Staff Picks
#BroaderBookshelf 2022 - Non-Celebrity Self-Discovery
- Ariel H.
- Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Collection
The #BroaderBookshelf challenge helps expand your reading habits to discover authors, genres and books you might not otherwise pick up.
More #BroaderBookshelf booklists can be found here.
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How to Read a Book
Published in 2014
Investigates the art of reading by examining each aspect of reading, problems encountered, and tells how to combat them.

Get Good with Money
Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole
Published in 2021
Introducing the powerful idea of striving for financial wholeness instead of early retirement or millionaire status: learn the ten short-term steps that lead to long-term security. From the simple (best practices for budgeting and saving) to the more sophisticated (investing, taking charge of your credit score, and calculating your insurance needs), use memorable stories, actionable lists and worksheets, and a you-got-this attitude, to build a solid foundation for a life that's rich in every way.

Gross Anatomy
Dispatches from the Front (and Back)
Published in 2018
A doodle-illustrated collection takes readers on an anecdotal tour of the female body that explores the social biases, self-maintenance practices, and aesthetic realities that shape how women view themselves.

#Girlboss
Published in 2014
" "A #GIRLBOSS is in charge of her own life. She gets what she wants because she works for it." The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn't fashion-it was a stolen book. She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, she had resigned herself to employment, but was still broke, directionless, and working a mediocre day job she'd taken for the health insurance. It was there that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer with more than 350 employees. Sophia's never been a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she's written #GIRLBOSS for outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is winding as all hell and lined with naysayers. #GIRLBOSS includes Sophia's story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia. It's deeply personal yet universal. Filled with brazen wake-up calls ("You are not a special snowflake"), cunning and frank observations ("Failure is your invention"), and behind-the-scenes stories from Nasty Gal's meteoric rise, #GIRLBOSS covers a lot of ground. It proves that being successful isn't about how popular you were in high school or where you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break. A #GIRLBOSS takes her life seriously without taking herself too seriously. She takes chances and takes responsibility on her own terms. She knows when to throw punches and when to roll with them. When to button up and when to let her freak flag fly. As Sophia writes, "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don't ever grow up. Don't become a bore. Don't let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let's do this." "-- Provided by publisher.


The Third Door
The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers
Published in 2018
"The larger-than-life journey of an 18-year-old college freshman who set out from his dorm room to track down Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, and dozens more of the world's most successful people to uncover how they broke through and launched their careers. The Third Door takes readers on an unprecedented adventure--from hacking Warren Buffett's shareholders meeting to chasing Larry King through a grocery store to celebrating in a nightclub with Lady Gaga--as Alex Banayan travels from icon to icon, decoding their success. After remarkable one-on-one interviews with Bill Gates, Maya Angelou, Steve Wozniak, Jane Goodall, Larry King, Jessica Alba, Pitbull, Tim Ferriss, Quincy Jones, and many more, Alex discovered the one key they have in common: they all took the Third Door. Life, business, success

Chase the Lion
If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small
Published in 2016
When the image of a man-eating beast travels through the optic nerve and into the visual cortex, the brain sends the body a simple but urgent message: run away! That|s what normal people do, but not lion chasers. Rather than seeing a five hundred pound problem, they see an opportunity for God to show up and show His power. Mark Batterson invites lion chasers everywhere to chase dreams so impossible that victory demands they face their fears, defy the odds, and hold tight to God.

Quiet
Published in 2012
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh's sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer. Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie's birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts. Perhaps most inspiring, she introduces us to successful introverts--from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Finally, she offers invaluable advice on everything from how to better negotiate differences in introvert-extrovert relationships to how to empower an introverted child to when it makes sense to be a "pretend extrovert." This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves. From the Hardcover edition.

Cringeworthy
A Theory of Awkwardness
Published in 2018
"New York magazine's "Science of Us" editor explains the compelling psychology of awkwardness, and asks: what if the moments that make us feel most awkward are actually valuable? Have you ever said goodbye to someone, only to discover that you're both walking in the same direction? Or had your next thought fly out of your brain in the middle of a presentation? Or accidentally liked an old photo on someone's Instagram or Facebook, thus revealing yourself to be a creepy social media stalker? Melissa Dahl, editor of New York magazine's "Science of Us" website, has. After a lifetime of cringing, she became intrigued by awkwardness: a universal but underappreciated emotion. In this witty and compassionate book, Dahl explores the oddest, cringiest corners of our world. She chats with strangers on the busy New York City subway, goes on awkward friend dates using a "Tinder-for-friendship" app, takes improv comedy lessons, and even reads aloud from her (highly embarrassing!) middle school diary to a crowd of strangers. After all of that, she realizes: Awkward moments are opportunities to test yourself. When everyone else is pretending to have it under control, you can be a little braver and grow a little bigger--while remaining true to your awkward self. And along the way, you might find that awkward moments unite us in our mutual human ridiculousness"-- Provided by publisher.


How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk
Published in 2012
Faber and Mazlish use real-life situations to show how you can respect and respond to your child's feelings and satisfy your own needs.

How to Get Sh*t Done
Why Women Need to Stop Doing Everything So They Can Achieve Anything
Published in 2018

Tales of a Female Nomad
Living at Large in the World
Published in 2001
"I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities." From the Preface Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita's example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

Big Magic
Creative Living Beyond Fear
Published in 2015
"Coming September 22nd from the worldwide bestselling author of Eat Pray Love: the path to the vibrant, fulfilling life you've dreamed of. Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy"-- Provided by publisher.

Eat, Pray, Love
One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
Published in 2007
Like many others, around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. Although she had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want, including a husband, a home, and a successful career as a magazine writer, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. This is an account of her yearlong worldwide pursuit of pleasure, spiritual devotion, guidance, and what she really wanted out of life.

Good Morning, Monster
A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery
Published in 2020
""Catherine Gildiner is nothing short of masterful-as both a therapist and writer. In these pages, she has gorgeously captured both the privilege of being given access to the inner chambers of people's lives, and the meaning that comes from watching themgrow into the selves they were meant to be." -Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. In this fascinating narrative, therapist Catherine Gildiner's presents five of what she calls her most heroic and memorablepatients. Among them: a successful, first generation Chinese immigrant musician suffering sexual dysfunction; a young woman whose father abandoned her at age nine with her younger siblings in an isolated cottage in the depth of winter; and a glamorous workaholic whose narcissistic, negligent mother greeted her each morning of her childhood with "Good morning, Monster." Each patient presents a mystery, one that will only be unpacked over years. They seek Gildiner's help to overcome an immediate challengein their lives, but discover that the source of their suffering has been long buried. As in such recent classics as The Glass Castle and Educated, each patient embodies self-reflection, stoicism, perseverance, and forgiveness as they work unflinchingly toface the truth. Gildiner's account of her journeys with them is moving, insightful, and sometimes very funny. Good Morning Monster offers an almost novelistic, behind-the-scenes look into the therapist's office, illustrating how the process can heal eventhe most unimaginable wounds"-- Provided by publisher.

Can't Hurt Me
Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Published in 2018
For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare -- poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events. In this book, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40% of our capabilities. Goggins calls this The 40% Rule, and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential.



She's Still There
Rescuing the Girl in You
Published in 2017
"What do you do when your life is not turning out the way you thought it would? In [this book, the author] shares poignant personal stories as she offers an outstretched hand and the assurance that you can still be the woman God gifted you to be."--Publisher website.

The Confidence Code for Girls
Taking Risks, Messing Up, & Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect Totally Powerful Self
Published in 2018
Offers inspiration and practical advice to encourage girls to take risks, have big adventures, and challenge themselves in ways they never imagined.

On the Road
Published in 2003
Follows the counterculture escapades of members of the Beat generation as they seek pleasure and meaning while traveling coast to coast. As he travels across 1950s America, aspiring writer Sal Paradise chronicles his escapades with the charismatic Dean Moriarty. Sal admires Dean's passion for experiencing as much as possible of life and his wild flights of poetic fancy.

The Courage to Be Happy
Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day
Published in 2019


Maid
Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
Published in 2019
A journalist describes the years she worked in low-paying domestic work under wealthy employers, contrasting the privileges of the upper-middle class to the realities of the overworked laborers supporting them.

How to Do the Work
Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self
Published in 2021
"From Dr. Nicole LePera, creator of "the holistic psychologist"-the online phenomenon with more than 2M followers on Instagram-comes a revolutionary approach to self-improvement, integrating the tools of various modalities and disciplines with traditionalpsychology to offer a practical program that guides readers to create radical change"-- Provided by publisher.

Make Your Bed
Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World
Published in 2017
"On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better" -- Publisher.

Evolution of Goddess
A Modern Girl's Guide to Activating Your Feminine Superpowers
Published in 2018
Emma Mildon provides a fascinating, fun, and inspiring exploration of female divinity throughout history, myth, and religion to help women understand, embody, and celebrate their inner goddess.

The Man in the Mirror
Solving the 24 Problems Men Face
Published in 2014
"The Man in the Mirror has established itself as a cornerstone in men's literature since its 1989 release. Winner of the prestigious Gold Medallion Award and appearing on the bestseller list eighteen times, it has helped thousands of men understand the person who stares back at them from the glass each morning and know what to do about his twenty-four most difficult problems. Written by a foremost Christian men's leader, this powerful book invites men to take a probing look at their identities, relationships, finances, time, temperament, and most important, the means to bring about lasting change. If life's demands are constantly pressuring you to run faster and jump higher, this book is for you. Rich in anecdotes, thought-provoking questions, biblical insights, and featuring focus questions in each chapter suitable for personal or group use, The Man in the Mirror offers a penetrating, pragmatic, and life-changing look at how to trade the rat race for the rewards of godly manhood"--Publisher's website.

Present over Perfect
Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Published in 2016


The Unseen Body
A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy
Published in 2021
"In this fascinating journey through the human body and across the globe, Dr. Reisman weaves together stories about our insides with a unique perspective on life, culture, and the natural world. Jonathan Reisman, M.D.-a physician, adventure traveler and naturalist-brings readers on an odyssey navigating our insides like an explorer discovering a new world with The Unseen Body. With unique insight, Reisman shows us how understanding mountain watersheds helps to diagnose heart attacks, how the body is made mostly of mucus, not water, and how urine carries within it a tale of humanity's origins. Through his offbeat adventures in healthcare and across the globe, Reisman discovers new perspectives on the body: a trip to the Alaskan Arctic reveals that fat is not the enemy, but the hero; a stint in the Himalayas uncovers the boundary where the brain ends and the mind begins; and eating a sheep's head in Iceland offers a lesson in empathy. By relating rich experiences in far-flung lands and among unique cultures back to the body's inner workings, he shows how our organs live inextricably intertwined lives-an internal ecosystem reflecting the natural world around us. Reisman offers a new and deeply moving perspective, and helps us make sense of our bodies and how they work in a way readers have never before imagined"-- Provided by publisher.

Find Your Unicorn Space
Reclaim Your Creative Life in a Too-busy World
Published in 2021
"From the New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and "the Marie Kondo of relationships" comes an inspirational guide for setting new personal goals, rediscovering your interests, cultivating creativity, and reclaiming your Unicorn Space"-- Provided by publisher.

The Happiness Project, or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
Published in 2009
A thoughtful and prescriptive work on happiness filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm, and humor.


The 5 AM Club
Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life
Published in 2018
"Legendary leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma introduced The 5am Club concept over twenty years ago, based on a revolutionary morning routine that has helped his clients maximize their productivity, activate their best health and bulletproof their serenity in this age of overwhelming complexity."-- (Source of summary not specified)

Clever Girl Finance
Ditch Debt, Save Money, and Build Real Wealth
Published in 2019
"Clever Girl Finance is an intro-level personal finance book for women, written by self-made finance guru Bola Sokunbi. Written in an accessible and entertaining tone, Clever Girl Finance teaches women how to budget, save, invest, and pay off loans. Bola tells her own story, as a self-taught investor who managed to save $100,000 in 3 years on a modest salary, and tells the stories of a few women from the Clever Girl Finance community who have also achieved financial independence"-- Provided by publisher.

Clever Girl Finance
The Side Hustle Guide!
Published in 2021
"Building a side hustle will not only help you increase and diversify your income, but it can accelerate achieving your financial goals . . . if you build it the RIGHT WAY. This book will target women, specifically women of color who are interested in leveraging a side hustle business to increase their income in order to build wealth. It will cover establishing a vision, developing the right mindset, and building the core foundational aspects of what it takes to run a successful business and how to make time, develop the patience, and build a side hustle strategically while minimizing common mistakes. The reader will be guided through each step of building a side hustle and engaged with action steps they can take immediately to start making progress on their vision. Clever Girl Finance: The Side Hustle Guide will also include worksheets (business finance budgets etc.) as digital resources to support the content/take action sections in the book. In this book, you'll learn how to: Build up the confidence, get past your fears, and establish your focus around building the side hustle of your dreams Establish a solid foundation for your business, even if you have no prior experience. Create a solid plan to brand, market and grow a side hustle that you and your customers will love Layout a financial plan for your business and to build long term wealth for yourself Fine tune your business strategy based on the success stories of other successful "clever girl business owners."-- Provided by publisher.

Men Explain Things to Me
Published in 2014
"Despite years of feminism and such activist groups as Women Strike for Peace, much of the female population in the world is often powerless, forced to remain voiceless and subjugated to acts of extreme violence in the home, on school campuses and anywhere men deem they should dominate. "Rape and other acts of violence, up to and including murder, as well as threats of violence, constitute the barrage some men lay down as they attempt to control some women," she writes, "and fear of that violence limits most women in ways they've gotten so used to they hardly notice--and we hardly address." The few women who do stand up and shout to the world are the exception, not the rule, and Solnit provides a platform and a voice for them and the thousands who are too overwhelmed by fear and guilt to speak up. Solnit's thought-provoking essays illuminate the discrepancies in modern society, a society in which female students are told to stay indoors after dark due to the fact that one man is a rapist, as opposed to an alternate world in which male students are told not to attack females in the first place. Same-sex marriage, Virginia Woolf, the patrilineal offspring of the Bible and los desaparecidos of Argentina are artfully woven into the author's underlying message that women have come a long way on the road to equality but have further to go. Sharp narratives that illuminate and challenge the status quo of women's roles in the world. Slim in scope, but yet another good book by Solnit." -- Kirkus reviews

Yoke
My Yoga of Self-acceptance
Published in 2021
"Remember Jessamyn Stanley? How could you not? She's the proudly fat, Black, queer yoga teacher and charismatic author of Every Body Yoga, who drops a lot more f-bombs than namastes and refuses to pray at the church of Lululemon. Now she's back, here to take us even further on a personal and provocative journey into what it means to "practice yoga." Where Every Body Yoga, with 59,000 copies in print, taught us how to do yoga, Yoke tells us why. In Yoke, which draws its name from a literal translation of the Sanskrit root "yuj," from which the word "yoga" derives, Jessamyn writes about what she calls the yoga of the everyday-a yoga that is not just about poses but about applying the hard lessons we learn on the mat to the even harder daily project of living. This yoga of the everyday is about finding within life's toughest moments the same flexibility, strength, grounding energy, and core awareness found in a headstand or Tadasana or cobra pose. In a series of deeply honest, funny, gritty, thoughtful, and largely autobiographical essays, Yoke explores issues of self-love, body-positivity, race, sex and sexuality, cannabis, and more, all through the lens of an authentic yoga practice. Every reader is invited to find this authentic spirit of yoga in their own lives and practice. To yoke"-- Provided by publisher.

Salvaje
Published in 2013
A powerful, blazingly honest, inspiring memoir: the story of a 1,100 mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again.


The Courage to Be Creative
How to Believe in Yourself, Your Dreams and Ideas, and Your Creative Career Path
Published in 2016
"You were born creative, because you are the creation of the Creator, as we all are. If you don't feel creative or your creative pursuits haven't worked out, Doreen Virtue's newest book can help. Doreen, the author of more than 50 best-selling books, shows you how to gain 10 forms of courage that lead to creativity, including the courage to be yourself. Each chapter features practical exercises to lead readers to discover their natural talents as writers or artists and in other creative vocations or avocations. Doreen also includes summaries of fascinating psychological studies that demonstrate how to become a successful and satisfied creative individual. Filled with practical advice, scientific research on the creative process, and real-life stories, The Courage to Be Creative is a mainstream book with an inspirational flavor"-- Provided by publisher.

More Than Enough
Claiming Space for Who You Are (no Matter What They Say)
Published in 2019
"In this part-manifesto, part-memoir, the revolutionary editor who infused social consciousness into the pages of Teen Vogue explores what it means to come into your own--on your own terms Throughout her life, Elaine Welteroth has climbed the ranks of media and fashion, shattering ceilings along the way. In this riveting and timely memoir, the groundbreaking journalist unpacks lessons on race, identity, and success through her own journey, from navigating her way as the unstoppable child of a unlikely interracial marriage in small-town California to finding herself on the frontlines of a modern movement for the next generation of change makers. Welteroth moves beyond the headlines and highlight reels to share the profound lessons and struggles of being a barrier-breaker across so many intersections. As a young boss and the only black woman in the room, she's had enough of the world telling her--and all women--they're not enough. As she learns to rely on herself by looking both inward and upward, we're ultimately reminded that we're more than enough"-- Provided by publisher.

The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom
Build Wealth, Retire Early, and Live the Life of Your Dreams
Published in 2021
"In The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom, Paris Woods takes the guesswork out of wealth-building and presents a plan that anyone can follow. Paris spent years working in education and wanted to find a way to build wealth without changing careers or taking the traditional real estate or business routes. This book is the result of years of research and practice that helped her find a simpler path. Through real-life stories coupled with clear and actionable advice, you will learn to: build generational wealth, avoid common financial traps, earn your next degree debt-free, achieve financial independence and retire early, design a dream life you can start living today. This book is perfect for Black women of any age, including young professionals just starting to set financial goals and mid-career women who are tired of following the same old rules and are ready to live life on their own terms. If freedom is your goal, then this is the book for you." -- Back cover.