The most recommended attitude books

Who picked these books? Meet our 43 experts.

43 authors created a book list connected to attitude, and here are their favorite attitude books.
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Book cover of Getting to Yes with Yourself: And Other Worthy Opponents

Joshua N. Weiss Author Of The Book of Real-World Negotiations: Successful Strategies from Business, Government, and Daily Life

From my list on how to become a wicked good negotiator.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a native Bostonian and I have been working in the field of negotiation for over 25 years. I have been very fortunate to have been a member of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School for all that time. As a result, I have had the privilege to work with some amazing colleagues and have been given the opportunity to engage in many fascinating negotiations in the international, governmental, corporate, and nonprofit worlds. I truly love the field because it has the potential to do so much good in the world and because it is exceedingly challenging. For me, the more I learn the more I want to know. That quest continues to this day…

Joshua's book list on how to become a wicked good negotiator

Joshua N. Weiss Why did Joshua love this book?

I am recommending this book because Ury turns the mirror on negotiators and gets them to look at themselves and why they do what they do at the negotiating table. This is critically important because I believe half our problems in negotiation are with the other party and the other half are within us. Ury gets people to really take this very seriously and to look in a place most ignore.

By William Ury,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Getting to Yes with Yourself as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In his highly anticipated follow up to the bestselling "Getting to Yes: Negotiation Agreement Without Giving", Harvard University's world renowned negotiation expert William Ury provides the definitive guide to attaining success at work and at home.

Drawing upon decades of experience in some of the world's most challenging conflict areas - from million-dollar corporate mergers to high profile Middle Eastern struggles - Ury highlights a previously unexamined issue which affects us all, personally and professionally: the biggest obstacle to achieving what we want comes from our own self-destructive actions.

In his brilliant new book, Ury outlines practical strategies for dealing…


Book cover of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide

Arlene Voski Avakian Author Of Lion Woman's Legacy: An Armenian-American Memoir

From my list on social consciousness in historical contexts.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was an angry girl, railing against the difference between the expectations and restrictions on me and my younger brother. I was also the child of survivors and victims of the Armenian genocide, and I grew up in 1950 when my immigrant family didn’t fit the representations of “Americans” as they were then depicted. And I was white. I wanted to change myself, the world and learn why there was so much injustice in the U.S. I went back to school at UMass, got connected to faculty in the Afro-American Studies Department, and joined the group that was creating the Women’s Studies Program. I am still learning and trying to change the world.  

Arlene's book list on social consciousness in historical contexts

Arlene Voski Avakian Why did Arlene love this book?

Anderson’s book is based on prodigious research, but is written for a general audience. 

She argues that when Black people make any gains, whites respond by working, mostly successfully, to deny those advances through local, state, and federal legislation and violence. 

The book begins by documenting the thorough destruction of the rights Black people gained through the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments and brings her analysis forward to the present. This book gives you the historical background to understand what is happening now.

After reading it you will no longer be surprised by what the right wing has been doing since the gains of the civil rights movement to undo those rights won through struggle and incredible courage, the rights every American deserves. 

By Carol Anderson,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

National Book Critics Circle Award Winner
New York Times Bestseller
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of the Year
A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016
A Chicago Review of Books Best Nonfiction Book of 2016

From the Civil War to our combustible present, White Rage reframes our continuing conversation about race, chronicling the powerful forces opposed to black progress in America--now in paperback with a new afterword by the author, acclaimed historian Carol Anderson.

As Ferguson, Missouri, erupted in August 2014, and media commentators across the ideological spectrum referred to…


Book cover of Art in the Time of Colony

William Gallois Author Of Qayrawān: The Amuletic City

From my list on Islamic art and it's hidden beauty.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a scholar who has spent most of his working life looking at the history of North Africa. This passion was formerly directed toward looking at the conditions that Europeans imposed on local populations, but in recent times, I have moved solely to consider forgotten cultures made by indigenous Muslim and Jewish populations. Making this move has been the best, riskiest, and most rewarding choice I’ve ever made in my career, and I am now a cheerleader for the incredible forms of art made by ordinary people in these societies.

William's book list on Islamic art and it's hidden beauty

William Gallois Why did William love this book?

This was the book that convinced me that it is worthwhile exploring the past so as to rediscover and rethink works of art made by indigenous people living under imperial conditions.

I love its movement around the world, the close readings of works that no other scholars had ever considered, and the moral urgency that underpins every one of its lines.

By Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Art in the Time of Colony as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is often assumed that the verbal and visual languages of Indigenous people had little influence upon the classification of scientific, legal, and artistic objects in the metropolises and museums of nineteenth-century colonial powers. However colonized locals did more than merely collect material for interested colonizers. In developing the concept of anachronism for the analysis of colonial material this book writes the complex biographies for five key objects that exemplify, embody, and refract the tensions of nineteenth-century history. Through an analysis of particular language notations and drawings hidden in colonial documents and a reexamination of cross-cultural communication, the book writes…


Book cover of The Pursuit of Art: Travels, Encounters and Revelations

Amy Dempsey Author Of Destination Art: Art Essentials

From my list on Destination Art.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an art historian and the author of various books about modern art, including Styles, Schools & Movements: The Essential Encyclopaedic Guide to Modern Art and three editions of Destination Art. I coined the phrase ‘Destination Art’ in order to discuss artworks in which location is an integral ingredient, as is the journey to find them. I had noticed projects like these happening all over the world, but often in a quiet way. They needed someone to shine the light on them – so I did! My goal is to educate, enthuse and excite – and to continue my mission of spreading the word about intriguing and inspiring art projects. 

Amy's book list on Destination Art

Amy Dempsey Why did Amy love this book?

Art critic Gayford’s engaging and entertaining essays recount his adventures over the years when meeting artists and visiting destination art sites around the world, such as Brancusi’s Endless Column in Romania and the Chinati Foundation in Texas. A great storyteller, his writing is both chatty and informative and the book is a pleasure to read.

By Martin Gayford,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Bestselling author of Modernists & Mavericks Martin Gayford recounts some of the extraordinary journeys he has made in the name of art.

In the course of a career thinking and writing about art, Martin Gayford has travelled all over the world both to see works of art and to meet artists. Gayford's journeys, often to fairly inaccessible places, involve frustrations and complications, but also serendipitous encounters and outcomes, which he makes as much a part of the story as the final destination. Entertaining and informative, Gayford includes trips to see Brancusi's Endless Column in Romania, prehistoric cave art in France,…


Book cover of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Graham Allcott Author Of How to Be a Productivity Ninja: Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do

From my list on productivity from a productivity ninja.

Why am I passionate about this?

So quite a few years ago now, while juggling a hundred and one things – some paid, some voluntary; some work-related, some not – I developed a new obsession in my quest to change the world: productivity. I have now written multiple books on the subject, and I am the founder of Think Productive which helps people and organisations around the world to increase productivity & wellbeing. These are the top 5 books that have shaped the way I look at productivity and the way I work and live my life.

Graham's book list on productivity from a productivity ninja

Graham Allcott Why did Graham love this book?

I'm sure this is not Seth's best-selling book, but for me, it's the most impactful one. He talks a lot about procrastination, doing work where you are indispensable, being creative, and ultimately he just defines productivity in a way that has so much heart to it and that I really relate to. I also think Seth, out of all the people whose books I read, is the most natural writer. I just love his writing.

By Seth Godin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In this compelling, accessible and purpose-filled book bestselling business author Seth Godin shows how you have the potential to make a big difference-and make yourself indispensable in the process-wherever you are.

Why are some people easily outsourced, downsized, or freelanced into obscurity, while others have their pick of opportunities? In his most powerful book yet, Seth Godin argues that it's more essential than ever to become indispensable - to become a linchpin. Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations: they invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They love…


Book cover of The Disciplined Trader: Developing Winning Attitudes

Richard L. Weissman Author Of Trade Like a Casino

From my list on for trading like a casino.

Why am I passionate about this?

Richard L. Weissman is one of the world’s foremost authorities and thought leaders in the fields of derivatives, risk management and technical analysis. He is the author of two books: Mechanical Trading Systems: Pairing Trader Psychology with Technical Analysis (Wiley, 2004) and Trade Like a Casino: Find Your Edge, Manage Risk and Win Like the House (Wiley, 2011) which was a finalist for the 2012 Technical Analyst Book of the Year Award. Mr. Weissman has over thirty years experience as a derivatives trader and has provided training and consultation services to traders and risk managers at investment banks, hedge funds, energy, and agricultural companies for over twenty years. 

Richard's book list on for trading like a casino

Richard L. Weissman Why did Richard love this book?

Mark Douglas’ book focuses on practical tools and techniques to counter the gambling mentality that typifies speculative trading. He focuses on a more rational, math-based approach to participation in markets as a speculator. Although I was already a successful trader by the time I’d read Mark’s book, it reinforced that the tools and techniques I had developed to dampen emotionalism in the markets were sound.

By Mark Douglas,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The classic book that introduced the investment industry to the concept of trading psychology.

With rare insight based on his firsthand commodity trading experience, author Mark Douglas demonstrates how the mental matters that allow us function effectively in society are often psychological barriers in trading. After examining how we develop losing attitudes, this book prepares you for a thorough "mental housecleaning" of deeply rooted thought processes. And then it shows the reader how to develop and apply attitudes and behaviors that transcend psychological obstacles and lead to success.

The Disciplined Trader helps you join the elite few who have learned…


Book cover of Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay

Tanmeet Sethi Author Of Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim What Is Yours

From my list on to find joy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve worked on the frontlines of the hospital, clinic, and delivery rooms for the last 25 years and in global settings after traumatic disasters…As a physician activist, Justice is my act of service. And yet, the moment I found out my young son had a fatal illness, fighting for Justice felt elusive. Until I started fighting for myself. Until I realized that if I walked back toward my unfathomable pain, I could find something revolutionary... Joy. Now, this work of finding Joy has become my most potent medicine for my patients and myself. It is my mission to make sure everyone knows Joy is accessible. No matter what. 

Tanmeet's book list on to find joy

Tanmeet Sethi Why did Tanmeet love this book?

This book is exactly the upward spiral of Joy someone needs when they ask me, “But, how, Dr. Sethi, how do I even start to feel Joy?”

It’s so simple and accessible. Each essay or prompt brings the reader closer into seeing their own life as the way to get to Joy, especially when things are hard. 

By Cyndie Spiegel,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Bighearted and hopeful. Unflinchingly honest and healing. A profound compendium of intimate, inspiring essays and thoughtful prompts that will keep you afloat in difficult times and sustain you in the everyday.

Microjoys are a practice of uncovering joy and finding hope at any moment. They are accessible to everyone, despite all else. When we hone the ability to look for them, they are always available. Microjoys are the hidden wisdom, long-ago memories, subtle treasures, and ordinary delights that surround us: A polka-dot glass on a thrift store shelf. A dear friend's kindness at just the right time. The neighborhood spice…


Book cover of Catching Thoughts

Mary Angus Author Of Max's Fuzzy Feelers

From my list on illustrations for your highly sensitive little one.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an illustrator who has been captivated by the whimsy of children’s books since I was a child myself. The wonder and enchantment with the world of narrative illustrative has never worn off and I still love getting lost in a beautiful picture book. I hope my illustrations are able to inspire others the way they have inspired me. 

Mary's book list on illustrations for your highly sensitive little one

Mary Angus Why did Mary love this book?

Catching thoughts is an excellent book to introduce mindfulness to young children. This book touches on intrusive thoughts and how they are paired with feelings. It presents the idea of acknowledging thoughts and feelings, without getting carried away by them and then letting them pass on. I think this book is a great resource for any child and perhaps especially children with high anxiety. The illustrations feel quiet and introspective which is paired so beautifully with the verses. 

By Bonnie Clark, Summer Macon (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Catching Thoughts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

This bright tale of a girl determined to escape a negative thought that keeps following her around encourages mindfulness and equips kids with the tools they need to successfully manage their emotions.

Have you ever had an unwelcome thought that you just couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard you tried to push it away?

In Catching Thoughts, a girl is plagued by an unwanted thought. No matter what she does--ignore it, yell at it, cry about it--the thought won't go away. Frustrated and discouraged, she finally looks that bad thought in the face and says, ""Hello."" At last,…


Book cover of 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans

Veronica Kirin

From my list on incredible real life stories.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an anthropologist and former owner of a tech company. I saw firsthand how technology was changing society in the early twenty-teens, and knew that we were experiencing a compounding paradigm shift. I have a passion for telling stories and preserving the past for future generations — the stories that our grandchildren will ask about, just as we asked our grandparents about the great wars and depression.

Veronica's book list on incredible real life stories

Veronica Kirin Why did Veronica love this book?

I didn’t come across this book until my own had already been published. Pillemer worked hard to interview over a thousand elders about their lives. The stories are touching, and the advice time-tested. 

My favorite section was about raising children. How to allow our little humans to become full individuals while also nurturing them to the greatest extent. The stories weren’t always rosy — some elders shared deep regrets — which I appreciated even more.

By Karl Pillemer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 30 Lessons for Living as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Heartfelt and ever-endearing—equal parts information and inspiration. This is a book to keep by your bedside and return to often.”—Amy Dickinson, nationally syndicated advice columnist "Ask Amy"

More than one thousand extraordinary Americans share their stories and the wisdom they have gained on living, loving, and finding happiness.

After a chance encounter with an extraordinary ninety-year-old woman, renowned gerontologist Karl Pillemer began to wonder what older people know about life that the rest of us don't.

His quest led him to interview more than one thousand Americans over the age of sixty-five to seek their counsel on all the big…


Book cover of Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds

Mark William Roche Author Of Why Choose the Liberal Arts?

From my list on books for students about to enter college.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a graduate of Williams College and Princeton University and now a professor and former dean of arts and letters at the University of Notre Dame. As dean, I learned that too many of Notre Dame’s students were majoring in business. Invariably, when I asked them about their rationale, they would confess that their favorite courses were in the arts and sciences. They might have followed their passions, I thought, if they and their parents had a deeper sense of the value of a liberal arts education, so I wrote this book to answer their questions and give them justified confidence in the value of liberal arts courses.  

Mark's book list on books for students about to enter college

Mark William Roche Why did Mark love this book?

I wish I could have read this book before I entered college.

Based on in-depth interviews with students at Harvard, Light’s well-written book offers superb academic and personal advice for students entering college and for faculty members who wish to help their students develop.

The book covers the full range of college experience and offers many counter-intuitive insights, including students’ enthusiasm for foreign-language classes, which tend to be small and offer students regular feedback. The anecdotes are, in turn, engaging, surprising, and helpful.

By Richard J. Light,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Why do some students make the most of college, while others struggle and look back on years of missed deadlines and missed opportunities? What choices can students make, and what can teachers and university leaders do, to improve more students' experiences and help them achieve the most from their time and money? Most important, how is the increasing diversity on campus-cultural, racial, and religious-affecting education? What can students and faculty do to benefit from differences, and even learn from the inevitable moments of misunderstanding and awkwardness?

From his ten years of interviews with Harvard seniors, Richard Light distills encouraging-and surprisingly…