4.15 avg rating — 142,040 ratings

"There are two ways to help people in this world: 1) give them specific, tangible advice on what they should do to fix their problems, and 2) normalize their suffering to simply remind them that they are not as alone or as hopeless as they think they are.

Strayed’s work here is light on the first and heavy on the second. But she’s an expert at the second. In fact, her book is probably the best example I’ve ever seen of the, “Hey, sometimes life is shit; let’s talk about it” variety.

Often what we need the most is not more “tools” and “tips” to get through our hardest hours. What we need is someone who simply understands our pain, and is able to clearly and beautifully articulate that it will one day be OK again."

4.40 avg rating — 367,884 ratings

"As an upper-middle class white boy from the suburbs who pretty much always thought he had the whole racism thing figured out from an early age (cheat sheet: don’t be mean to black or brown people; don’t use “n-word;” rinse and repeat), this book changed my mind about a lot of things. It also showed how horribly naïve I was to how a large percentage of people in my country live.

Coates’ writing is all at once beautiful, political, personal, historical and urgent. But unlike his columns at The Atlantic, here he has no clear thesis. There’s not some overarching political argument here. Rather, it’s a stark and unflinching reflection on both his life as a black man and the state of race-relations in the US. Although less directed, this ends up feeling far more powerful. It was what books were made for: an opportunity to inhabit, albeit briefly, the mind and experiences of another person, and to exercise our muscle to expand our empathy."

4.08 avg rating — 71,621 ratings

"It will (hopefully) humble you. It will expose you to how much you don’t know. It will show you that many of the greatest qualities you assume about yourself are likely deluded or, at best, the result of a streak of luck. This is a good thing, as you’ll be less up your own ass and more comfortable with failure as a result."

4.13 avg rating — 88,878 ratings

" It’s a classically-driven, philosophically-minded argument against self-absorption and entitlement. It’s the manual for mastering your own mind and coming to terms with your ego without indulging in all the pseudo-spiritual bullshit of other books. It’s a no-nonsense book about your relationship with yourself, and how you should probably cool it and keep your pants on a bit more often.

(Well, actually, you can keep the pants off if you’d like… you know, if you’re into that sort of thing.)"

4.17 avg rating — 591,991 ratings

"You’ll realize the dozens of ways your brain sucks. You’ll be a little bit less sure of yourself, a little bit more aware of your own biases and mental flubs, a little more skeptical of all the bullshit being shoveled your way.

That and you’ll hopefully be better at managing your money, second-guessing many of your assumptions, and maybe not being such a pious dick all the time."

3.86 avg rating — 1,418,317 ratings

"You will probably still be a horrible person afterward. But hey, I tried."