be the most useful for most humans. Literally, it is the power to change your life and who you are by making small, consistent changes. Amazing. As with the previous books, if you haven’t read this, do yourself a favor and put it at the top of your reading list.
I arbitrarily decided to split out non-fiction books of a spiritual nature. These books are every bit as important and impactful to me as the books above, but I know that not everyone will be interested in them. If you are curious, these are some excellent books to explore.
Decision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen – or – Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
Is there any topic as misunderstood within Christian circles as making decisions that are aligned with the will of God? Unfortunately, I think not. Many people waste so much time and energy, create so much anxiety and frustration, trying to read signals from God about decisions they should make. Often this is based on Bible verses taken out of context or unfair expectations of guidance from God. I was one of them. As a younger Christian, I spent years assuming that I wasn’t a good enough or mature enough Christian because God didn’t talk to me the way he, apparently, talked to every other Christian I knew. Maybe when I was more mature or less sinful, I would hear from him, too. {Sigh} This is unnecessary. The first book is a big, dense, academic treatment of the issue. The second is a brief, popular-level approach. I usually recommend the second, unless someone wants to dig deep.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis – or – The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl
I was an agnostic for several years, having left Christianity because I had too many questions and no good answers. To be fair, I wasn’t looking very hard for answers at the time. When I finally went looking for answers, Mere Christianity was one of the books that convinced me you could be intelligent and be a Christian. It didn’t answer all of my questions, but it answered some of them, and did so in a way that I found compelling.
Greg Koukl’s The Story of Reality is a modern version of Lewis’ work. It is told differently, but the goal is the same. To give a reasonable explanation of the Christian view of reality and why it is defensible.
30 Days to Understanding the Bible by Max Anders
When I was in my late 20s – early 30s, I realized that I had been a committed Christian for several years, but still didn’t understand the Bible. This book changed that for me. It gave me a framework for the entire Biblical narrative that I memorized. A set of hooks, so to speak. That allowed me to arrange and place new things I heard or read from the Bible in context. Even after attending seminary and reading thousands upon thousands of pages of theological work, I still consider this introductory book one of the most important for my overall understanding of the Bible.
The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Mike Licona
This might be the second most important non-fiction book I have read. As I mentioned previously, I was a happy agnostic for years. I was skeptical. I had questions. There is no bigger question for Christianity than, “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” The answer is yes or no, and all of Christianity hinges upon it. If he didn’t, Christianity is worthless. A placebo, at best. If he did, then Christianity is the most important message there is. This book expertly and thoroughly lays out four pieces of historical evidence that all scholars accept as fact, an additional piece of evidence that most scholars accept as fact, and then systematically shows how the actual bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for those facts.
I am still skeptical by nature, and I still have many questions, but becoming convinced that the resurrection of Jesus was true is what allowed me to become a Christian.
Shocker! If the Bible is what it claims to be, then there is no more important book. I am convinced it is. Charles Spurgeon said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.” That is my aim. I love to read, and I want to read lots of good books on lots of different topics, but I want to be soaked in the Bible.
I would argue that even if you don’t believe in God and aren’t interested in Christianity, the Bible is one of the more important books to read. It has had an immeasurable impact on the world for thousands of years. Its themes and images pop up in music, movies, art, books, everywhere! Having a better understanding of the Bible allows one to have a better understanding of history and of culture.
I love your list and I’m sure it was hard for you to narrow it down.
Here are a few of my faves; The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry, Failing Forward by John Maxwell, Idol Lies by Dee Brestin, The One Thing by Gary Keller, Chop Wood and Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf, Mary Kay on People Management by Mary Kay Ash, High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson and Visioneering by Andy Stanley.
Thanks so much for sharing such words of wisdom!