Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which I read back-to-back. COMPLETELY changed the way I thought about food and eating and cooking.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I read them close together, and it changed not only how I thought about living my day to day life, but better prepared me for thinking about how to help my aging parents, how to frame conversations with friends with chronic illnesses, and inevitably will help me when youth and vigor abandon me (happening at an increasingly rapid pace in my peri-menopause years). They are hard reads - I read the Kalanithi in audio book form and spent the last 2 chapters sobbing on my couch - but worth it.
Being Mortal inspired my mom to write out her wishes for the end of her life and her memorial service. If not for this book, I have no doubt that we never would have discussed this topic. When she died a couple of years ago, it was so comforting to know that we were following her wishes. Being Mortal did such a service to the world.
The most impactful book that I ever read changed my Aunt’s life. I was reading Atomic Habits (highly recommend) and mentioned to her that there was a section discussing the book How to Quit Smoking and how effective it was (she had been smoking like 40 years and always wanted to quit but couldn’t). About two months later she sent this message to the family: “Hello family! Just wanted to give you all my good news. Thanks to a book Niki recommended to me, I have finally quit smoking! No struggle, no withdrawal, no substitutions! It's only been 5 days, but I am done! I will never smoke again! Yay me! 🎉🎉🎉🚭🚭” and she HAS never smoked again. I am so thankful I read that book and set off this incredible chain of events.
At the risk of being weird, I think the most life-changing book I ever read was "Healing Back Pain" by John Sarno, at a time when I was having crippling back pain and a complete mental breakdown and considering spinal fusion surgery. He introduced me to the idea that pain can be caused by the brain rather than by a structural problem in the body. For the first time, I saw that I had some agency in the situation and got out of pain without medical intervention. Sarno's work is now a bit outdated and there is a wonderful new book called "The Way Out" by Alan Gordon & Alon Ziv. It offers a new paradigm on chronic pain that offers hope to so many suffering people. I read it because I recently developed chronic headaches, and after reading and internalizing this book, they went away! Sometimes books are life changing because of their literary value, but other times because they teach you something that opens up a new way of seeing.
Yes! I read Sarno's books recently and his ideas absolutely changed my life and how I think about pain. His ideas are echoed elsewhere, Dr. Mate for example, but the way he writes just helped it sink in differently. Will definitely read The Way Out.
Believe it or not, a book that changed my approach to living with myself(trust me, a lifelong struggle) and my family was Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before. Once I realized I am an Obliger (her 4 Basic Tendencies explained in the book), I could better address my goals and habits. Once I understood that my daughter and husband are Questioners, I adapted how I parented and made myself heard. Gretchen’s book and her podcast make me happier. And I freaked out inside when she revealed that you’re in her children’s lit group!
We All Want Impossible Things, a story about life, love, loss and the joy of beautiful friendships. This novel is heart wrenching, funny and impossibly moving. Katherine Newman’s writing so wonderfully captures the real and ordinary love between family and friends.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer! A perennial classic, I read it every January. It encouraged me to pursue rock climbing and mountaineering, which I now spend all my free time doing. I even edit for the fabulous Summit Journal (https://www.summitjournal.com/). I'm hoping to summit Mt. Rainier in 2026!
That would be John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces, which I read in the middle of an ugly divorce that found me raising a toddler on my own while doing midnight shifts and struggling to stay afloat.
And I laughed! Out loud! You can find things to laugh about even in the midst of the bleakest of situations! It was a revelation . . .
Love this. I remember laughing so hard through that book and somehow now thirty years later I can't remember a single thing about it. Time for a re-read.
I would say a book that has encouraged an exercise and self-care revolution for me is Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond by Dr. Stacey Sim. I almost didn’t read it because it is for “athletes” and I do not identify that way (and have had times in life where I barely got off the couch). Her mantra is if you are training with intention, even just for building muscle, you are an athlete. Totally changed my mindset. Do I still prefer the couch? Yes. Is my core and overall strength better as a 57 yo woman than ever before? Yup!
It was so lovely to see you in SF last night, Jenny! I hope your travels continue to go smoothly.
The book Play by Dr. Stuart Brown was life changing for me and is one I always share with other teachers and new parents. Dr. Brown traces research and shares sweet stories of the absolute imperative of play for our development and well-being. It gives you permission to prioritize play in your life ( think dancing to music in your kitchen, chasing your dog at the beach, making crafts with your kids, jumping into cold water, etc.). It’s a great reminder in this intense, fast-moving, and tech-saturated world of ours: remember to play!
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I read it in a college lit class, which made me curious about Spain, which led to me studying abroad in Madrid, where I met some of my best friends and which absolutely changed the course of my life.
I second and third Omnivore and Animal Vegetable miracle.
I’d note as a philosopher of science who works on some related topics to Harai’s subjects…his scary but triumphalist vision of AI and datáism is adored by the tech industry and roundly criticized by every serious philosopher of science and technology I’ve ever met. He does sound so plausible until you start dissecting the actual arguments though…
I'm an archaeologist and Harai's earlier and very famous book Sapiens also was pretty poorly received by the field. Seems like someone that should be read very critically.
Two books come immediately to mind: Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, which completely changed how I look at food and what I eat. And this summer Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui - this book has been a inspiration to swim, to expand beyond my comfort zone, to take lessons to improve beyond my slow head-above-water breaststroke, to face my fear and be a beginner again (at midlife).
I have to say your Dinner: The Playbook changed the way our family approached dinner. That book helped me become a better meal planner and engaged our entire family in mealtime. I just looked at our first entry in the report card at the back of the book - 9/8/14 - ten years ago! It also was the first book I chose for a Cookbook Club I started for my friends who needed more dinner options. Our group is still going strong after 10 years. Thanks Jenny!!!!!
I just turned 40 and am eternally grateful for all that I have. I am incredibly privileged and lucky to have family close, my health and enough. I have found myself in a panic once in awhile lately because the next chapters of my life are when health issues can pop up, my kids will have big kid problems sometimes and my parents and in-laws will grow older. All normal.... but sometimes terrifying. I have been looking for something to read, fiction or non-fiction (equal opportunity reader here), that makes me feel a little braver to face just life in general. And the funny thing is, I said to myself just this morning "I think i'll ask for book recs. when Jenny does one again" because clearly you (your readers and husband included) have some good ones. Low and behold in my inbox is "a book that changed my life". Thanks for all that you put out there for this community!
Laura, this is so nice. I want that book, too. This period of life is rough but it sounds like you're pretty excellent at practicing gratitude, which I'm guessing will help a lot.
Books that made me feel safe and cozy in the simple pleasures of life and family - Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
Hi Laura, I was going to post this as its own comment as to the book that changed my life, but I think I'd like to recommend it to you. The book that changed my life is "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. I'm much older now, but years ago when I read it, but I was in a similar situation as you. I wondered why I was so lucky and still have so many doubts and worries. The book is about how to live in the present and how not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. It changed my whole way of thinking (well at least most of the time. ha ha) It helped me to live my life with presence and purpose. I eventually became confident enough to quit my day job and begin my own business.
What a good question! For me: W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. I cried the happiest tears when Philip, after years of searching for happiness, finds peace. It was the ultimate balm that 22 year old me needed to read before moving across the country, alone and scared, but also excited. That moments can be rough, but the experience is the beauty, and you’ll never notice the beauty unless you live in the present and stop comparing your experience to others. Who knew that a novel written in 1915 would shake me to my core when I read it in 2007? I loved it so much, still do, and always will.
So glad to read I’m not alone here! Such a good book. I swear it gave me confidence, like everything is going to be ok, I don’t need to panic. I just went to the library to try another one of Somerset Maugham’s books. ☺️
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan, which I read back-to-back. COMPLETELY changed the way I thought about food and eating and cooking.
This plus Fast Food Nation by Eric Sclosser.
This for me too.
Same for me. It was the gateway drug, leading me to dozens of other books that shed light on our food system and how crippled it is.
Yes! Revelatory when I read them in the mid-2000's .
Agree.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I read them close together, and it changed not only how I thought about living my day to day life, but better prepared me for thinking about how to help my aging parents, how to frame conversations with friends with chronic illnesses, and inevitably will help me when youth and vigor abandon me (happening at an increasingly rapid pace in my peri-menopause years). They are hard reads - I read the Kalanithi in audio book form and spent the last 2 chapters sobbing on my couch - but worth it.
Being Mortal inspired my mom to write out her wishes for the end of her life and her memorial service. If not for this book, I have no doubt that we never would have discussed this topic. When she died a couple of years ago, it was so comforting to know that we were following her wishes. Being Mortal did such a service to the world.
I'm so sorry about your mother, but how amazing that you have that comfort.
First off I want to say how much I enjoyed meeting you in person last night at Omnivore. This is your chicken pot pie recipe I mentioned and have made on repeat https://cupofjo.com/2022/11/02/weeknight-dinner-party/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email. -‘d this is your fish stew also the best easiest soup ever https://www.dinneralovestory.com/maine-style-fish-chowder/ (that recipe is hard to find honestly on your site).
The most impactful book that I ever read changed my Aunt’s life. I was reading Atomic Habits (highly recommend) and mentioned to her that there was a section discussing the book How to Quit Smoking and how effective it was (she had been smoking like 40 years and always wanted to quit but couldn’t). About two months later she sent this message to the family: “Hello family! Just wanted to give you all my good news. Thanks to a book Niki recommended to me, I have finally quit smoking! No struggle, no withdrawal, no substitutions! It's only been 5 days, but I am done! I will never smoke again! Yay me! 🎉🎉🎉🚭🚭” and she HAS never smoked again. I am so thankful I read that book and set off this incredible chain of events.
that's amazing!
SO lovely to meet you last night -- I'm putting that fish chowder on the line-up as soon as I get home. xoxo
At the risk of being weird, I think the most life-changing book I ever read was "Healing Back Pain" by John Sarno, at a time when I was having crippling back pain and a complete mental breakdown and considering spinal fusion surgery. He introduced me to the idea that pain can be caused by the brain rather than by a structural problem in the body. For the first time, I saw that I had some agency in the situation and got out of pain without medical intervention. Sarno's work is now a bit outdated and there is a wonderful new book called "The Way Out" by Alan Gordon & Alon Ziv. It offers a new paradigm on chronic pain that offers hope to so many suffering people. I read it because I recently developed chronic headaches, and after reading and internalizing this book, they went away! Sometimes books are life changing because of their literary value, but other times because they teach you something that opens up a new way of seeing.
Yes! I read Sarno's books recently and his ideas absolutely changed my life and how I think about pain. His ideas are echoed elsewhere, Dr. Mate for example, but the way he writes just helped it sink in differently. Will definitely read The Way Out.
I have heard many testimonies about the Sarno book!
Believe it or not, a book that changed my approach to living with myself(trust me, a lifelong struggle) and my family was Gretchen Rubin’s Better Than Before. Once I realized I am an Obliger (her 4 Basic Tendencies explained in the book), I could better address my goals and habits. Once I understood that my daughter and husband are Questioners, I adapted how I parented and made myself heard. Gretchen’s book and her podcast make me happier. And I freaked out inside when she revealed that you’re in her children’s lit group!
We All Want Impossible Things, a story about life, love, loss and the joy of beautiful friendships. This novel is heart wrenching, funny and impossibly moving. Katherine Newman’s writing so wonderfully captures the real and ordinary love between family and friends.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer! A perennial classic, I read it every January. It encouraged me to pursue rock climbing and mountaineering, which I now spend all my free time doing. I even edit for the fabulous Summit Journal (https://www.summitjournal.com/). I'm hoping to summit Mt. Rainier in 2026!
That would be John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces, which I read in the middle of an ugly divorce that found me raising a toddler on my own while doing midnight shifts and struggling to stay afloat.
And I laughed! Out loud! You can find things to laugh about even in the midst of the bleakest of situations! It was a revelation . . .
Love this. I remember laughing so hard through that book and somehow now thirty years later I can't remember a single thing about it. Time for a re-read.
I would say a book that has encouraged an exercise and self-care revolution for me is Next Level: Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond by Dr. Stacey Sim. I almost didn’t read it because it is for “athletes” and I do not identify that way (and have had times in life where I barely got off the couch). Her mantra is if you are training with intention, even just for building muscle, you are an athlete. Totally changed my mindset. Do I still prefer the couch? Yes. Is my core and overall strength better as a 57 yo woman than ever before? Yup!
I just heard a podcast interview with her and was very impressed, and have started implementing some of her suggestions. I'll check out her book!
It was so lovely to see you in SF last night, Jenny! I hope your travels continue to go smoothly.
The book Play by Dr. Stuart Brown was life changing for me and is one I always share with other teachers and new parents. Dr. Brown traces research and shares sweet stories of the absolute imperative of play for our development and well-being. It gives you permission to prioritize play in your life ( think dancing to music in your kitchen, chasing your dog at the beach, making crafts with your kids, jumping into cold water, etc.). It’s a great reminder in this intense, fast-moving, and tech-saturated world of ours: remember to play!
Play changed my coaching business! Its foundational to my work now.
Loved seeing you Merritt! This book sounds very much up my alley.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I read it in a college lit class, which made me curious about Spain, which led to me studying abroad in Madrid, where I met some of my best friends and which absolutely changed the course of my life.
I love this one, too!
I second and third Omnivore and Animal Vegetable miracle.
I’d note as a philosopher of science who works on some related topics to Harai’s subjects…his scary but triumphalist vision of AI and datáism is adored by the tech industry and roundly criticized by every serious philosopher of science and technology I’ve ever met. He does sound so plausible until you start dissecting the actual arguments though…
I'm an archaeologist and Harai's earlier and very famous book Sapiens also was pretty poorly received by the field. Seems like someone that should be read very critically.
Two books come immediately to mind: Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, which completely changed how I look at food and what I eat. And this summer Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui - this book has been a inspiration to swim, to expand beyond my comfort zone, to take lessons to improve beyond my slow head-above-water breaststroke, to face my fear and be a beginner again (at midlife).
Life feels conquerable after a good swim!
I have to say your Dinner: The Playbook changed the way our family approached dinner. That book helped me become a better meal planner and engaged our entire family in mealtime. I just looked at our first entry in the report card at the back of the book - 9/8/14 - ten years ago! It also was the first book I chose for a Cookbook Club I started for my friends who needed more dinner options. Our group is still going strong after 10 years. Thanks Jenny!!!!!
I just turned 40 and am eternally grateful for all that I have. I am incredibly privileged and lucky to have family close, my health and enough. I have found myself in a panic once in awhile lately because the next chapters of my life are when health issues can pop up, my kids will have big kid problems sometimes and my parents and in-laws will grow older. All normal.... but sometimes terrifying. I have been looking for something to read, fiction or non-fiction (equal opportunity reader here), that makes me feel a little braver to face just life in general. And the funny thing is, I said to myself just this morning "I think i'll ask for book recs. when Jenny does one again" because clearly you (your readers and husband included) have some good ones. Low and behold in my inbox is "a book that changed my life". Thanks for all that you put out there for this community!
Laura, this is so nice. I want that book, too. This period of life is rough but it sounds like you're pretty excellent at practicing gratitude, which I'm guessing will help a lot.
Books that made me feel safe and cozy in the simple pleasures of life and family - Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
Hi Laura, I was going to post this as its own comment as to the book that changed my life, but I think I'd like to recommend it to you. The book that changed my life is "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. I'm much older now, but years ago when I read it, but I was in a similar situation as you. I wondered why I was so lucky and still have so many doubts and worries. The book is about how to live in the present and how not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. It changed my whole way of thinking (well at least most of the time. ha ha) It helped me to live my life with presence and purpose. I eventually became confident enough to quit my day job and begin my own business.
What a good question! For me: W. Somerset Maugham’s Of Human Bondage. I cried the happiest tears when Philip, after years of searching for happiness, finds peace. It was the ultimate balm that 22 year old me needed to read before moving across the country, alone and scared, but also excited. That moments can be rough, but the experience is the beauty, and you’ll never notice the beauty unless you live in the present and stop comparing your experience to others. Who knew that a novel written in 1915 would shake me to my core when I read it in 2007? I loved it so much, still do, and always will.
I love this one, too!
So glad to read I’m not alone here! Such a good book. I swear it gave me confidence, like everything is going to be ok, I don’t need to panic. I just went to the library to try another one of Somerset Maugham’s books. ☺️
Yes! It was not what I was expecting at all!