My favorite books to inspire personal growth

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been passionate about continuous learning and understanding why people act the way they do. The books I recommend cover the topic of continuous growth across different states and areas of life. 


I wrote...

The Wisdom Factor: Reducing the Control of Bias, Threat, and Fear while Building a Better World

By Alice Darnell Lattal, Carlos A. Zuluaga,

Book cover of The Wisdom Factor: Reducing the Control of Bias, Threat, and Fear while Building a Better World

What is my book about?

The Wisdom Factor is about how you show up, what you say and do, and the legacy you leave. Using science and experience, the authors describe how a river of reciprocity connects us. Individual behavior holds the transformational power to create change, even in tough times. Assessing your effects by your actions is at the heart of this book. The strategies can help you build a better world. Watch the ripple effect.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Last Lecture

Carlos A. Zuluaga Why did I love this book?

I decided to read this book after watching Dr. Pausch’s presentation about his last lecture before his death and the advice he would give on achieving your childhood dreams. The video had gone viral, and it strongly resonated with me.

What I love about this book is it shows how one can live a fulfilling life while facing difficult circumstances. It showed me how one can accomplish one’s dreams in sometimes unexpected ways.

By Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Last Lecture as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A lot of professors give talks titled The Last Lecture. Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didnt have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave, Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,…


Book cover of The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World

Carlos A. Zuluaga Why did I love this book?

This is a wonderful book for any person that is inspired to enact change in their communities.

I especially like the action steps at the personal, institutional, and legislative levels at the end of the chapters. I found inspiration in the real-life examples of individuals using an evidence-based approach to the actions they take.

By Anthony Biglan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Nurture Effect as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What if there were a way to prevent criminal behavior, mental illness, drug abuse, poverty, and violence? Written by behavioral scientist Tony Biglan, and based on his ongoing research at the Oregon Research Institute, The Nurture Effect offers evidence-based interventions that can prevent many of the psychological and behavioral problems that plague our society.

For decades, behavioral scientists have investigated the role our environment plays in shaping who we are, and their research shows that we now have the power within our own hands to reduce violence, improve cognitive development in our children, increase levels of education and income, and…


Book cover of Wise Guy: Lessons from a Life

Carlos A. Zuluaga Why did I love this book?

I started following Guy Kawasaki because of some of his ideas on communication, work, writing, etc. Wise Guy is an easy-to-read book in which Guy Kawasaki shares some of the things he has learned across different areas of life (work, relationships, mentorship, etc.). 

I really enjoy the personal stories shared in the book, which have led the author to grow both personally and professionally. It also made me reflect on my personal stories and how they have contributed to the person I am today. 

By Guy Kawasaki,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wise Guy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Silicon Valley icon and bestselling author Guy Kawasaki shares the unlikely stories of his life and the lessons we can draw from them.

Guy Kawasaki has been a fixture in the tech world since he was part of Apple's original Macintosh team in the 1980s. He's widely respected as a source of wisdom about entrepreneurship, venture capital, marketing, and business evangelism, which he's shared in bestselling books such as The Art of the Start and Enchantment. But before all that, he was just a middle-class kid in Hawaii, a grandson of Japanese immigrants, who loved football and got a C+…


Book cover of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Carlos A. Zuluaga Why did I love this book?

This is a great book for those interested in promoting change. I like how the book combines stories, examples, and engaging information to present practical strategies that have been used to accomplish change when it seemed difficult to achieve. 

Reading this book made me realize small actions can have significant long-term effects when taken consistently and repeatedly. It opened my eyes to the fact that sometimes complex problems require simple solutions. 

By Dan Heath, Chip Heath,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Switch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

___________________________________
Change is hard. It doesn't have to be.

We all know that change is hard. It's unsettling, it's time-consuming, and all too often we give up at the first sign of a setback.

But why do we insist on seeing the obstacles rather than the goal? This is the question that bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath tackle in their compelling and insightful book. They argue that we need only understand how our minds function in order to unlock shortcuts to switches in behaviour.

Illustrating their ideas with scientific studies and remarkable real-life turnarounds - from the secrets of…


Book cover of The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

Carlos A. Zuluaga Why did I love this book?

This is a delightful book that guides the reader on how to connect with values and face any challenges life might present. It helps take a different perspective on what it means to live a meaningful and rich life. 

Reading this book helped me clarify my personal values, rather than focusing too much on goals and what actions I could take that would demonstrate those values. This is a book I will continue to revisit over the years. 

By Russ Harris,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Happiness Trap as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Popular myths about happiness are directly contributing to our epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression - and popular psychological remedies are making it even worse!In this easy-to-read, practical and empowering self-help book, Dr Russ Harris, M.D., reveals how millions of people are unwittingly caught in The Happiness Trap! He then provides an effective means to escape, through a revolutionary new paradigm in Western psychology.Mindfulness is a transformative mental state of awareness, openness and focus. Although mindfulness is worlds apart' from the methods of popular psychology, it is easy to learn, and will rapidly and effectively help you to reduce stress,…


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American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

Book cover of American Flygirl

Susan Tate Ankeny Author Of The Girl and the Bombardier: A True Story of Resistance and Rescue in Nazi-Occupied France

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Susan Tate Ankeny left a career in teaching to write the story of her father’s escape from Nazi-occupied France. In 2011, after being led on his path through France by the same Resistance fighters who guided him in 1944, she felt inspired to tell the story of these brave French patriots, especially the 17-year-old- girl who risked her own life to save her father’s. Susan is a member of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, the Air Force Escape and Evasion Society, and the Association des Sauveteurs d’Aviateurs Alliés. 

Susan's book list on women during WW2

What is my book about?

The first and only full-length biography of Hazel Ying Lee, an unrecognized pioneer and unsung World War II hero who fought for a country that actively discriminated against her gender, race, and ambition.

This unique hidden figure defied countless stereotypes to become the first Asian American woman in United States history to earn a pilot's license, and the first female Asian American pilot to fly for the military.

Her achievements, passionate drive, and resistance in the face of oppression as a daughter of Chinese immigrants and a female aviator changed the course of history. Now the remarkable story of a fearless underdog finally surfaces to inspire anyone to reach toward the sky.

American Flygirl

By Susan Tate Ankeny,

What is this book about?

One of WWII’s most uniquely hidden figures, Hazel Ying Lee was the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs, and fly for the United States military amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and policies.

Her singular story of patriotism, barrier breaking, and fearless sacrifice is told for the first time in full for readers of The Women with Silver Wings by Katherine Sharp Landdeck, A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell, The Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia, Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown and all Asian American, women’s and WWII history books.…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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