Books that Changed My Life :: marciaconner.com

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On this site I also include a list of my all-time favorite books. Many of those changes my life is some way too, but I have intentionally not overlapped the lists. Books on balance are also listed separately. Ageless Learner also includes a booklist.

Books for Children and Youth (also wonderful for adults)

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor Books, 1994). I also enjoyed the sequels, especially Speaker for the Dead.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder (Boulevard, 1996)

When Living Hurts: For Teenagers and Young Adults by Sol Gordon (UAHC, 1994)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

Balance, Simplicity, and Life

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (Fireside, reprint 1990, c1989)

The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey (Free Press, 2005)

The Best of Friends, The Worst of Enemies: Woman to Woman, The Secret Emotional Hotline by Eva Margolies (Pocket Books, 1985)

Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen Kingston (Broadway Books, 1999)

First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy by A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill, and Stephen R. Covey (Fireside, reprint 1996)

Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways to Regain Peace and Nourish Your Soul by Elaine St. James (Hyperion, 1995)

The New You by Sol Gordon (Ed U, 1984)

Notes to Myself by Hugh Prather (Bantam Books, 1970)

Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter by Elaine St. James (Hyperion, 1994).

Spiritual Serendipity: Cultivating and Celebrating the Art of the Unexpected by Richard M. Eyre (Simon & Schuster, 1997) This book is about life, thought, feelings, intuition and faith without ever being sermon-like or preachy. In this book, the author convinces you that serendipity is a way of life and an attitude that can help you bring together happy accidents with a sense of understanding for what should be. This book describes and helps you create a life filled with the creativity, fun, happiness, joy, and productivity so many of us miss. This book provides a way to feel connected in a world with far too many steps and not enough direction.

Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron (Shambhala Press, 2001)

Communication

Adios Strunk and White by Gary and Clynis Hoffman

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury (Penguin, 1991)

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren (Simon & Schuster, 1972)

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville

Non-Designers's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice by Robin Williams (Peachtree Press, 1994)

On Writing Well by William Zinsser (Perennial, 1988)

Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates (Prometheus Nemesis Books, 1984)

Community, Society and Organizations

Age Wave: How the Most Important Trend of Our Time Will Change Our Future by Ken Dychtwald (Bantam, reissue 1990)

The Art of the Long View: Planning for the future in an uncertain world by Peter Schwartz (Doubleday, c1991)

Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop (Simon & Schuster, 1992). This book introduced me to complexity theory in a surprisingly easy-to-read way that can offer you insight into the interrelationship of not only our body and mind, but also our work and the environment around us and all living matter.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds by Charles MacKay (Crown Publishing, reprint 1995)

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins (Random House, 2001) Also available and recommended in audio format.

Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot (Perennial, reprint 1992). This books explains the theory that despite its apparent tangible reality, the universe is actually a kind of three-dimensional projection and is ultimately no more real than a hologram, a three-dimensional image projected into space. This is one of those books that gets me to rethink everything I think I know about reality and perspective which means I try to read at least some of it at least once a year.

On Becoming a Leader Warren Bennis (1994)

Birth of the Chaordic Age (now in Paperback as One From Many). Dee Hock (Berrett-Koehler, 1999). If you've ever felt in your heart that modern-day organizations are not meeting the needs of those they serve, know you are not alone. Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus of VISA International felt that way for years and did something about it. He developed the concept of a global system for the exchanges of value and a unique new concept of organization for that purpose. This wonderfully irreverent book offers a deeper understanding of Dee's work written from 3-different perspectives, challenging, inspiring, and funny. It's a cohesive, very honest look at modern organizations and a new model for the next millennium.

Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration by Warren G. Bennis, Patricia Ward Biederman (Perseus, 1998) My single-favorite business book of all times. Inspiring, instructive, illuminating.

Serious Play: How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate by Michael Schrage (Cambridge; Harvard Business School Press, 1999)

Strength to Love by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Fortress Press reprint 1981, c1963)

Your Public Best by Lillian Brown (Newmarket Press, 1989)

Family, Parenting and Relationships

Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn (Houghton Mifflin, 1995). One of my favorite authors challenges the notion that incentives, rewards, and competition are effective motivators and instead asserts that teamwork, meaningfulness, and autonomy are the best motivators of all.

The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost by Jean Liedloff (Addison Wesley, 1986) Incredible perspective, beautifully written, on a how children are raised around the world. Not to be missed!

You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin Dancy (Celestial Arts, rev 2000)

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Grey (Harper, rev 2004)

The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William and Martha Sears

Fiction and Literature

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Health and Psychology

Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perception by Thom Hartmann (Underwood Miller, 1993)

Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults by Lynn Weiss MD (Taylor, 1992)

Ayurvedic Secrets to Longevity and Total Health by Peter Enselmo

Body Language by Julius Fast (M Evans & Co, 1970)

Body, Mind, and Sport: The mind-body guide to lifelong health, fitness, and your personal best by John Douillard (Three Rivers Press, revised 2001). This book introduces you to a series of body types, based on the ancient science of Ayurveda, offering insights into the right diet and exercise program for each individual. Designed to accommodate both non-athletes and those who want to train for performance, I learned more from this book about how to get and stay in shape than from any other single book.

Driven To Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell MD and John J. Ratey MD (Pantheon, 1994)

Intuitive Healer by Marcia Emery

Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I believe this should be required reading for all women.

Wise Woman's Herbal for the Childbearing Years by Susun Weed (Ash Tree, 1985)

Learning, Education and Development

An Uncommon Gift by James S. Evans (Westminster Press, 1983)

The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development (5th edition) by Malcolm S. Knowles (Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing, 1998)

Becoming a Master Student (now in its 11th edition) by David Ellis (c1991)

The Biology of Transcendence by Joseph Chilton Pierce (Park Street, 2004)

Experience and Education by John Dewey (Touchstone, reprint 1997). I reread this tiny book at least once a year, every year, to reground myself in how people learn and the importance of experience. Also see Art As Experience by John Dewey.

Faking It: A Look into the Mind of a Creative Learner by Christopher Lee and Rosemary Jackson (Boynton Cook, 1992)

Learning All the Time by John Holt (Perseus, reprint, 1990). This book for parents and teachers challenges many widely accepted classroom-practices and offers specific suggestions for alternative ways to help encourage children to learn in settings inside and outside a classroom.

Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults by Jane K. Vella (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997)

Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford (Great Ocean Publishing, 1995)

The Scientist in the Crib by Gopnick, Meltzoff, and Kuhl

You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! A Self-help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder by Kate Kelly and Peggy Rumundo (Fireside, reprint 1996). This book is the indispensable reference for anyone who faces the challenge of having ADD or feeling you’re having a hard time focusing on a daily basis.

Philosophy & Religion

Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (Anchor, 2000)

Poetry & Drama

Butterfly by Norie Huddle (Huddle Books, 1990)

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

Those Who Ride the Night Winds by Nikki Giovanni Quill, reissue 1999)

To Be Young, Gifted and Black: An Informal Autobiography of Lorraine Hansberry by Lorraine Hansberry (Signet, 1969)