Recommended Books

Want to feel inspired? Here are some books I recommend! Maybe I’ll write one of my own someday.

If you buy a book through the links here, it costs the same but Amazon.com will give a little kickback to keep The Wheel going. Thanks!

		This book is one of the inspirations that led me to start the Wheel Questions project. It’s a story about how hard work and a belief in yourself can get you far. It’s a very easy read. It is not a “kids book” but I think every kid should read it.				This book is a scientific study of happiness and although it is not a self-help book, if you like intellectual topics, it is easy to read and not full of jargon. It shows how people can fool themselves into myths about happiness and is a great wake up call if you feel like you don’t even know how to get to happy in life.				Are you a busy parent who feels overwhelmed? Joan Celebi advises parents on getting organized and feeling on top — especially parents of children with special needs. It’s an excellent pick-me-up book, with workbook examples and lists that take you from just sitting there reading (the problem of so many self-help books) to actually taking back control of your life!
		I get a lot of cards from people who think the future is bleak and the best days are behind us. This book is a survey of living conditions in the 19th century which shows how bad child labor and pollution really was. It is an exceptionally easy read and although it is not a “kids book” I think every child should read it.				Often people who write me don’t really need advice. They just want a big hug. Here’s a book that will cheer you up! I guarantee it. Possibly the most laugh-out-loud book I’ve ever read, and I don’t impress easily. Jerry Seinfeld wrote the introduction.				This is the best of the “feel good” books by Robert Fulghum. It’s a series of anecdotes, and a book I read to my mom when she lay dying in the hospital. Twice. (I ran out of things to say.)
		Dale Carnegie invented the self-help book concept and here are two of his classics. I have read and cherished both.				A great book with an unfortunate title. It has nothing to do with being shallow and fake to become popular. It’s actually perhaps the best book you’ll find on being the person you want to be, and receiving the recognition from others you deserve.				This is the best self-help book I’ve ever read for people who already have motivation. It’s more like a get-ahead book than a get-going book.
		Frank Warren is an artist who asks people to send him postcards with their secrets. It’s the art project that people think of first when they hear about Wheel Questions, Wheel Secrets.				Another PostSecret book. I do love the books, but I can’t help but notice that the people who write Frank Warren are mainly in trouble, and they’re not getting out. It’s like they’re saying “help” and he provides no reply…				…And thus the books are more beautiful than uplifting, in my opinion. Even though they don’t provide much direction they may inspire you nonetheless.
		This is my father’s favorite self-help book. From the 17th century, it reads like something Benjamin Franklin might have written. Not an especially chatty read, but so many clever insights and very compact.				Richard Dawkins is onto something when he tackles the creationist belief that snakes can talk, all the world’s animals fit into an ark, and the world is 5,000 years old. This is clearly the most important book for people who like to make decisions on reality rather than believing something without thinking it through. For that reason I think it’s relevant to the Wheel Questions project.				This thoughtful book is a scientific study of faith-based action rather than reason-based action. It’s much less in-your-face than the Dawkins book, but it’s also far too substantive for light readers. The two books are quite different. Dawkins’ is populist and grounded and Dennett’s is analytical and academic; they touch on different subjects and are both worth a read.