Best Books for College Students: Classics, Fiction, and Non-Fiction
Uncover literary treasures with our list of 15 essential classic books for college students. Timeless stories that enrich the student journey await.
I have received many requests to recommend some of the best books for college students. In response, I'm pleased to offer my expert recommendations in this article, which is based on my in-depth study and testing in this field.
Such as Thinking, Fast and Slow, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, The Practice of Management, The Effective Executive, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Poor Charlie's Almanack, Positive Discipline, The Great Gatsby, and Frankenstein.
These aren't the only books on this topic. Below, you'll find books with detailed descriptions of each of these outstanding resources.
The role of books is nothing more than two: change the mind, and increase knowledge.
Relatively speaking, the former is more important. All successful people have a common characteristic: continuous self-learning.
If you don't want to be a mediocre person, you must first change your thinking, break the inertia of inertia, continue to learn, and then continue to output.
1. Thinking, Fast and Slow
Our brains are making decisions all the time, but do you know how brain decisions work? Do you know that many decisions are actually not "thoughts" and are just subconscious mechanical processes?
In this case, it is not difficult to explain that most decisions are invalid and regrettable. The author of this book, Daniel Kahneman, won the Nobel Prize in Economics.
This is a book that reshapes thinking. What is more important than finding the flaws in your thinking? How to think and how to make decisions, this book gives you the answers.
The "New York Times" Bestseller, acclaimed by authors such as Freakonomics co-author Steven D. Levitt, Black Swan author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and Nudge co-author Richard Thaler, "Thinking Fast and Slow" offers a whole new look at the way our minds work, and how we make decisions.
Why is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold typeface? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent?
The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking.
This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical) and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Inequality in human society has always existed. The wealth distribution gap is gradually increasing. It may be bigger than we thought. If you don't work hard, you will only get poorer.
If you don't try your best to catch up with wealth, then poverty will catch up with you. Don't be fooled by the fantasy in front of you, be brave, and look at these cruel truths, I promise, it will be one of the most important motivations in your life.
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of the political economy.
However satisfactory answers have been hard to find for a lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories.
In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from twenty countries, ranging as far back as the eighteenth century, to uncover key economic and social patterns. His findings will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.
Piketty shows that modern economic growth and the diffusion of knowledge have allowed us to avoid inequalities on the apocalyptic scale predicted by Karl Marx.
But we have not modified the deep structures of capital and inequality as much as we thought in the optimistic decades following World War II.
The main driver of inequality—the tendency of returns on capital to exceed the rate of economic growth—today threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values.
But economic trends are not acts of God. Political action has curbed dangerous inequalities in the past, Piketty says and may do so again.
A work of extraordinary ambition, originality, and rigor, Capital in the Twenty-First Century reorients our understanding of economic history and confronts us with sobering lessons for today.
3. The Practice of Management
How the discipline of management was born started from this book. This book discusses management from a holistic and systematic perspective for the first time.
To this day, this book still exudes strong vitality, especially for office workers. It can be said to be a must-have in the workplace and is frequently read. Reading this book can avoid many pitfalls. The capital NB in your head will become bigger and bigger.
Is this book from 50 years ago? I can't believe it.
At the same time, I read several management books that have just been published, but they all seem to be the explanation or development of this book.
I read today, "There are only two functions of an enterprise: to create customers and to innovate."
The process of creating customers is the process of satisfying customer needs. When customer needs are not met, customers do not exist, and the market does not exist. Customers and markets are created only when businesses meet customer needs.
About innovation, there is a saying that roughly means this: In a static economy, there are no enterprises, only brokers who buy and sell in the middle, and enterprises only exist in a dynamically expanding economy.
(I will pretend to be high-level, and then add that enterprises are born in response to economic tensions, and at the same time provide kinetic energy for tensions. Haha!)
4. The Effective Executive
Only to have the manager manage to learn it, of course not. Everyone needs to learn some management knowledge, and everyone is a participant in management.
In terms of stepping back ten thousand steps, one's own life must be managed. Time is fair to everyone, and there is no big difference in IQ. Why do others run Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and you prefer to share scan codes with your girlfriend?
Maybe it’s because you are not efficient enough, not doing the most important things at the right time, not doing the most things in the least time, day after day, in place year after year, it’s time to make a change, and take action, Have an efficient life.
"The Effective Executive," tells us: Can a group of ordinary people do extraordinary things? It's totally doable. As long as everyone in our organization can be productive. Can it be learned to be effective? Being effective can be learned.
Does everyone have to be productive? Being productive is something managers must do in all knowledge organizations.
Every knowledge worker is actually a manager—even if he has no so-called authority. As long as he can make outstanding contributions to the organization.
The effectiveness of managers is often the most critical factor in determining the effectiveness of an organization's work; not only senior managers are managers, but all those responsible for actions and decisions that contribute to the effectiveness of the organization's work should also work as managers and think.
How it be effective? Record and analyze the use of time, focus on contributions, give full play to the strengths of people, prioritize priorities, and make effective decisions.
What makes an effective executive? The measure of the executive, Peter F. Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done."
This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.
Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: Managing time Choosing what to contribute to the organization Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for the best effect Setting the right priorities Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making Ranging widely through the annals of business and government, Peter F.Drucker demonstrates the distinctive skill of the executive and offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious business situations.
5. Rich Dad Poor Dad
What do the poor lack? Is it a rich dad? What is lacking is not money, but the ability of money to make money. Remember: Capital never sleeps.
Because capital can make money for you while you sleep, you must have an "after-sleep income". The reason why the rich are getting richer is that they can constantly find ways to make money faster.
I read this book for the first time when I was 10 years old. I remember brainwashing me at that time like a hurricane blowing in my head, and it was blown down.
At that time, my parents were also educated like their parents in the book: good grades in exams and good schools. But this book tells you that these are all clouds!
If you want to achieve financial freedom instead of working to support yourself, that's all pointless! What a shock, it's almost a push to reshape the values...
At that time, my investment in the stock market had already made a small gain, and I was thinking about what to do next. After reading this book, I was overjoyed.
There is quite a feeling of finding a guiding light. Later, self-study business management, elective accounting, finance, etc., were more or less influenced by this book.
I remember sharing many of the ideas in the book with my parents at that time. They all felt that there was some truth to them, but they were deeply trapped in the system and could not change, or their thinking was fixed and they were unwilling to change.
After reading this book after 11 years, I can't find the shock of that year again. In fact, there are very few books now that have moved me as much as this one did. Can you think that your thinking has begun to solidify? This is actually the sadness of adults...
The conclusion is that you should read this book early, and it is basically useless if you are late. The text of this book is easy to understand, and the title of the book makes people wonder if it is actually for children.
As an enlightenment book for children who do not have financial business concepts, there may be no more suitable book than this book.
6. Poor Charlie's Almanack
The partner of Warren Buffett, this book allows you to plant value investment concepts and deeply understand what value investing is and how to make value investments. Although the concept is good, don't use it indiscriminately. Investment is a system. This book has a foundation.
Charlie Munger is undoubtedly a legendary figure, he said that he has never taken any economics, psychology, etc. courses, but he talks about these aspects in a good way, which reminds me of life in People who have achieved outstanding achievements in any aspect may not have received very professional education, but their common characteristic is very obvious, that is, they have the correct way of thinking that ordinary people can easily understand but not easily imitate.
What is the correct way of thinking? After reading the whole book and adding my own insights, I think there are no more than three points. The first point is a positive attitude. When life is unsatisfactory, people’s emotions often fluctuate. Sometimes they can face problems and solve problems with optimism and positivity.
Behavior or use lies to paralyze yourself to paralyze others. Why are great people great? Their greatness is not that they can solve problems perfectly every time, but that every time they fail, they can always stand up again to meet the next challenge.
Munger also said in the book, Let The "recipe" for your own pain is to lose your mind when you are frustrated. When faced with difficult problems, people often feel self-pity and complain. They only focus on the problem itself or hold responsibility, and unknowingly shift the conflict.
As a result, the root of the problem and the solution to the problem will not be paid attention to in the long run. In the past, doing anything could only be a failure at most not a failure. With a healthy mind, you can maintain correct thinking.
7. Positive Discipline
The child passed by the store and fell in love with his favorite toy, crying desperately to buy it, but there is a similar one at home, what would you do at this time? What should I do if the child does not eat on time, does not eat at lunch, and cries to eat at 3:30 in the afternoon?
Children’s childhood education is very important and is related to the child’s life. The problem is: that none of us are experts. In the game with children, parents seem to be kidnapped. This book has cultivated five outstanding children, all of whom graduated from prestigious schools such as Harvard. Educating children, by reading this book is enough. Or, let yourself be educated again.
For twenty-five years, Positive Discipline has been the gold standard reference for grown-ups working with children. Now Jane Nelsen, distinguished psychologist, educator, and mother of seven, has written a revised and expanded edition.
The key to positive discipline is not punishment, she tells us, but mutual respect. Nelsen coaches parents and teachers to be both firm and kind so that any child–from a three-year-old toddler to a rebellious teenager–can learn creative cooperation and self-discipline with no loss of dignity.
Inside you'll discover how to:
- bridge communication gaps
- defuse power struggles
- avoid the dangers of praise
- enforce your message of love
- build on strengths, not weaknesses
- hold children accountable with their self-respect intact
- teach children not what to think but how to think
- win cooperation at home and at school
- Meet the special challenge of teen misbehavior
“It is not easy to improve a classic book, but Jane Nelson has done so in this revised edition. Packed with updated examples that are clear and specific, Positive Discipline shows parents exactly how to focus on solutions while being kind and firm. If you want to enrich your relationship with your children, this is the book for you.”
–Sal Severe, author of How to Behave So Your Children Will, Too!
Millions of children have already benefited from the counsel in this wise and warmhearted book, which features dozens of true stories of positive discipline in action. Give your child the tools he or she needs for a well-adjusted life with this proven treasure trove of practical advice.
8. The Great Gatsby
Who is Gatsby? Gatsby is a cousin of the German Emperor, Gatsby is a German spy, Gatsby is a murderer, and Gatsby is the Trimarcho of the West Peninsula - the purveyor of endless balls. But we know that Gatsby is not Jay Gatsby, Gatsby is James Gates, the son of a western farmer.
Just as some say Gilda ruined Fitzgerald, some say Daisy ruined Gatsby. But what was Gatsby like? He is someone who, from a young age, planned his life to achieve his purpose. I have always thought that people who plan their lives strictly are paranoid, but only the paranoid can succeed.
Gatsby's success is inevitable, his character determines that he must be successful. He can't be like Tom who has nothing but consumption, he can't be as stupid as Wilson, and he's not as content with his life as Nick. He could only succeed when he renamed himself, Gatsby, at the age of seventeen. Either succeed or die.
Either a bootlegger or something, Gatsby will succeed, I'm convinced.
Just as Dan Cody brought a possibility to Gatsby's life, Daisy's appearance is the embodiment of success: falling in love with the golden girl and living happily ever after.
Either Daisy or Tracy or whatever must be shining like silver, always charming, always at the center of the eye. Only such a golden girl can match Gatsby's mansion feast, and only such a golden girl who needs money in her voice can meet Gatsby's dream.
It's a pity that Gatsby's perfectionism can't persist with Daisy. "I did love him--but I also loved you." Daisy's love is like a coin in a fine handbag, throw some, throw some more at that person, and it's all true, but you know, none of it's true.
But what's the use of seeing them through? Gatsby's road to success is no longer perfect, and it wouldn't be perfect without Daisy's one-off. Paranoid people will not find a young golden girl again, wrap her well in the velvet of money, and give her a little love. In that case, there is no way to undo the failure here in Daisy. Failure is a brand that cannot disappear from the heart.
Nothing is crueler than life giving you a perfectionist character and enough intelligence.
As long as you need others, others are destined to let you down.
9. Frankenstein
In the preface, it is said that the main purpose of this novel is to reveal the cruel reality of exploiting the exploited classes by the exploiting classes and the brave resistance of the exploited classes.
After Frankenstein saw the monster he created harming human beings, he always regretted and blamed himself before deciding to seek revenge on him. Is there any exploiter who blames himself like this? Heck, why bother?
In my opinion, there are two themes:
the first one is the common aspect of human nature, that people all want love and companionship, even the monsters he created also long for love and a better life.
The second one may be about the relationship between science and humanities. Frankenstein, like a madman of science, was previously blindly indulged in the madness of scientific power, but never thought about the negative effects that science can bring, including after the birth of a monster.
various problems. When these problems appeared, he had no choice but to suffer from inner pain and contradiction, which implied to a certain extent that human beings were vulnerable to the power of science, even if the product of this science was a human being. As a writer rather than a professional sci-fi writer (although Frankenstein is called the first sci-fi novel, which I disagree with),
Mary Shelley's subject matter is important compared to later sci-fi writers for sci-fi's sake. The final ending was not perfect, Frankenstein died with the monster, and Fu's family died too. I think subconsciously this ending was used as a punishment for misusing science. There must be no perfect ending.
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray
"The Picture of Dorian Gray", this famous book is not thick, but it is perfect, it is fascinating to read, especially the famous words spoken by the talented Wilde through Henry's mouth are dizzying. The content of the book is very deep, and the book can be explored from many angles.
I heard that this book has also been included in the "Top 100 Best Gay Novels" by readers. Just looking at the love of the handsome young Gray by the painters Howard and Henry, it is not unreasonable to classify it.
I don't dare to talk about the small words and righteousness of this thin book but only talk about the translation of this version in a very shallow way.
11. The Grapes of Wrath
After reading Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath yesterday, a sad mood surrounded me.
The ancestors cultivated the land and got the land; when there was a famine, they borrowed from the bank; if they didn’t pay the money, the land became co-owned with the bank; if they didn’t pay, the land became the bank’s property, and they became the bank’s tenant farmers; the bank used tractors, they have no home since then; hundreds of thousands of people rushed to the advertised western paradise - California, but it turned out to be just a lie, the farmers deliberately recruited large numbers of people, desperately trying to keep wages down, they wandered, looking for work like mad dogs, They are starving, they are teetering on the edge of death...
Harvests are rotting in the ground, oranges that hundreds of thousands of dying people want to eat are poured with oil and burned, and potatoes are thrown into the river, wanting to eat? No, can I grab it? There are police. Since they can't sell for a price, giving them away can only make the price lower.
A confession in the book: We people just want to live a good life, we just want to raise our children well. When I was old, I wanted to sit at the door and watch the setting sun. When I was young, I wanted to dance, sing, and lie together. We want to eat and drink, we want to have jobs, and that is our hope. We want to tire our bones...
Steinbeck ends the story in heavy rain and flooding. The protagonist's family has no money, no food, what will happen to them, the author does not Say, maybe their fate is the same as that of hundreds of thousands of homeless people - starvation, death...
everything, natural or man-made? After the book was published, it caused panic among the rulers, and some even wrote a book "The Grapes of Happiness", but it was nowhere to be found among the old papers.
12. Wuthering Heights
When referring to Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights", Woolf said that the impulse that prompted Emily Bronte to create was not her own pain and injury.
After reading "Wuthering Heights", I can't believe it. She said so. The kind of heart-wrenching passion in the novel is almost impossible to achieve by one's imagination without personal experience.
In the past, I thought that the best atmosphere for reading "Wuthering Heights" was a stormy night with strong wind and lightning; now I suddenly feel that, in the wild and uninhibited surface of the story, to taste the deepest tranquility and sadness like water, it is still necessary to fall in the snow.
Silent winter night reading. Wuthering Heights is actually a story of growth and betrayal. Growth itself means betrayal of the beautiful childhood and compromise of the ugly adult world.
13. To The Lighthouse
This is a novel carefully designed by Woolf. The lighthouse is a symbol of the lady's whole spirit. The structure of the whole novel "long-short-long" "just coincides with the rhythm of the light of the lighthouse shining on the vast sea in the dark night", implying that the lady's inner spirit has overcome the swallowing of death and time.
Like a beacon, it faithfully sets the direction for the future voyage of the surrounding characters. If we borrow Hegel's method again, "long-short-long" is the structure, and "positive-negative-combination" is the inner meaning. The first part depicts the lady's spiritual will from the front; the second part makes death, the most unfeeling opponent, exert a negative impact on the lady's will; in the third step, the lady's spirit is like the rising sun from the future of the characters around you. It is a variation of the first part, and it is based on the sublimation of the former.
Reading "To the Lighthouse", I was amazed at how a middle-class British housewife in her fifties can still protect her charm and the order of her family. I often think of my mother in between readings.
14. 1984
A friend once asked, what was the biggest feeling of watching 1984? Many people say they are afraid, but I only feel the sadness that is so deep that I can't pour out tears.
In the hut at dusk, he and she woke up from their slumber, the light of the setting sun outside the window was projected on her, and there was the singing of a washerwoman and all kinds of cars and people in the world. Such a moment, such a love, it is real and irresistible. They all knew that such a time would not last long, but the emotions of the resurrected people, he thought, could not be changed by anyone.
In the small park on that winter day, she said to him: I betrayed you. He said I betrayed you too. She said: There is really something that scares you to the bottom of your heart, and makes you want to ask another person to suffer instead of you, And, when you think about it, you meant it. He nodded. When she got up and left, and her figure drowned in the crowd in the blink of an eye, what else in the world could not be changed?
What is a betrayal? He explained everything about her from the very beginning, and so did she. But after being tortured, he was able to face his interrogator, saying: I still didn't betray her. -Because he still loves her. He is not afraid of separation, not afraid of not being able to protect each other, not afraid that she will hate him, the only thing he is afraid of is that he no longer loves her.
He didn't believe there was any power that could make him stop loving her until it actually came.
But, it's not really about love. The most important meaning of love to him is that no matter how they change him, he can always have this last bit of persistence - if you use a more vulgar word, a belief. Even after he no longer believes in himself, morality, and humanity, he can still believe in his own feelings. When the last wisp of thatch on the top of his head was also removed, he was finally completely naked in front of the world, allowing them to transform, no longer a human being, just a cold screw on that huge machine.
I don't know if most people, like me, have had two moments of faith in their lives. When I was very young, I used to believe in the beautiful life and glorious future described in the textbook for us, until that night, my sister and brother-in-law opened the book and told me some lively and bloody things that were covered up in singing and dancing. fact. The whitewashed walls in front of me were peeling and shattering little by little, and no longer able to shield me from the wind and rain.
After a long, long time, I again, gradually began to believe something, but it was always accompanied by fear, for fear that such a belief would expose me to the same vulnerable position. The original belief was stuffed into my mind by others when I wasn't able to resist.
Although I was confused when I lost it, I had reason to forgive myself. And now, when I can open my eyes and reach out to resist, I still build up this belief little by little. If one day, even if it collapses with a bang, will my breathing and existence have any meaning?
15. Lord of the Flies
This book, which is written with so many problems in direct symbolism, is a veritable masterpiece. The evil of human nature, the conflict between democracy and dictatorship, and the surprising reasons for the failure of democracy are all manifested.
I felt over and over while reading this book that I would definitely be on Jack's side when your people are so ignorant, stupid, inefficient, and can't count on anything, you can't communicate with them to make them understand, or I can't stand it at all The reason is the inefficiency at such a critical moment.
The author made Jack and his gang into savages only because of his own dissatisfaction with the dictatorship. Although this way of writing makes people's evil side more real and naked, it makes their own thoughts. Values are fading. Democracy needs high-quality people. Without this premise, democracy will never be able to defeat dictatorship.
"Lord of the Flies" describes a future nuclear war in which a plane flies a group of children from home to evacuate south. The plane was shot down, and the children's cabin landed on a deserted, uninhabited coral island. At first, the children worked together, but later, out of fear of the so-called "beasts" splitting into two factions, it ended with the instinct-loving autocracy overpowering the rational democrats.
16. Ludwig Wittgenstein by Ray Monk
My two favorite real characters, one is my idol Buddha and the other is the great philosopher Wittgenstein.
Regarding Wittgenstein, the book list dog can only be described as a legend——
On the one hand, his extremely legendary life.
Wittgenstein's father is the steel king of Austria, and he is very rich. At the same time, their family is all geniuses, and Wittgenstein is said to be the most mediocre child.
But this legendary family has been shrouded in the curse of suicide. All three of Wittgenstein's older brothers committed suicide, and he himself committed suicide several times.
He fought in World War I, was a prisoner, gave up a huge inheritance to become a village teacher, and finally chose to live a hermit-like life by the Norwegian seaside, thinking, thinking, and never married.
It is a pity that the only two works by this genius in his life are a 75-page Treatise on Logic and Philosophy and a children's dictionary.
This biography, the legend of Wittgenstein in these two aspects, tells all clearly.
17. The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal
If you always procrastinate until the last minute to start studying;
Always trying to lose weight, but always failing;
I wanted to go to bed earlier, but unknowingly I went online and played with my mobile phone until late at night...
Then Self-Control is written just for you.
This book, from Stanford's most popular psychology course, is an 'essential record' of the 10-week course.
But I feel that this book is more like a specific operation manual, which allows you to get training in the interval of daily life. After all, practical operations such as meditation, healthy eating, deep breathing, and exercise are all free of cost. Too much energy and time to prepare can be done.
At the same time, the book points out a misunderstanding that most people have been having - that everyone is too hard on themselves and neglects proper relaxation.
I believe that the real purpose of self-control is not to let you control yourself, but to let you know yourself, accept your contradictory self, and integrate these selves into one, so as to achieve true reconciliation with your inner self.
18. Intimate Relationships by Roland Miller
If the book lists the dog remembers correctly, this book is the one that the dog takes the most notes and underlines.
There are many sentences in it, and there is a sense of enlightenment.
This book is to be chewed and read carefully. It took 2 weeks for me to read it off and on. Now I can finally talk about it calmly, the shock and shock, comfort and baptism this book has brought me.
This is a book about "intimacy" and an extremely reliable psychological work.
Discusses some of the most important intimate relationships in our lives: love, marriage, friendship, family, and the relationship with the self - loneliness.
On the surface, intimacy is very simple, the process from the beginning to the end of the relationship.
But in fact, what dominates this intimate relationship is a person's "psychology" that has been shaped since childhood, and this psychology is influenced by many factors such as genes and acquired environment.
This book helps us understand our own psychology through a large number of cases and actual research data and gives specific and actionable guidance one by one.
But the whole process, without any sense of "academic", is very interesting and easy to read.
There are so many books about love, family, and friendship on the market, but "Intimacy" is a different book. I sincerely hope that everyone can meet it sooner.
20. Designing Your Life by Bill Bonnet, Dave Evans
This book is not to let us have unrealistic fantasies about the future, but to let us jump out of the inertia of thinking, quickly make trial and error in life, and find the correct life goal.
Let us find a career that is more suitable for us and start our new life.
21. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The world's best-selling, most classic, and most practical reference book on life.
"Father of Adult Education" Dale Carnegie's best minds and most exciting content to help you solve your biggest problems: how to deal with and effectively influence people in your daily life, business activities, and social interactions with others; how to defeat the enemy of human existence, worry, to create a happy and beautiful life.
22. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
"Emotional Intelligence" and "Emotional Intelligence 2" have been selling well and have become must-reads for learning and improving emotional intelligence, and countless ordinary readers and business organizations have benefited from them.
"Emotional Intelligence 3" continues the writing style of the previous two books, and focuses on the emotional intelligence of work that is closely related to each of us. The examples are appropriate, vivid, and interesting, and are more practical and readable.
Why are emotional intelligence abilities so different? Why do high-IQ tech talents often lack social skills? Why do thinking skills and productivity suffer when impulse, anger, and emotions dominate? How to be a great employee? Why is emotional intelligence at work more important than professional skills? Where is the real value of outstanding employees?
In this book, Daniel Gorman argues that as the job title goes up, the importance of technical and cognitive abilities decreases, while the importance of emotional intelligence increases. Emotional intelligence accounts for two-thirds of the job performance of top performers.
23. The Defining Decade by Meg Jay
Really, if I told you that what you do in your twenties can affect your entire life, would you believe it?
Meg Jay discussed the aspects that young people in their twenties need to be aware of from three aspects: work, emotion, and mind and body.
I think many of them are actually what we know deep down in our hearts, but in the context of this big era, Too many material advertising media are advocating that youth has no limits.
Sometimes we really like this trick. You will feel that there is always a chance to focus on it again. Like many American inspirational films, more than 30 Meg will try
to tell you a completely different story, using some client cases he has taken over, and explaining it over and over again, from now on, as long as you are still young, as long as you are still in your twenties, shaping You shouldn't miss your golden age.
You should turn out the facts you know in your heart or subconsciously and present them in front of you over and over again so that you have to pull away from those advertisements and start taking action.
I think what Meg wants to tell readers is about life. It is impossible to be arranged, but an unarranged life will make you miserable all your life.
24. The Power of One More by Ed Mylet
In The Power of One More, renowned keynote speaker and performance expert Ed Mylett draws on 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and coach to top athletes, entertainers, and business executives to reveal powerful strategies to help you live an extraordinary "one more" life.
In The Power of One More, you'll:
Learn why you're closer to your dreams and goals than you think and why using The Power of One More strategy will help you cross the finish line in whatever race you're running
Understand the psychology and science of how to use The Power of One More in every part of your life to help you solve problems and achieve levels of success you never thought possible
Discover time-tested and unique solutions to challenges that will remove the mental roadblocks you've been battling for years
Perfect for anyone who wants more bliss, wealth, or better relationships, The Power of One More is an indispensable roadmap to realizing and exceeding your personal and professional goals by tapping into the superpowers and gifts you already have inside you.
25. The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
An author is a person who does not understand psychology at all and only does marketing! I make up anecdotes everywhere, and the most unbearable thing is to use other people's successful examples to prove my point of view.
I remember a chapter about a baseball player's son who fell and fell. The doctor said that he was basically disabled, but he did not give up hope.
In the end, His son was miraculously healed. . . What is your example? Don't you think it's a versatile topic for writing elementary school compositions?
There is no depth, and the examples have no provenance or evidence. The whole book is forcing success to have a routine. You are unsuccessful because you did not read my book to learn the routine...
Jobs and Rockefeller succeeded because they followed this routine... Then this routine is, in one sentence: the obstacle is the way, all bad things are good things.
This book reveals that formula for the first time—and shows us how we can turn our own adversity into an advantage.
26. How to Become a Straight A Student by Cal Newport
Karl Newport's name is mentioned in "The Way of Learning" and "How to Study Effectively".
A Google search on the Internet shows that he is a god of learning and has written many books on how to study efficiently.
This book was written by him 12 years ago, but I still get a lot from reading it now. Although the article is about how to learn in my student days, I have benefited a lot from working for many years.
Make a plan every day and combine small plans together; drink plenty of water every day, eat three meals a day, and eat foods with crude fiber to keep blood sugar stable; emphasize energy management during the day and try not to study at night; make a detailed review plan before the exam; take notes and so on.
The article mentions a series of examples of how top students use their time efficiently, devote themselves fully to their studies, and have fun when they relax.
I think the top students may have a higher IQ than the average students. However, this is not the most important factor that determines whether their academic performance is good or not.
There is an article in a TED talk that mentions that one of the factors that determine a student's academic performance is perseverance.
Many of the methods mentioned by the author of the article can only be done by students with perseverance. For example: make a daily plan; eat crude fiber foods; and take notes skillfully.
The development of these habits is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and sticking to these habits is even more a matter of perseverance.
Every parent who has a reading child at home should read this book carefully, I believe it will definitely gain something. Wouldn't it be a blessing to gain other people's experiences from books?
27. Fearless by Eric Blehm
I took it home from the library shelf after seeing the "No. 1 military bestseller in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, etc." on the cover.
Having a general understanding of the environment in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, let me know how ordinary American soldiers grow into elites. I really admire the protagonist.
Because the good boy in the eyes of the people around him is just a little naughty. From addicts who shook their heads, soldiers to Navy SEALs, they succeeded even with physical constraints (their eyes were injured, and their right hand was unable to pick up a gun),
The spirit shown by the protagonist at this time makes us Regular readers admire it. I think if a person has this kind of spirit, then he has nothing to worry about.
The reluctance to part with family members every time we go on expeditions, lets us see the ordinary side of soldiers, and let us realize that even in a good family, it is always a safe haven.
Of course, some style issues of other soldiers are also written in the book, of course, this also allows us to see the life of the military camp.
Friends, comrades, family, wives, and children, everyone in the book makes us see the ordinary.
Although the protagonist died honorably during the mission, I saw the cruelty of war in the middle. If you can, in fact, there is no if, a warrior is born a warrior.
Throughout the book, you will be impressed by Adam, a seemingly ordinary man who is actually extremely powerful. This is the man.
Taking drugs, quitting drugs, and successfully quitting is such a terrifying process, how much his family and his wife have paid for him?
In particular, Adam's wife never left, leaving him a pair of children, and Adam also strives to be a good husband and father. It's really a pity that Adam left them.
The name of the book is "Fearless". Indeed, Adam is fearless. He is not afraid of hardships, suffering, and all the rules that do not conform to the conventional rules.
During training, his performance made everyone applaud. Brave, enthusiastic, kind, humble, loyal to God, and responsible for the family, such a man is a real man!
Some boys should read this book, and they will find in it what it means to be fearless, what it means to realize a dream, and what it means to be a real man!
28. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
This book compares American racism with the Indian caste system. After reading it, I still feel that the historical origins and causes of the recurring racism trend and the civil rights confrontation movement that came into being are difficult to define very clearly.
Some examples and arguments in the book are sometimes logically connected. It's not close enough, but the overall inspiration for this topic is still very meaningful.
The guiding spirit of the United States as a nation of immigrants at the beginning of the nation's founding and the arrival of immigrants does not seem to be a harmonious melting pot of nations.
The stratum chain of existence has thus consolidated and exacerbated the barriers based on race. Although the history is not long, the years of existence of racism in the United States are extremely high in absolute value and proportion.
What impresses me and makes me praised is that Germany faces up to the history of the Nazi era. Only by deeply analyzing the historical background and emphasizing heaviness can we inherit the correct path forward from generation to generation.
The book does not at all structurally examine the root causes for the existence of the caste/racial hierarchy systems, and instead takes an anecdotal approach to endlessly demonstrate the manifestation of racism.
The interpretation of some examples is also Unfortunately politicized. The only valuable takeaway is that racism is ultimately about power and dominance.
Instead of viewing everything from the lens of race as does the author, the antidote lies in creating a new framework than the crude and illogical categorization of people into a myriad of races, because the categorization reinforces biases and perpetuates injustice.
29. Think Again by Adam Grant
After reading the book "Think Again", which was just published this year, is a very easy-to-understand popular science book on psychology and cognition.
Many truths are easy to understand, but the key lies in practice, isn't it? Therefore, the practical guidance given by the author at the end is quite useful.
The entire book is mostly pouring ideas rather than giving much scientific explanation.
I don't feel the ideas are well thought out. It feels like a lot of random ideas, very raw, premature ideas that occurred to you on a random afternoon when you pondering in your bed. There are a lot of paragraphs that are self-contradicting.
He argues smart people are more likely to make arbitrary decisions, and people who are good with math are more likely to make wrong analyses.
What are you trying to say? that people are punished for being smart or good at math? people should be more stupid and not know much? is this your understanding of keeping an open mind cause you know nothing?
Also based on his thesis one can never make any decision or conclusion cause you have to constantly prove you are wrong. does it sound like some sort of psychosis?
Funny enough he then says he can give examples of scientific-backed, well-thought analyses/ideas. Do you or do you not support that people are able to come up with conclusions based on their own (as you say limited) analysis?
I tend to stay skeptical towards any book with tons of specific examples. Cause examples are independent events, most likely not replicable. If you can't prove the universal application of an idea, it is not convincing to me.
Since nobody can argue against the idea, basically you can say whatever you want. Just pile up a bunch of examples and tell you "See all those people did this and succeeded, other people didn't do this and failed".
This book sounds to me like a typical popular consumer-oriented self-help book. Not much nutrition, purely relying on the author's reputation to boost sales.
One sentence to summarize the entire content of the book: keep an open mind, it's good for you.
30. Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frank
Frank was a famous psychologist of the 20th century. During the Nazi period, as a Jew, his entire family was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp. His parents, wife, and brother all died in the gas chambers, only he and his sister survived.
The first part of the book recounts Frank's concentration camp experience, and the second part elaborates on his "sympathetic therapy." This book is not only for psychology enthusiasts but also for those who are challenged to find meaning in life!
31. Analysis of Dreams by Freud
Known as the first book of psychoanalysis. It breaks through thousands of years of human ignorance, superstition, and mystery about dreams through scientific exploration and interpretation of dreams, and at the same time reveals the subconscious that controls people's thoughts and behaviors.
32. How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler / Charles Van Doren
People who don't know how to read, and those who are new to reading, can avoid wrongful journeys by reading this book. For those who have some experience in reading, reading this book can have a deeper confirmation and understanding.
This book introduces the three levels of reading and provides detailed guidance for each level. It is a very practical reading manual.
33. Influence by Robert Cialdini
Politicians use their influence to win elections, businessmen use their influence to sell goods, and salesmen use their influence to entice you to put your money on the line.
Even your friends and family, unknowingly, are using their influence over you. But why, exactly, does your response change from negative resistance to positive cooperation when a request is made differently?
34. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
This book is a must-read for students interested in product design. Dr. Norman's book emphasizes the user-centered design philosophy, reminding consumers that the items they choose must be convenient easy to use, and easy to understand.
I hope that designers do not ignore some necessary factors of design while paying attention to the beauty of the design. because for product design, safety and ease of use are always the keys to competition.
35. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Saint-Exupéry is a legendary aviator, and his book uses the pilot as a storyteller, telling the various adventures the little prince experienced during his journey from his own planet to Earth.
The little prince's childlike vision saw the emptiness, blindness, and ignorance of adults, and recorded the loneliness and loneliness of human beings, the fate of wandering with the wind without a foundation.
36. The Art of Strategy by Avinash K. Dixit / Barry J. Nerboff
This book by Yale University professor Nelbouf and Princeton University professor Dixit uses many live examples to demonstrate the truth of game theory strategic thinking to readers without a foundation in economics.
Life is a never-ending decision-making process. This book is not only suitable for students interested in game theory but also for all students who want to make life decisions more organized.
37. Priceless by William Poundstone
Why is free chocolate driving us crazy? Why do more expensive spots in Broadway theaters sell more? Why $4 million double the pleasure of $1 million? Why do you have to be the first to quote when negotiating a price, and you have to open your mouth?
William Poundstone tells us the answer: the price is just a collective hallucination. If you want to know the secrets of price, read this book!
38. Shallow by Nicholas Carr
"Is Google making us stupid?" When Nicholas Carr asked the question in his famous cover article in The Atlantic, he opened up a source of eagerly desired anticipation, making people anxious to Figure out how the internet is changing us. This book will let you see another side of the Internet's impact on us.
39. Positioning by Al Rees / Jack Trout
More than 20 years ago, American "Advertising Age" magazine invited young marketing experts Reese and Trout to write articles on new thinking in marketing and advertising, the general title being "The Age of Positioning".
After the series of articles was published, it caused a sensation in the whole industry, and positioning became a lively topic everyone in the marketing circle talked about. This book is suitable for all students who are interested in business.
40. Social Contract Theory by Rousseau
The idea of sovereignty in the people in this book is the cornerstone of modern democracy and has profoundly influenced the movement to gradually abolish the absolute power of European monarchs, as well as the struggle for the North American colonies to get rid of the British Empire and establish a democratic system at the end of the 18th century.
The American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of Human Rights both embody the democratic ideas of this book.
41. The Joy of Freedom by David Henderson
This is a book that popularizes economic thinking and conveys the idea of liberty to readers through a lively and interesting analysis of the author's personal experience.
42. Sun Tzu's Art of War by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu's Art of War is a splendid treasure in China's classical military cultural heritage, an important part of China's excellent cultural tradition, and one of the three major military books in the world.
43. Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick
The author of this book has interviewed Facebook-related people, including Facebook's founders, employees, investors, prospective investors, and partners, adding up to more than 130 people.
This is a really detailed interview, and it is a super exciting story. This book deserves an in-depth understanding for all students who want to understand the Internet and new media.
44. Das Kapital by Marx
This book is a splendid scientific masterpiece written by Marx with his life's efforts. For the first time, the scientific masterpiece deeply analyzes the entire development process of capitalism and proves with mathematical accuracy that the direction of this development will inevitably lead to society.
Socialist revolution and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Intellectuals of all disciplines should read this masterpiece.
45. The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway
One of Hemingway's most famous works, it revolves around the story of an elderly fisherman battling a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream far offshore.
The concise and powerful writing style of Hemingway's telegraph style and the soul-stirring description guided by the "iceberg" principle are all vividly displayed in this article.
The hard work, perseverance, and unyielding of the old man who fished at sea made everyone feel turbulent.
46. The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Adam Smith was not the earliest pioneer of economic theory, and many of his most famous ideas were not novel, but he was the first to put forward a comprehensive and systematic economic theory, which laid a good foundation for the development of this field.
Therefore, it can be said that The Wealth of Nations is the starting point of modern political economy research.
47. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Márquez
A masterpiece of magical realism literature, it depicts the legendary story of seven generations of the Buendía family, as well as the rise and fall of Macondo, a small town on the Caribbean coast, reflecting the changing history of Latin America over a century.
The works incorporate mysterious factors such as myths and legends, folk stories, religious allusions, etc., and skillfully combine reality and illusion, showing a magnificent imaginary world.
48. Doll's House by Ibsen
Nora is a rebellious woman with a bourgeois personality and an emancipated mind. Along with a series of events, the conflict between her and her husband Helmer gradually intensified until the two broke up.
Her betrayal of society and her runaway from her family was hailed as the "Declaration of Independence" for women's liberation. Ibsen's superb drama creation techniques are also reflected in this work.
49. Red and Black by Stendhal
The novel revolves around the protagonist Julian's personal struggle experience and final failure, especially the description of his two loves, which widely shows "the social atmosphere brought about by the successive governments that pressed down on the French people during the 30 years of the early 19th century".
Strongly attacked the reactionary aristocracy during the Restoration Dynasty, the darkness of the church, and the despicable vulgarity of the bourgeois upstarts and their greed for profit.
50. Les Miserables by Hugo
The main line of the story revolves around the journey of the protagonist, the released criminal Jean Valjean, trying to atone for his sins, and integrates into French history, architecture, politics, moral philosophy, law, justice, and religious beliefs.
The true stories in the text, the rich characters' hearts, and the profound meanings contained in the stories make readers realize that the work has a profound weight, and it also deeply moved generations.
51. The Lessons of History by Will Durant & Ariel Durant
The book "Lessons of History" is the representative work of the famous American scholar and "Pulitzer Prize" winner Will Durant and his wife Ariel Durant. It condenses the 11 volumes of "World Civilization History".
Essence, through the outline and leading lines, outlines the relationship between history and all aspects of human life, and details geographical conditions, economic conditions, racial pros and cons, human nature, religious activities, socialism, government, war, morals, laws of prosperity and decline, biology The role of evolution and so on in history,
and summed up the huge spiritual legacy that history has left for people. These spiritual heritages provide enlightenment and warning to the reforming us so that they can face the present and the future more wisely.
52. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
I think Wilder's Pont du Saint-Louis is a novel about "love", which leads to the questioning of the meaning of "life" from the theme of "love". The novel deals with mother-daughter love, brotherly love, and teacher-student love, and just doesn't discuss what we now call "love" in broad terms.
Wilder's portrayal of these "loves" has a heart-wrenching power, no less than the impact of a "lost love". Maybe, in this world, everyone has been "lost in love" or has always been in a state of "lost in love".
An expression of love, if it doesn't get the corresponding return, isn't it a kind of "lost love"? It's not just limited to love between men and women. Everyone is in the folly of "loving", loving others and begging to be loved, defining one's place and identity by "loving others".
This projection of love is often seen as selfish and therefore rejected. Those who have not been loved fall to the bottom of the bridge, and those who have rejected them suddenly realize the pain of loss. By dying, their love was repaid. This broken bridge is actually the bridge of love.
"Soon we will all die, and all the memory of these five people will go with the wind. We will be loved briefly and then forgotten. But this love is enough; all impulses to love will Back to the love that produced this impulse. Even for love, memory is not indispensable.
Between the kingdom of the living and the kingdom of the dead, there is a bridge, and that bridge is love. It is the only survivor thing, it is the only meaning."
53. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
"The family is like the forest: if you are outside it is dense; if you are inside you see that each tree has its own position." The book begins with a quote from Kuawen's philosophy.
The story tells the story of two black half-sisters as a branch of a big family. The story runs through more than 300 years and tells about two branches: the African branch and the American branch, showing their respective historical backgrounds and the then people.
In a fiction novel, each character is described in flesh and blood, and the pain and stubbornness are vividly displayed, and the integration with the background of the times is meticulous and wonderful.
My favorite in the whole book is Willie's story, including her husband's choices under the watchful eye of a colleague, and her dream of wanting to sing, all unleashed at the end of her chapter, smiling across the street He forgave her husband and sang softly.
At the beginning of the story, the two black stone necklaces given to them by Esi and Effia's mother also returned to their descendants at the end of the story. A piece of blood and memory that has been passed down for more than two hundred years is still as bright as new.
The sturdy tree trunk is at the end, and it is also stretched together by Marjorie and Marcus across the long river of time and the ocean.
The last paragraph of the full text is extremely beautiful:
“He closed his eyes and walked in until the water met his calves, and then he held his breath, and started to run. Run underwater. Soon, waves crashed over his head and all around him. Water moved into his nose and stung his eyes.
When he finally lifted his head up from the sea to cough, then breathe, he looked out at all the water before him, at the vast expanse of time and space. He could hear Marjorie laughing, and soon, he laughed too.
When he finally reached her, she was moving just enough to keep her head above water. The black stone necklace rested just below her collarbone and Marcus watched the glints of gold come off it, shining in the sun.
“Here,” Marjorie said. “ Have it.” She lifted the stone from her neck and placed it around Marcus's. “Welcome home.”
He felt the stone hit his chest, hard and hot, before finding its way up to the surface again. He touched it, surprised by its weight."
Marjorie splashed him suddenly, laughing loudly before swimming away, toward the shore.
54. The Prince of Los Cocuyos by Richard Blanco
I suspect that the professor didn't read the book himself, what was he talking about in class? But the first chapter is really good, like seeing my cheap childhood, the happiest thing is dragging my mother to the supermarket for a "walk" after dinner (for me, pushing a cart and sliding).
You don’t have to buy anything, but you will definitely turn around in a row, even if you don’t need to think about what products are on which shelves.
The supermarket was later closed for political reasons, and now there is only a humiliating Carrefour and green space beside the house.
If this autobiography is made into a movie, I hope Jake Gyllenhaal will play the leading role (old age?).
55. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The 2011 National Book Award-winning work, in twelve chapters, revolves around a poor black family (an alcoholic father, the largest 17 in the countdown to the 12-day countdown to the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina) in American history. , four children as young as 8 years old) unfolded the story.
It is not the kind of book that is "pleasant" to read, but at the same time, its admirable part lies in the author's very restrained writing style. As readers who know history, they have already experienced the urgency of the approaching hurricane in advance.
The depiction, like a zoom lens zooming in, slowly and authentically brings out themes such as poverty, class, race, and family loyalty (especially in the context of the pre-disaster, especially prominent and contrasting).
This contrast of urgency and slowness better highlights the theme of the book, which is a great reflection of the author's talent. I am a little bit concerned about the author's too many metaphors, but it is also a personal preference.
After reading two books by Ward, from the content to the structure and writing, I want to continue reading her other works.
56. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This little book is not long. There are three letters, one is shorter than the other, and there is only one core. In fact, it is nothing to read as one.
Back to this book. Recently I read "Underground Railroad", which is about the history of black slaves in the United States, and "Strange Times" also contains chapters or plots about racial discrimination, and in recent years, especially the works about racial issues in the United States during the Obama administration constantly appearing or receiving attention.
"12 Years a Slave" "Moonlight" and other films that reflect black people have also become the darling of the Oscars.
It goes without saying that the author is a black man. Although the content is a long letter to his son, the content is still tracing the history of slavery of black slaves in the United States and various social realities of racial discrimination in modern America through personal experience or personal experience.
The contempt and rejection of the American dream is a highlight of the text. The author constantly encourages his son to have a sense of struggle, to know the past to understand the future better, to have a clear understanding of his own body to better protect himself and to have a clear understanding of the so-called white world.
The gentle halo has clear awareness and vigilance, and all of this stems from the overall atmosphere of society, discrimination against race, and injustice against blacks. The author does not deny the street violence, insecurity, and order in the peculiar chaos of the black community,
but he is also looking for the deep reason why black people in American history and reality have never been the real Master, citizens, or members.
The book reveals the author's unease and tension for the entire white world, the intertwining of hopes and disappointments in the black world, and the contempt and contempt for those who feel they are "white".
This is the true feeling of the author's growth experience, and it is the most intuitive expression of personal consciousness.
What makes this book special, in my opinion, is a sense of resistance, a sense of being awake at all times, a sense of being afraid but able to move forward.
At the same time, we can also see the importance of different voices in a pluralistic society. It always reminds people that this society is diverse and there is resistance. There must be a crisis in the stability, and this crisis can be transformed into power or destruction.
57. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
This is not an easy book to read, the author uses a lot of long sentences in a row, and his thoughts are unrestrained, interspersed and jumped, and suddenly jumped from one thing to another.
The author’s entry point is very interesting. The protagonist is a mixed-race child of a Vietnamese mother and a white father in South Vietnam. He not only faces a sense of identity crisis but also political hesitation.
As a South Vietnamese government security official, he actually worked secretly for the North Vietnamese Communist Party.
Although the author spends a lot of space on his reasons, I feel that it is a bit far-fetched. But this does not prevent the author from telling a very interesting story, the theme revolves around loyalty.
Personal loyalty to the country, loyalty to friends, loyalty to beliefs, loyalty to fellow man...a lot of passages that resonated with me.
The author's control over the text is still immature and needs time and practice. Check out the book by the author of "Remains of the Day," which tells complex, profound emotions in simple, clear words.
Another point is the author's values. I think the author has not thought clearly about some issues, such as what basis should one's loyalty to the country be built on. His own contradictions are reflected in the actions of the protagonist.
Conclusion
Each of the above books can help us grow and give us a different mindset.
Our cognition is largely limited by the original family and the environment in which we live. If we want to break our cognition and improve our thinking, we must go to higher circles.
But it's hard to do this!
However, reading makes this step very easy.
Books are a summary of the accumulated experience of the sages. When we read, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Only when we stand high can we see far.
College students reading more books can make their thinking and vision a qualitative improvement.
