3 Inspiring Books for When You Have Given Up on the World
Non-fiction books that inspire you to build a better tomorrow
Between the pandemic, the economic recession, and the constant political battles, life these days looks pretty bleak. Sometimes, all we want to do is escape in a book.
For a lot of us, this means picking up a novel. After all, non-fiction books have a bad rep sometimes. It seems like everyone and their mother is writing a self-help or entrepreneurship book these days.
However, some non-fiction books are really really good. Here are three books that inspire, excite, and make you want to join the ride.
1. Becoming, Michelle Obama
This is not a book about politics. Michelle Obama has made it abundantly clear time and time again (both in her book and in public) that she is not interested in the world of politics. No matter if you are a democrat or republican or anything in between, this is a really good book.
Becoming is a book with an incredibly fresh perspective. While many classic thought-provoking books feel written for the affluent, high-class, and academic, Michelle Obama’s story is something that you can enjoy no matter your educational background or socioeconomic status.
Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” is written with the poise and turn-of-phrase expected from a respected lawyer. But it also has the frank realism of a girl who grew up in a less affluent neighbourhood, made it in the corporate law world, and soon-thereafter ran away to work in education and community organizations.
“Becoming is never giving up on the idea that there is more growing to be done”
It’s a story of a woman who never wanted to get into politics. Yet it’s also a story of a woman who showed us that being the First Lady is so much more than being the domestic wife of the president.
Despite the fact that Obama held a position that only a few dozen before ever had, her book is immensely relatable. Throughout the entire book, Michelle Obama’s life never feels unrealistic or fantastical, despite the fact that she’s one of the few authors alive who can give you a unique peek behind the White House walls. Instead of being the story of a politician, she talks about her journey exploring her discovery of who she was, who society wanted her to be, and what she wanted.
“No one was going to look out for me unless I pushed for it”
If you’re looking for a story about upbringing, finding yourself, and staying true to your guns even when the shiniest lights are upon you, this is the book for you.
2. The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch
On the surface, The Last Lecture seems like another memoir written by a dying academic with a melomaniac obsession with his accomplishments.
It is so much more, I promise.
There is a reason that Carnegie Mellon sends every incoming freshman this book. And it’s not just because they are trying to hype up their impressive class of graduates.
“Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”
Randy Pausch is a renowned computer science professor who accomplished leaps and bounds for the industry. However, the book doesn’t mention his academic accomplishments a single time.
Instead, it’s a story of a husband and father who was living the dying months of his life and realizing what really holds meaning. After getting diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at 47, he realized that he wanted to squish decades of fatherly advice for his children into a single book.
And The Last Lecture was the result.
The Last Lecture was about achieving dreams… not in the typical way. He talked about every part of his life — from meeting his wife, to being an imagineeer, to everything he learned from his students.
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
The Last Lecture ripped apart every convention about professors, academic and tech. I honestly don’t even know how to describe how compelling it was. But I barely cry when I’m reading novels… and I cried for this book.
3. Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull
To anyone with a creative mind, enjoys animated movies, or thinks the business world is a bit too formal or creativity-stiffling… this one is for you.
Creativity Inc. is technically a business management book… but I would be inclined to call it a Pixar origin story, with a couple business takeaways here and there.
“Ideas only become great when they are challenged and tested”
Did you know that someone deleted the entirety of the Toy Story animations with a simple line of computer code? And that the only reason the company was saved was because one of the women on maternity leave had a back-up version?
Well Creativity Inc. is like a backdoor to the movie making of some of the greatest animated films of the past couple decades. Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Up, Inside Out, The Incredibles…. the list goes on and on.
It’s a story about storytelling. Letting people be creative. Fostering amazing work environments.
“Don’t wait until things are perfect before you share them with others”
When you look at the book closely, it is a business management book. However, the stories are so light, the movies so wholesome, the happiness so widespread. The book makes you want to dream that there are truly businesses that nurture creativity like this in the shark-tank-money-centric world.
So what are you waiting for? Get reading!
