Book Reviews

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass

📚 I value education, literacy, and communication.

I’m the type of person who loves to hold a paperback in her hand with a cup of hot coffee, a warm blanket, and read to my heart’s content. I read to learn. Learning matters.

Books educate, stimulate, and inspire us to better our world – and can change our lives.

As a reader of diverse subjects, I write book reviews of mostly nonfiction books on various topics I find inspiring, thought-provoking, and educational. These books may or may not endorse my current values or beliefs; nevertheless, I take the time to write a review if I find them worth sharing.

Wondering why reading is important? Read why here: 3 Amazing Ways Reading Improves Your Life

“That’s the thing about books – they let you travel without moving your feet.” – Jhumpa Lahiri

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Enjoy the Book Reviews Below

Fiction

Historical Fiction

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier

The Hard Side of the River: A Novel of Abolition by Johnny Payne

Catching a Witch: A Novel of Loyalty, Deception, and Superstition by Heidi Eljarbo

NonFiction

AI & Technology

If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares

Biography & Memoir

A Hymn For Life: Shame Has To Change Sides by Gisele Pelicot

Father Lacombe – A Young Man’s Freedom by Ken Donahue

Fiesty: A Memoir in Little Pieces by Jean Peelen

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh

Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope by Albert Woodfox

Stolen Girls: Survivors of Boko Haram by Wolfgang Bauer

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson

I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by The Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson

In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Economics & Public Policy

Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

Feminism, Gender Studies & Human Rights

When He Was Anna: A Mom’s Journey Into the Transgender World by Patti Hornsta

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks

Fight Back and Win: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice-And How You Can Win Your Own Battles by Gloria Allred

The War on Choice: The Right Wing Attack on Women’s Rights and How to Fight Back by Gloria Feldt

The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler

Health & Wellness

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Finding Quiet: Four Simple Steps to Peace and Contentment-Without Spending the Rest of Your Life on a Mountaintop by Paul Wilson

Permanent Healing: Quantum Mechanics of Healing by Daniel R. Condron

Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself by Lissa Rankin, M.D.

History

A Brief History of Misogyny: The World’s Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Philosophy & Ethics

A Guide to the Good Life: {the ancient art of stoic joy} by William B. Irvine

Lying by Sam Harris

Politics, Government & Current Affairs

The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order by John Stockwell

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate by Gary J. Byrne

Psychology & Abuse Recovery

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Would Not Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Creativity: Flow and The Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Why Does He Do That: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men by Lundy Bancroft

Stalking the Soul: Emotional Abuse and the Erosion of Identity by Marie-France Hirigoyen

Awakening Intuition by Mona Lisa Schulz

Religion, Spirituality & Atheism

The Four Elements of Change by Heather Ash

The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails, edited by John W. Loftus

The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation-Powerful Truths for Making Life Work by Dan Millman

DEconverted: a journey from religion to reason by Seth Andrews

Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light by Valerie Tarico

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet by Matthew Fox

Woe to the Women the Bible Tells Me So: The Bible, Female Sexuality & the Law by Annie Laurie Gaylor

Hand Wash Cold: care instructions for an ordinary life by Karen Maezen Miller

Science, Nature & Environmentalism

The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption by Dahr Jamail

The Big Tiny: A Build-it-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams

Will We Survive Climate Change? One Last Chance by Len Frenkel

A Coming of Wizards: A Manual of Human Potential by Michael E. Reynolds

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by E. O. Wilson

The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill

Self-Help & Personal Development

Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More, and Be More Productive by Kevin Horsley

You Can’t Cheat Success: How the Little Things That Don’t Seem Important Are the Most Important of All by Tom Corson-Knowles

Get it Done: The 21-Day Mind Hack System to Double Your Productivity and Finish What You Start by Michael Mackintosh

The Courage Map: 13 Principles to Living Boldly by Franziska Iseli

I am Enough: Mark Your Mirror and Change Your Life by Marissa Peer

Heart Thoughts: A Treasury of Inner Wisdom by Louise Hay

The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins

Fearless: 7 Principles of Peace of Mind by Brenda Shoshanna

Finding the Deep River Within: A Woman’s Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in Everyday Life by Abby Seixas

The Motivation Manifesto: 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power by Brendon Burchard

You Can be Happy no Matter What: Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective by Richard Carlson

Refuse to Choose! Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams by Barbara Sher

Social Science & Ethnic Studies

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Creating a World That Works for All by Sharif Abdullah

Propaganda by Edward Bernays

Vegan Health & Lifestyle

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy

Writing & Literature

The Art of Writing: Four Principles For Great Writing That Everyone Needs to Know by Peter Yang

These book reviews are provided for educational and commentary purposes under the Fair Use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107). Any copyrighted material, including book covers or author photos, is used to support critical discussion and does not infringe upon the rights of the copyright holders.

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