Books to Inspire You

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
A luminous American classic, Angelou’s autobiography describes her hardscrabble childhood in a small Southern town steeped in racial prejudice. After being raped at the age of eight, Angelou struggles with the painful aftermath by becoming mute. Slowly, through literature, poetry, and the kindness of others, Angelou finds her own voice again and learns to love herself. A breathtaking story of a young woman’s survival when the odds were all stacked against her.

Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
What would you ask your dying mentor, if you were given one last chance? Mitch Albom reconnected with his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, in the last days of Morrie’s life. Over the course of their weekly Tuesday visits, Morrie left Mitch with lasting lessons on how to live and love. This book is the result of those Tuesdays, an uplifting, endearing tribute to one man’s generosity of spirit and unique outlook on life.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed
You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile, or in this case, 2,663 miles, in their shoes. Wild is the autobiographical story of a twenty-six year old woman’s hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Grieving her mother’s death from cancer and the disintegration of her marriage, Strayed sets out to walk from the Mexican border to Canada, entirely alone. With no wilderness experience or training, she undergoes a grueling physical experience and finds herself along the way.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life, by Cheryl Strayed
In addition to being the bestselling author of Wild, Strayed was once the anonymous columnist Sugar for website The Rumpus. In Tiny Beautiful Things, she collects the best “Dear Sugar” columns for our edification and enlightenment. Her answers, though tinged with humor, are extraordinarily compassionate and insightful. The result is a book that celebrates our vulnerabilities, comforts our innermost sorrows, and asks us all to be a little kinder.

Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
A famed bestseller that was later made into a movie, this is the controversial true story of Chris McCandless. A young college graduate from a well-to-do family, McCandless disposes of his earthly possessions and disappears alone into the Alaskan wild. Four months later, his body is found. How did he die, and why? As Krakauer delves into McCandless’s death, he also explores the dangerous call of the American wilderness and asks why we risk our lives to respond.

Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of Charles Lindbergh and mother of five, first published Gift from the Sea in 1955.  More than half a century later, it continues to speak to readers everywhere, and its gentle wisdom has withstood the test of time. Full of oceanic symbolism, Gift from the Sea is about finding peace, maintaining individuality, and discovering joy in the many roles and stages that women experience throughout their lives.

To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels and Life Again, by Mary C. Neal
Dr. Mary Neal, orthopedic surgeon, wife and mother, perished in 1999 in a kayaking accident in South America. Trapped underwater for fifteen minutes, Neal died and, miraculously, came back to life. In her memoir, she recounts all that transpired after her death and before her return to life—she tells of her first-hand experience with heaven, describes her spiritual journey, and shares her religious revelations.
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