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Psychology » Self Help

Most Recommended Books

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

“What’s interesting about his account, which I found absolutely fascinating, is the way he explores the importance of meaning in life as the key to survival.”

Mary Fulbrook,

Read more

Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard

“So what Seligman did was give us a new approach to life, from a psychologist’s perspective. What Layard did is take happiness issues from an economist’s perspective and say, ‘Come on, if we’re so rich, which we are in the West, how come general happiness has been declining and depression rising? What’s going on? Not at an individual level, but at a country level?’ He synthesises lots of economics and sociology and religion, and psychology, too. And makes it very digestible: it’s presented in short, easy chunks.”

Jessica Pryce-Jones, Psychologist

Read more

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

“We tend to see ourselves as not unlike rats, creatures driven by the short-term reward centres in our brains. But what Gilbert does fantastically well is to argue that, actually, humans are better at long-term thinking than almost any other animal. A chimpanzee may strip off the leaves from a branch to make a tool to poke into a termite hole, but that chimp will never make a dozen of those tools and put them aside for next week. Yet this is exactly what humans do.”

Roman Krznaric, Philosopher

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Browse book recommendations:

Psychology

  • Applied Psychology
  • Autism
  • Child Psychology
  • Mental Health
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  • Self Help
  • Social Psychology

We all want to be the best version of ourselves that we can be: happy, productive, motivated and living a life of meaning. But sometimes we find ourselves in need of guidance. There are many books that can help us in our quest to live as well as we can—as every bookshop's groaning shelves can attest. But which self help books are best?

We've asked dozens of experts to recommend the best books in their field. Some focus upon achievement, and the psychological factors that help us achieve: Angela Duckworth, the bestselling author of Grit, chose the best books on character development, while the renowned author of Mindset, Carol Dweck, chooses her best books on success. Michael Gervais, sports psychologist and coach to Olympians and CEOs alike, spoke to us about high performance psychology.

Others discuss overcoming periods of hardship in our life. For example, the podcaster and author Elizabeth Day chose the best books on coping with failure, while Sophie Ratcliffe selected five of the best books on grief and Robert Kelsey chose the best books on overcoming insecurities. Others spoke about strategies to help you get through periods of stress: Headspace founder Andy Puddicombe spoke about the books that inspired his life as a monk and meditation expert, while Tessa Watt recommends the best books on mindfulness.

One book, Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl is a book recommended time and time again amongst experts in this area. Frankl's account of his struggle to bring meaning to his life in a concentration camp in the Second World War is a deeply moving and inspiring book that offers all of us salutary lessons about the strength and value of having purpose in our lives.

Self help books are a great way to make big improvements in your life. It's never too late to change.

    The Best Self Help Books of 2020, recommended by Oliver Burkeman

  • Read
    The Best Self Help Books of 2020 - The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder by Richard Rohr

    1

    The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
    by Richard Rohr

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    The Best Self Help Books of 2020 - Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage by Philip Goldberg

    2

    Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Calm, Clarity, and Courage
    by Philip Goldberg

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    The Best Self Help Books of 2020 - How to Be a Failure and Still Live Well: A Philosophy by Beverley Clack

    3

    How to Be a Failure and Still Live Well: A Philosophy
    by Beverley Clack

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    The Best Self Help Books of 2020 - The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century by Adam Davidson

    4

    The Passion Economy: The New Rules for Thriving in the Twenty-First Century
    by Adam Davidson

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    The Best Self Help Books of 2020 - The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work From Home

    5

    The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work From Home

The Best Self Help Books of 2020, recommended by Oliver Burkeman

We asked Oliver Burkeman, the Guardian writer and author of The Antidote, to select the best self help books published in 2020. His recommended titles include spiritual guidance for the age of doomscrolling, a philosophy of failure, and practical advice for those working from home for the first time.

    The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen

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    The best books on Productivity - The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J Levitin

    1

    The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
    by Daniel J Levitin

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    The best books on Productivity - BrainChains: Your Thinking Brain Explained in Simple Terms by Theo Compernolle

    2

    BrainChains: Your Thinking Brain Explained in Simple Terms
    by Theo Compernolle

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    The best books on Productivity - The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

    3

    The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
    by Atul Gawande

  • Read
    The best books on Productivity - The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future by Kevin Kelly

    4

    The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
    by Kevin Kelly

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    The best books on Productivity - The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman

    5

    The Antidote
    by Oliver Burkeman

The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen

If you feel like you lose whole days to procrastination or indecision—or simply have too much to do!—you probably want advice on how improve your productivity. We spoke to David Allen, creator of the perennial bestseller Getting Things Done, about the best books on the subject: why we waste time, and what we can change to be more productive.

    Meditation Books, recommended by Andy Puddicombe

  • Read
    Meditation Books - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki

    1

    Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
    by Shunryu Suzuki

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    Meditation Books - The Life of Milarepa Translated by Lobsang P Lhalungpa

    2

    The Life of Milarepa
    Translated by Lobsang P Lhalungpa

  • Read
    Meditation Books - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa

    3

    Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
    by Chogyam Trungpa

  • Read
    Meditation Books - The Bodhicaryāvatāra by Śāntideva

    4

    The Bodhicaryāvatāra
    by Śāntideva

  • Read
    Meditation Books - One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryōkan by Ryōkan

    5

    One Robe, One Bowl: The Zen Poetry of Ryōkan
    by Ryōkan

Meditation Books, recommended by Andy Puddicombe

Two decades ago Andy Puddicombe was ordained as a Buddhist monk. Now back in lay life, he tries to teach the benefits of meditation to the rest of us—most notably through the Headspace app, but also by writing books. Here he chooses some of the books that inspired him, from Japanese poetry to Tibetan philosophy. Not all are meditation books but they are his “old favorites.”

    The best books on Coping With Failure, recommended by Elizabeth Day

  • Read
    The best books on Coping With Failure - Heartburn by Nora Ephron

    1

    Heartburn
    by Nora Ephron

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    The best books on Coping With Failure - Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister

    2

    Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger
    by Rebecca Traister

  • Read
    The best books on Coping With Failure - The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann

    3

    The Weather in the Streets
    by Rosamond Lehmann

  • Read
    The best books on Coping With Failure - Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

    4

    Educated: A Memoir
    by Tara Westover

  • Read
    The best books on Coping With Failure - Slipstream: A Memoir by Elizabeth Jane Howard

    5

    Slipstream: A Memoir
    by Elizabeth Jane Howard

The best books on Coping With Failure, recommended by Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day, author of How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learnt from Things Going Wrong, explains how the road to success truly is paved with failure—and why we must learn to deal with it better.

    The best books on Character Development, recommended by Angela Duckworth

  • Read
    The best books on Character Development - The Marshmallow Test: Why Self-Control Is the Engine of Success by Walter Mischel

    1

    The Marshmallow Test: Why Self-Control Is the Engine of Success
    by Walter Mischel

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    The best books on Character Development - A Curious Mind: The Secret To a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer

    2

    A Curious Mind: The Secret To a Bigger Life
    by Brian Grazer

  • Read
    The best books on Character Development - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

    3

    Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
    by Carol Dweck

  • Read
    The best books on Character Development - Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World by Mitch Prinstein

    4

    Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World
    by Mitch Prinstein

  • Read
    The best books on Character Development - Path to Purpose by William Damon

    5

    Path to Purpose
    by William Damon

The best books on Character Development, recommended by Angela Duckworth

Can we cultivate qualities like grit, tenacity and kindness? How about habits of the successful—hard work, perseverance and productivity? Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit and founder of the Character Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, recommends five books, including a title that graces every CEO’s shelf.

    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019, recommended by Oliver Burkeman

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019 - Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

    1

    Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
    by Lori Gottlieb

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019 - Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It by David Zahl

    2

    Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It
    by David Zahl

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019 - The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks

    3

    The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life
    by David Brooks

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019 - In Search of Silence by Poorna Bell

    4

    In Search of Silence
    by Poorna Bell

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Books of 2019 - This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom by Martin Hägglund

    5

    This Life: Secular Faith and Spiritual Freedom
    by Martin Hägglund

The Best Self-Help Books of 2019, recommended by Oliver Burkeman

The self-help genre is sometimes dismissed as simplistic or over-earnest. But, at their best, self-help books offer powerful insights into how to live. Oliver Burkeman, the Guardian columnist and author of The Antidote, recommends five of the best self-help books published in 2019.

    The best books on High Performance Psychology, recommended by Michael Gervais

  • Read
    The best books on High Performance Psychology - The Daodejing by Laozi

    1

    The Daodejing
    by Laozi

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    The best books on High Performance Psychology - Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

    2

    Leonardo da Vinci
    by Walter Isaacson

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    The best books on High Performance Psychology - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

    3

    Man's Search for Meaning
    by Viktor Frankl

  • Read
    The best books on High Performance Psychology - Artist of Life by Bruce Lee

    4

    Artist of Life
    by Bruce Lee

  • Read
    The best books on High Performance Psychology - Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence by David Casstevens & Gary Mack

    5

    Mind Gym : An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence
    by David Casstevens & Gary Mack

The best books on High Performance Psychology, recommended by Michael Gervais

To reach your full potential you must put as much effort into building mental resilience as you do into work or training, advises high-performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais. Here, he selects five titles to help you find the right mindset—whether you dream of sporting stardom, artistic achievement or business success.

    The best books on Happiness, recommended by Jonathan Haidt

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    The best books on Happiness - Dhammapada

    1

    Dhammapada

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    The best books on Happiness - Ambition by Gilbert Brim

    2

    Ambition
    by Gilbert Brim

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    The best books on Happiness - Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

    3

    Stumbling on Happiness
    by Daniel Gilbert

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness - The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

    4

    The How of Happiness
    by Sonja Lyubomirsky

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness - Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich

    5

    Dancing in the Streets
    by Barbara Ehrenreich

The best books on Happiness, recommended by Jonathan Haidt

Most of us want to be happy, and yet it’s hard to achieve. Jonathan Haidt, psychologist and author of  the classic The Happiness Hypothesis, talks us through five books, old and new, to better understand happiness.

    The best books on How To Be Happy, recommended by Anthony Seldon

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    The best books on How To Be Happy - The Sovereignty of Good by Iris Murdoch

    1

    The Sovereignty of Good
    by Iris Murdoch

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    The best books on How To Be Happy - Peace is the Way by Deepak Chopra

    2

    Peace is the Way
    by Deepak Chopra

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    The best books on How To Be Happy - The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

    3

    The Case for God
    by Karen Armstrong

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    The best books on How To Be Happy - A Question of Trust by Onora O’Neill

    4

    A Question of Trust
    by Onora O’Neill

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    The best books on How To Be Happy - Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard

    5

    Happiness: Lessons from a New Science
    by Richard Layard

The best books on How To Be Happy, recommended by Anthony Seldon

The contemporary historian and educationalist Antony Seldon discusses his selection of books on how to be happy.

    The best books on Mindfulness, recommended by Tessa Watt

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    The best books on Mindfulness - Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams. Danny Penman

    1

    Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
    by Mark Williams. Danny Penman

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    The best books on Mindfulness - Into the Heart of Mindfulness: Finding Our Path to Well-Being by Ed Halliwell

    2

    Into the Heart of Mindfulness: Finding Our Path to Well-Being
    by Ed Halliwell

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    The best books on Mindfulness - A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled by Ruby Wax

    3

    A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled
    by Ruby Wax

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    The best books on Mindfulness - The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being by Daniel Siegel

    4

    The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
    by Daniel Siegel

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    The best books on Mindfulness - Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness by Chogyam Trungpa

    5

    Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness
    by Chogyam Trungpa

The best books on Mindfulness, recommended by Tessa Watt

In a world where many people feel frazzled by the pace of life, can mindfulness help? What’s the best way of practising it? Or is it just a fad? Philosopher Nigel Warburton talks to mindfulness expert, Tessa Watt, about the best books on mindfulness.

    The best books on Mindset and Success, recommended by Carol Dweck

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    The best books on Mindset and Success - How Children Fail by John Holt

    1

    How Children Fail
    by John Holt

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    The best books on Mindset and Success - The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould

    2

    The Mismeasure of Man
    by Stephen Jay Gould

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    The best books on Mindset and Success - Developing Talent in Young People by Benjamin Bloom

    3

    Developing Talent in Young People
    by Benjamin Bloom

  • Read
    The best books on Mindset and Success - Moneyball by Michael Lewis

    4

    Moneyball
    by Michael Lewis

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    The best books on Mindset and Success - The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge

    5

    The Brain That Changes Itself
    by Norman Doidge

The best books on Mindset and Success, recommended by Carol Dweck

If you’ve stepped inside a school recently, you’ve probably heard teachers talking about the importance of  a ‘growth mindset.’ Here psychologist Carol Dweck, who pioneered research into this key concept, explains what it’s all about and recommends books—other than her own—that shed light on it.

    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities, recommended by Robert Kelsey

  • Read
    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

    1

    Emotional Intelligence
    by Daniel Goleman

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - They F*** You Up by Oliver James

    2

    They F*** You Up
    by Oliver James

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

    3

    Man's Search for Meaning
    by Viktor Frankl

  • Read
    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

    4

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
    by Stephen Covey

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    The best books on Overcoming Insecurities - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson

    5

    Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
    by Richard Carlson

The best books on Overcoming Insecurities, recommended by Robert Kelsey

Most self-help books promise to take you from 0 to 100, but many people reading them are starting at minus 100. The author of What’s Stopping You? picks books that helped him come to grips with his own insecurities.

    The best books on How to Be Happier, recommended by Gretchen Rubin

  • Read
    The best books on How to Be Happier - The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell

    1

    The Life of Samuel Johnson
    by James Boswell

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    The best books on How to Be Happier - The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

    2

    The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
    by Benjamin Franklin

  • Read
    The best books on How to Be Happier - Story of a Soul by Therese de Lisieux

    3

    Story of a Soul
    by Therese de Lisieux

  • Read
    The best books on How to Be Happier - The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

    4

    The Enchanted April
    by Elizabeth von Arnim

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    The best books on How to Be Happier - Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin

    5

    Happy All the Time
    by Laurie Colwin

The best books on How to Be Happier, recommended by Gretchen Rubin

The author who gave us The Happiness Project passes on tips for happier living, with a little help from Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin and a nun with humour on her mind.

    The best books on Minimalism, recommended by Kyle Chayka

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    The best books on Minimalism - In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki

    1

    In Praise of Shadows
    by Junichiro Tanizaki

  • Read
    The best books on Minimalism - Donald Judd Writings by Donald Judd

    2

    Donald Judd Writings
    by Donald Judd

  • Read
    The best books on Minimalism - Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki

    3

    Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
    by Fumio Sasaki

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    The best books on Minimalism - Silence by John Cage

    4

    Silence
    by John Cage

  • Read
    The best books on Minimalism - Agnes Martin: Her Life and Art by Nancy Princenthal

    5

    Agnes Martin: Her Life and Art
    by Nancy Princenthal

The best books on Minimalism, recommended by Kyle Chayka

In times of political or personal turmoil, there’s a tendency to seek solace in stripping back life to its bare essentials. Minimalist thought is threaded through Stoicism and Zen Buddhism; absence and space became major preoccupations of 1960s US art. Kyle Chayka, the art critic and author of The Longing for Less, recommends five books on the philosophy that underpins the present fad for minimalist self-help.

    The best books on Happiness at Work, recommended by Jessica Pryce-Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness at Work - First, Break All the Rules by Jessica Pryce-Jones

    1

    First, Break All the Rules
    by Jessica Pryce-Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness at Work - Authentic Happiness by Martin E P Seligman

    2

    Authentic Happiness
    by Martin E P Seligman

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness at Work - Happiness: Lessons from a New Science by Richard Layard

    3

    Happiness: Lessons from a New Science
    by Richard Layard

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness at Work - Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

    4

    Stumbling on Happiness
    by Daniel Gilbert

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    The best books on Happiness at Work - The No Asshole Rule by Robert I Sutton

    5

    The No Asshole Rule
    by Robert I Sutton

The best books on Happiness at Work, recommended by Jessica Pryce-Jones

The CEO of iOpener, a human asset management consultancy, explains how you can increase happiness and thus productivity in the workplace. She picks five essential reads for bosses and employees.

    The Best Self-Help Novels, recommended by Beth Blum

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Novels - How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

    1

    How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
    by Charles Yu

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Novels - How to Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

    2

    How to Get Filthy Rich In Rising Asia
    by Mohsin Hamid

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Novels - How Should A Person Be? by Sheila Heti

    3

    How Should A Person Be?
    by Sheila Heti

  • Read
    The Best Self-Help Novels - How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis

    4

    How to Be Happy
    by Eleanor Davis

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    The Best Self-Help Novels - How to Be Both by Ali Smith

    5

    How to Be Both
    by Ali Smith

The Best Self-Help Novels, recommended by Beth Blum

Since the publication of Samuel Smiles’ Self-Help (1859) in Victorian Britain, self-help has become a billion dollar industry—and its influence is even felt in the contemporary novel, says Harvard literary scholar Beth Blum, author of The Self-Help Compulsion, a new history of the rise of self-help narratives in modern literature.

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