Reddit’s Top Self-Help Book Suggestions

Published in 5th century B.C., The Art of War—written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu—still remains, to this day, a very influential strategy text in East Asian warfare, and kicks off our list at #1. Though written explicitly to help Chinese generals understand different aspects of warfare and its application to military tactics, this 13-chapter ancient military treatise transcends strategies specific to war, with insights often translated by readers into areas foreign to the battlefield, the most common among them being business tactics, legal strategy, and the approach to life as a whole.

Written by the “king” of horror himself, On Writing is a memoir devoted to helping aspiring writers gain the tools and knowledge needed to be a great writer. Albeit foreign to the self-help/self-improvement genre, Stephen King is no stranger to the ins and outs of writing. With over eighty books under his belt, King is surely a reputable and reliable source for advice on writing literature.

Split into five sections, this book covers multiple different outlooks on writing, and helpful advice from all angles. Though the tips and tricks that go hand in hand with such a wise and experienced author as King are certainly what draws aspiring writers in to read the book, the heart of this memoir lies within King’s stories, anecdotes, and personal struggles as a man on earth, and how these experiences have shaped him into not only the writer he is today, but the human being as well.

Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance seems like quite a mouthful just from reading the title, and I assure you—it is a mouthful, and a throat-full, and a stomach-full of incredibly insightful philosophy sprinkled throughout a fictionalized autobiographical story about a motorcycle journey across the United States, captained by Robert M. Pirsig, and assisted by his son Chris. Touching on ideas about the self as well as relationships, this book, which spoofs the title of the Eugene Herrigel book Zen in The Art of Archery, does not follow close behind its somewhat seemingly silly title, of which does not quite do the wild ride of a book this is justice.

Imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps at the height of World War II, Viktor E Frankl approached the hell that was Nazi-infested Germany with unorthodox thought and strategy, as cited in his life-changing, psychology-driven book Man’s Search for Meaning. Splitting the book into two parts, Frankl first analyzes his own experiences within concentration camps, then dives into his ideas of meaning and “logotherapy”—Frankl’s theory that humans are motivated by the search for a life purpose.

Man’s Search for Meaning plugs multiple different lessons/take-aways readers are able to come away with after reading the book. These include finding a purpose in pain and suffering, the human body is stronger than we think, and directly quoted from the book, “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” If a man who suffered through concentration camps is able to look forward in a positive light, a lot of us in much better positions should be able to do the same.

Originally published in 1949, The Intelligent Investor, a securities and investment book written by Benjamin Graham and revised by Jason Zweig for the fourth edition published in 2003, covers everything investing from the important basics of investment philosophy to the tedious task that is stock selection. Touting the origin of the famed “Mr. Market” allegory, this book has had an immense influence on how the stock market is explained—specifically touching on the volatility of the market.

In this book, Graham gives advice pertaining to two different types of investors: defensive investors and enterprising investors. Defensive investors are only concerned with the basics of investing, while enterprising investors spend much more time learning about investing and investment theory. So, whether you’re just trying to gain reasonable returns from your investments, or you’re wanting to go the extra mile, this book is for you.

Often regarded as a fundamental work in classical economics, The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is an economics and philosophy book, published in 1776, that reflects on the economy at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. With insights into productivity, free markets, and the division of labor, this piece of literature not only holds great philosophical merit, but is a historically intriguing book as well. Praised for its interesting views on markets and national production, The Wealth of Nations, published an astounding 240+ years ago, stands the test of time with legs and feet of steel.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg explores the science behind habit creation and reformation. Published in 2012, the book circles the central idea that craving drives all habits and is essential in starting a new one or destroying an old one. The Power of Habit helps readers understand how to change bad habits, as well as form good ones. This book is powered by research and lots of anecdotal evidence that paints Duhigg’s ideas in vivid color.

A book that promotes lasting change, not just temporary divergence from unhealthy habits, The Power of Habit optimistically depicts the recovery from addiction/bad habits with advice like: any habit can be changed when you get down to what is fueling said habit; small changes to your lifestyle can have large, exponential health benefits; and habits merge implicitly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have control over our habits.

Described as a personal development and self-improval book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Ben Holden-Crowther was published in 1937, and hasn’t lost any of its original value in those 82 years since it’s been available for intake. The book mainly concerns increasing income, though Hill himself suggests that his philosophy transcends money, and translates over to any line of work and any area of life.

Hill writes of procrastination—a habit that far too many of us are familiar with—and how it’s most probably one of the key contributors to dissatisfaction and the destruction of a healthy life/mindset. This book looks at procrastination as a daydreamer’s nightmare: constant thoughts of “what if” or “I wish” only separate yourself further and further from these goals and ambitions you hold.

The Millionaire Next Door is a compilation and accompanying analysis of research done by two authors, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, under the semblance of “millionaire.” Published in 1996, the main points of the book include spending less than you earn, and avoiding buying “status” objects or living a “status” lifestyle. Along with these ideas is the incredibly interesting finding derived from their research: millionaires live mostly in middle-class neighborhoods, opposed to opulent and affluent areas.

The idea of wealth not being something you can see rings loud and true. The Millionaire Next Door warns readers that what counts is what’s in your bank account; that and that alone is what makes you “rich,” not fancy clothes, fast cars, or a hillside house in Beverly Hills, California, though that last one sounds really nice right about now.

A self-help book that entails how to make friends, how to be popular, how to help win people over to your way of thinking, and more, the correspondingly titled How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie helps you do exactly what it says it will. Guiding you to ultimately become a better, happier person, this book not only contains ideas that are considered revolutionary, but practical, actionable advice as well.

Approaching making friends and connections with people as a sort of non-superficial strategy game, Carnegie writes about the tactics of making people like you, the stand-out points being: moving conversation away from yourself and more towards the person you’re speaking with, so you become interested in and invested with who that person is and what they like; being a good listener; and making the person you’re acquainted with feel good about themselves.

A bit different from the other books on the list, Mindfulness in Plain English, written by buddhist monk Henepola Gunaratana, aims to teach its readers Vipassana, a meditation practice based on breathing. Though rooted in Buddhism, the practice is universally applicable, helping all who desire to become more in touch with themselves and their own perpetual universe. This book is bound to help those who are wanting to attain a certain mindfulness and/or calmer state of mind.

Mindfulness in Plain English holds more to it than just practical advice, it teaches quite a bit of philosophy that goes hand in hand with the tangible meditation practices. For example, a chapter on attitude speaks of “letting go” and not clinging to our grounded world, which is something you can't read an instruction manual for and you’re suddenly reaching into portals to new dimensions and levitating at will.

Originally published in 1920, then revised and augmented by American writer E.B. White in ‘59, and now most recently published in its fourth edition in 2000, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. has clearly come a long way since its initial release. An American english style guide praised by none other than the author of our #2 book, Stephen King, The Elements of Style contains a wide array of advice for beginning writers, including insights like using parallel structure on concepts that are parallel, using active voice, and of course, probably the most famous of tips and tricks given by Strunk Jr., “make every word tell.”

Perhaps viewed as another odd pick for this list—the book was most likely never even meant to be read by anyone other than the author himself—Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is a collection of notes and ideas on stoic philosophy, originally written as a source for Aurelius’ own guidance and self-improvement. But here we are, with these notes-to-self and personal thoughts published into a book available for anyone to read if they please. Divided into twelve books that address different periods of Aurelius’ life, this unmistakably worthwhile read covers topics ranging from the importance of analyzing one’s judgement of self and others to the development of a cosmic perspective.

Written by the same man with a book that’s name is probably more familiar to you (The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck), Models by Mark Manson is definitley not one to be brushed off, though at times it may hide in the gargantuan shadow of its book-little-brother. Published in 2011, Models entails how to become an attractive man based not on superficial ideas, but through self-development. With tons of psychological research to back up Manson’s claims throughout the book, the highly decorated author makes a firm point of avoiding tricks, tactics, and games in order to swoon women. Rather, the focus—or the goal—is creating powerful connections with women through the betterment of the self.

Often regarded as an extremely well-written book, Economics in One Lesson, written by the widely cited American journalist Henry Hazlitt, is, well, a book about economics. Published in 1946, the book with the self-explanatory title is divided into two parts: one of which touches on the long-term effects of economics opposed to merely the immediacy within the branch of knowledge, the other part consisting of common economic beliefs, and Hazlitt’s exposure of these beliefs as fallacious.

A quite ubiquitous idea that you’d be surprised to find in an Economics book is that of avoiding our emotions when discussing the economy. There’s a lot of times in life when you should be going into things with a concrete, stone-cold, factual and objective approach and mindset. Our emotions can sometimes lead us to make poor instinctual decisions, and suffer enormous consequences from said decisions. The point is: leave dabbling with emotions at home when discussing things like economics.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is a book of research and analysis of a variety of different subjects, including cognitive biases and the prospect theory to happiness. Winner of a 2012 National Academics Communication Award, Thinking, Fast and Slow summarizes research Kahneman has done over the course of his life, and most reputably, touches on a dichotomy of two modes of thought.

This book contains discussion of how we humans primarily think and make decisions in two distinct ways: with our gut or intuition, and with our analytic, problem-solving, intelligent brain. Kahneman also touches on how we often jump to conclusions based on limited evidence and information; he calls this phenomenon “what you see is all there is.” Surrounding confirmation bias, the abbreviated “WYSIATI” phenomenon happens when us lazy humans take one piece of information and eat it right up, ignoring any other takes, opinions, views, and, frighteningly facts that importantly contribute to the topic of discussion.

The title of this book sounds awfully familiar… Yes! That’s right—our #1 pick The Art of War has been sabotaged! Or… maybe just its title. With a painfully obvious play on the title of Sun Tzu’s famed chinese military treatise, Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art highlights the limits we put on ourselves through a force called “Resistance.” We often put aside our most important contributions to this world, not just because of the fear of rejection, but because “the more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we feel toward pursuing it,” as Pressfield puts it. A strange phenomenon that’s hard to pin down can only be defeated by fighting it as if you’re at war. I hate to cheesily quote Nike’s famous slogan, but “just do it” is essentially the winning words when at war with this menacing “Resistance” force that Pressfield speaks of.

Originally published in 1979, then revised and republished in 1989, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards is a self-help book that famously consists of material on using drawing techniques in the corporate world and in education. With just a little bit of help from the very latest developments in brain research, Edwards writes of self-expression through drawing and how it applies outside of the art itself.

With the main theme of the book being moving from the left to the right side of the brain in some aspects of life, just like drawing, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain can teach us about how creativity is essential to success within other fields, not just drawing and artistry. Between all of this universal application is actual discussion of the basic skills of drawing as well, specifically how to draw “realistically.”

A colorfully titled edited collection of memories published in 1985, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman covers a variety of instances in Feynman’s life, some lighthearted, some a bit darker, and attempts to make sense of them all. Full of inspirational insights and unforgettable take-aways from interesting experiences, this book touts appraisal for its author’s incredible intellect and character apparent within the 352-page wonder.

In this book, Feynman writes about how he was interested in a ton of different things as a kid, and was very eager to learn more about everything from mathematics to picking locks to ants. A great insight that Feynman includes in this book is that of his cutting down on decisions that had to be made. In order to keep his head clear and replete with strictly important issues, he “decided” (ha) to completely get rid of decisions such as whether or not he should leave Caltech.

And finally, the final spot of our top 20 self-help books, according to reddit, will be assumed by American economist Burton G. Malkiel’s A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Published in 1973, the book that popularized the “random walk hypothesis,” as well as became engulfed in a bit of controversy when Warren Buffet rebutted the Efficient Market Hypothesis (an investment theory discussed in the book) in 1984, is still considered to this day a great starting place for investors. Covering investing techniques like “technical analysis” and “fundamental analysis,” the book gives an outstanding overview of the history of investing, and discusses, with great detail, how the stock market works and functions.