Fans pick 100 books like Becoming Human

By Michael Tomasello,

Here are 100 books that Becoming Human fans have personally recommended if you like Becoming Human. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Deep Clearing: Balance Your Emotions, Let Go Of Inner and Outer Negativity, Shift To Higher Consciousness: A Radical Inner Process

Finnian Kelly Author Of Intentionality: A Groundbreaking Guide to Breath, Consciousness, and Radical Self-Transformation

From my list on living life with intentionality.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the founder of Intentionality Inc., a speaker and high-performance coach, and a master breathwork facilitator. I help world-changing leaders implement the Intentionality® methodology to find new levels of fulfillment and growth in their creative endeavors, relationships, and overall well-being. I have been dubbed "the Business Mystic'' because of my unique ability to awaken consciousness in business and inspire CEOs and leadership teams to have a more expansive human experience. I love books that emphasize ancient wisdom but also have practical applications for modern-day living and weave the universal aspects of spirituality into personal development. I hope these books are as thought-provoking to you as they were to me!

Finnian's book list on living life with intentionality

Finnian Kelly Why did Finnian love this book?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it shifted my outlook with actionable tools that helped me in my healing journey and self-perception. Applying the spiritual principles of awareness, acceptance, direct experience, and witnessing that Ruskan outlines helped me ‘do the work’ without the fight or flight mechanism that can sometimes hijack us when facing pain or discomfort.

This author has really outlined the purpose of our emotions and how to relate to them as an energy.

By John Ruskan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

THERAPIST RECOMMENDED! Learn a superb holistic self-therapy process for complete inner healing. Release painful feelings and destructive NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. Clear depression, anxiety, trauma, and emotionally-based physical health issues. Make yourself impervious to outside negative forces by clearing inner negativity. Open your heart and start to genuinely love yourself.
Drawing upon his 25 years as a holistic psychotherapist, John Ruskan presents a brilliant self-therapy system for complete inner healing and well-being. Based on a unique synthesis of Eastern meditation-mindfulness principles and Western humanistic psychological insights, the DEEP CLEARING program will empower you with a feeling-based, holistic, inner process that will clear…


Book cover of The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way

Finnian Kelly Author Of Intentionality: A Groundbreaking Guide to Breath, Consciousness, and Radical Self-Transformation

From my list on living life with intentionality.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m the founder of Intentionality Inc., a speaker and high-performance coach, and a master breathwork facilitator. I help world-changing leaders implement the Intentionality® methodology to find new levels of fulfillment and growth in their creative endeavors, relationships, and overall well-being. I have been dubbed "the Business Mystic'' because of my unique ability to awaken consciousness in business and inspire CEOs and leadership teams to have a more expansive human experience. I love books that emphasize ancient wisdom but also have practical applications for modern-day living and weave the universal aspects of spirituality into personal development. I hope these books are as thought-provoking to you as they were to me!

Finnian's book list on living life with intentionality

Finnian Kelly Why did Finnian love this book?

This book was special to me because it redefined what intention meant compared to how we usually describe it. Expressing intention as energy and creation rather than success and work shows how beautiful and all-encompassing it can be.

I could tune into my inner belief systems and see how I could manifest and affirm more positive goals for myself and invest more authentically into my relationships with others. Intention is such a powerful word, and Dyer gives practical ways of conceptualizing and applying it daily.

By Wayne W. Dyer,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.'
Wayne Dyer

For years Wayne Dyer has been researching the power of intention, the energy that surrounds all of us. He tells us how we can train ourselves to tune into this energy and step beyond our minds and egos. When we do this we become what Dyer calls 'Connectors' and make ourselves available to the energy of success.

Connectors are the people whom everyone sees as lucky, the people who get all the breaks. They don't say, 'With my luck, everything will go wrong,'…


Book cover of The Phenomenal Basis of Intentionality

Neil Mehta Author Of A Pluralist Theory of Perception

From my list on the conscious mind.

Why am I passionate about this?

Somehow, electrical impulses shoot through our brains to generate a surround sound, 3D-movie experience of the world. How on earth is this possible? When I was a college student, this question burrowed into my brain and wouldn’t get out. So I decided to make a living thinking about it. Now it’s 20 years later, I’m a philosophy professor at Yale-NUS College, and I still don’t know the answer!

Neil's book list on the conscious mind

Neil Mehta Why did Neil love this book?

What if consciousness helps bestow meanings on our concepts and words? According to Angela Mendelovici, the word "tomato" ultimately gets its meaning from your conscious experiences of tomatoes—experiences of red, round things.

More generally, consciousness provides some very simple, concrete building blocks that we can use to assemble some very complex, abstract meanings. I found it fascinating how much Mendelovici was able to push these ideas.

By Angela Mendelovici,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Intentionality is the mind's ability to be "of," "about," or "directed" at things, or to "say" something. For example, a thought might "say" that grass is green or that Santa Claus is jolly, and a visual experience might be "of" a blue cup. While the existence of the phenomenon of intentionality is manifestly obvious, how exactly the mind gets to be "directed" at things, which may not even exist, is deeply mysterious and controversial.

It has been long assumed that the best way to explain intentionality is in terms of tracking relations, information, functional roles, and similar notions. This book…


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Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus By Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from…

Book cover of How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation

Decoteau J. Irby Author Of Stuck Improving: Racial Equity and School Leadership

From my list on equity-focused school reform for educators.

Why am I passionate about this?

Every teacher from pre-Kindergarten to higher education, who has experienced and understands what it means to be committed to equity and to practice transformation but still not see the kinds of outcomes expected, needed, or deserved among students of color. These students of color, particularly Black and Brown students, tend to be grossly underserved in and through the educational system. Decoteau Irby amplifies the humanity of those young people and situates them in the context of suburbia, an understudied place and space among Black and Brown communities. 

Decoteau's book list on equity-focused school reform for educators

Decoteau J. Irby Why did Decoteau love this book?

The most valuable and practical part of the book is their “mapping your immunity to change” process.

This process asks people to understand the things that they do, how they do the things that they do, and how the way they think can keep people from actually being able to change.

The book moves from an individual level to how organizations talk, and how people and organizations talk together. It changes how people can work together. 

By Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why is the gap so great between our hopes, our intentions, even our decisions-and what we are actually able to bring about? Even when we are able to make important changes-in our own lives or the groups we lead at work-why are the changes are so frequently short-lived and we are soon back to business as usual? What can we do to transform this troubling reality?

In this intensely practical book, Harvard psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey take us on a carefully guided journey designed to help us answer these very questions. And not just generally, or in…


Book cover of The Fourth Quarter of Your Life: Embracing What Matters Most

Sharon Ricardi Author Of The Future of Alzheimer's

From my list on deepen your understanding of life past age fifty.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about aging in America. I was honored to be in health care for over 40 years; I was a leader in home care and hospital systems and was there at the birth of the assisted living movement, now so respected. I specialized in Alzheimer’s as it is the least understood common disease of seniors, one that evokes misery if not handled properly. I started the first Alzheimer’s training for homecare aides in the 90’s. In positions such as Senior Vice President of Northbridge Companies and President of Northbridge Advisory Services, I became an advocate for dementia education, advanced care, and programs for the financially challenged. 

Sharon's book list on deepen your understanding of life past age fifty

Sharon Ricardi Why did Sharon love this book?

While I am not quite into the fourth quarter of my life, I am not far, and as a baby boomer and one in the senior living field, the topic of aging comes up all the time with similarly aged friends, coworkers, and relatives.

We all feel the same way—we don’t want to be helpless bystanders in determining how the last 25 years of our lives will look. We all know people in their 70’s and 80’s who are remarkable; mentally and physically fit, with active, happy, purposeful lives. We also know many who seem so much older than their actual age and who represent our worst fears of aging. But there are so many charlatans looking for desperate or gullible people to spend their money on anti-aging trends that may as well be snake oil for all of their worth.

This is the book I was thrilled to finally…

By Allen R. Hunt, Matthew Kelly,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Fourth Quarter of Your Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Whether you are in the fourth quarter of life or not, this book will change the way you live the rest of your life.

Intentionality is the key to successful fourth quarter living. People don’t accidentally age gracefully. People don’t accidentally die peacefully. And people don’t accidentally leave behind legacies of hope, love, and encouragement. These all require the intentionality this book will help you develop.

The purpose of this practical guide is to help you...

Live the fourth quarter based on proven life principles Clearly establish meaning and direction for your life Develop the clarity necessary to make good…


Book cover of Screen Kids: 5 Relational Skills Every Child Needs in a Tech-Driven World

Eryn Lynum Author Of 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting

From my list on intentional parenting.

Why am I passionate about this?

Life is busy. We all feel it. As my husband and I have built businesses, published books, traveled the country, and homeschooled our four kids, we’ve worried at times that our schedule is too packed and we’re losing sight of what matters. Seven years ago, we took time to write out a “Family Values List,” which has guided our family’s trajectory. We measure every decision and opportunity up against our core values. This provides a depth of intentionality in our parenting, which has led us to read (and write!) resources around how to make the most of the time we have together as a family. “Do life together” is on our values list, and it’s what we aim to do each day.

Eryn's book list on intentional parenting

Eryn Lynum Why did Eryn love this book?

I’ve found that to parent with intentionality, I first have to purge away distractions. Parents today are facing challenges that were never an issue in past generations. Likewise, kids today face overwhelming challenges around technology and screens. In Screen Kids, I discovered freedom from guilt and encouragement for how to parent against the current. It’s ok to raise my kids differently. It’s also worth it. This book equipped me with incredibly important ways to take back our home and parent on purpose.

By Gary Chapman, Arlene Pellicane,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Has Technology Taken Over Your Home?

In this digital age, children spend more time interacting with screens and less time playing outside, reading a book, or interacting with family. Though technology has its benefits, it also has its harms.

In Screen Kids Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane will empower you with the tools you need to make positive changes. Through stories, science, and wisdom, you’ll discover how to take back your home from an overdependence on screens. Plus, you’ll learn to teach the five A+ skills that every child needs to master: affection, appreciation, anger management, apology, and attention. Learn…


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Book cover of Traumatization and Its Aftermath: A Systemic Approach to Understanding and Treating Trauma Disorders

Traumatization and Its Aftermath By Antonieta Contreras,

A fresh take on the difference between trauma and hardship in order to help accurately spot the difference and avoid over-generalizations.

The book integrates the latest findings in brain science, child development, psycho-social context, theory, and clinical experiences to make the case that trauma is much more than a cluster…

Book cover of Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ

Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung Author Of Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies

From my list on spiritual formation and Christian virtue.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a moral philosopher, I ask practical questions: What kind of person am I becoming? What kind of life will I live? What loves, hopes, and fears drive my choices and shape my relationships? Character formation moves us from vice to virtue. It starts with self-reflection and moves toward intentional practice. Over time, those practices shape us and add up to a way of life. You will be formed—but how? Glittering Vices, like my job, combines my passions for character development and wise teaching. Enduring the fiery furnace of cancer treatment made formation an urgent, life-changing topic for me. I hope these books open your life to renewal too.

Rebecca's book list on spiritual formation and Christian virtue

Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung Why did Rebecca love this book?

“Discipleship is becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.” This is Willard’s classic map of areas of spiritual transformation. The second half of the book gives his signature “how-to” guide for patterning your life and character after the life and character of Jesus Christ. The book tracks every aspect of our person and life: our will and choices, our thoughts and feelings, and our social relationships. A lifelong apprenticeship begins with intentional, practical steps. This book maps the terrain and guides each step forward, balancing grace and effort perfectly. See Johnson’s and Willard’s follow-up text (Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice: Experiments in Spiritual Transformation) for more practical wisdom from two seasoned spiritual masters.

By Dallas Willard,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Renovation of the Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Renovation of the Heart is an influential contribution from the late Dallas Willard that continues to break ground twenty years after its first release.

Helping us to understand how character is formed and where Jesus does his most significant work on our spiritual and emotional health, this book changed a generation’s mind about what it means to follow Jesus—not a matter of sin management but a matter of drawing near and letting ourselves be shaped into the eternal people of God.

With reflections on the book’s impact over its life from family, friends, and admirers of Dallas, and supplemental resources…


Book cover of Science and Human Transformation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality and Consciousness

Don Weiner Author Of Beyond the Wonderful: Transforming the World with the Light of Your Being

From my list on science and spirituality in an evolving universe.

Why am I passionate about this?

I believe that spiritual awakening is a service to the universe, and not just for our own enlightenment. Spirituality generally has been viewed as a return to some other realm of consciousness, rather than a means to awakening what we think of as divinity in life. There can never be a “finish line” to spirituality, as there is no end to the possibilities which collective co-evolution can bring about. The only way that intractable problems of humanity will ever be resolved is if a large number of people awaken to higher states of consciousness, while firmly grounded in life.

Don's book list on science and spirituality in an evolving universe

Don Weiner Why did Don love this book?

This opened up new insights into my spiritual journey. Dr. Tiller presents amazing research that shows that when there is a link between subtle energy and ordinary physical space, the physical properties of that space are changed, such that disorder decreases, rather than increases. He has done experiments in which experienced meditators are asked to store an intention in a bit of circuitry that is not connected to anything, such that the pH in water in another laboratory that the circuitry is placed near will increase by one point. This happens, and the experiment has been replicated many times. This is already amazing enough, but the entropy (disorder) in the laboratory decreases, which is contrary to the 2nd law of thermodynamics in ordinary physical space. My inspiration from this research was that any time we bring about a connection between subtle energy and our environment, new possibilities become available.

By William A. Tiller Ph.D.,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Science and Human Transformation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Overall this book is a paradigm-breaking book for science in that it reveals in some detail a viable larger perspective and framework for scientific description of nature and human evolvement in that framework. It is also a conscious-raising book and a hope-raising book for humanity in that it shows people how to use their own intentionality to bring about...beneficial...changes...in their own bodies. Such changes naturally lead to significant growth in the individual's consciousness.


Book cover of Theory of Bastards

Dennis Danvers Author Of The Soothsayer & the Changeling

From my list on transform how we see ourselves in the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

My first true religion was being a boy alone in the woods and feeling a deep connection to nature in all its aspects. I felt a connection with all life and knew myself to be an animal—and gloried in it. Since then, I've learned how vigorously humans fight our animal nature, estranging us from ourselves and the planet. Each of these books invites us to get over ourselves and connect with all life on Earth. 

Dennis' book list on transform how we see ourselves in the world

Dennis Danvers Why did Dennis love this book?

I loved the setting of a remote near-future research facility where the fascinating personalities of our primate brethren are being explored.

The focus is on lusty bonobos and their mating choices, but when there's an abrupt societal collapse and human researchers, and simian subjects are cut off from the world, it becomes a dystopian survival story like no other. I was deeply moved and left feeling oddly hopeful about the human ape.

By Audrey Schulman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The Philip K. Dick Award–winning sci-fi novel: “A riveting page-turner” about the behavior of primates―human and otherwise―“in a very near and dire future” (The Washington Post).

Winner of the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Speculative Fiction

One of The Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of fiction in 2018

In a world where coastal cities flood, dust storms plague the Midwest, and implants connect humans directly to the Web, Dr. Francine Burk has broken new ground in the study of primate sexuality. While in recovery from a long-needed surgery―paid for with a portion of her McArthur “genius” award money―Frankie…


Book cover of The End of War

David Swanson Author Of NATO: What You Need To Know

From my list on how to abolish war.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm the author of several books on this topic and work on this topic as executive director of a nonprofit organization. I see war as one of the dumbest things that we could easily stop doing and as one of the most damaging things we do. It's the reason we are at risk of nuclear apocalypse, the leading cause of homelessness, a leading cause of death and injury, the justification for government secrecy, one of the most environmentally destructive activities, the major barrier to global cooperation on non-optional crises, and one of the main pits into which massive resources are diverted that we all desperately need for useful things.

David's book list on how to abolish war

David Swanson Why did David love this book?

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Its conclusions will be vigorously resisted by many and yet, in a certain light, considered perfectly obvious to some others.

The central conclusion—that ending the institution of war is entirely up to us to choose—was, arguably, reached by (among many others before and since) John Paul Sartre sitting in a café utilizing exactly no research. But Horgan is a writer for “Scientific American,” and approaches the question of whether war can be ended as a scientist. It’s all about research.

He concludes that war can be ended, has been ended in various times and places, and is in the process (an entirely reversible process) of being ended on Earth right now.

By John Horgan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

War is a fact of human nature. As long as we exist, it exists. That's how the argument goes.

But longtime Scientific American writer John Horgan disagrees. Applying the scientific method to war leads Horgan to a radical conclusion: biologically speaking, we are just as likely to be peaceful as violent. War is not preordained, and furthermore, it should be thought of as a solvable, scientific problem—like curing cancer. But war and cancer differ in at least one crucial way: whereas cancer is a stubborn aspect of nature, war is our creation. It's our choice whether to unmake it or…


Book cover of Deep Clearing: Balance Your Emotions, Let Go Of Inner and Outer Negativity, Shift To Higher Consciousness: A Radical Inner Process
Book cover of The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way
Book cover of The Phenomenal Basis of Intentionality

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