Here are 91 books that Awakening Your Inner Genius fans have personally recommended if you like Awakening Your Inner Genius. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Free to Choose: A Personal Statement

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Author Of Find Your Meaning in 60 Days

From my list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an IT engineer and a philosopher, I can see that this new world is not going away. My dentist fears for his job, and my daughter says we shouldn't touch AI. My book is about inner work: not watching which way the wave goes, but how we relate to it and stay ourselves. I most want to help those who face it with fear.

Krisztián's book list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Why Krisztián loves this book

The pencil story Milton Friedman tells in this book showed me what human society is capable of: a pencil is made from the work of many people in many countries.

I owned several of his signed books and pamphlets with his notes, and I donated them to the Milton Friedman University to be put on display.

By Milton Friedman , Rose Friedman ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Free to Choose as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Argues that free-market forces work better than government controls for achieving real equality and security, protecting consumers and workers, providing education, and avoiding inflation and unemployment.


If you love Awakening Your Inner Genius...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Author Of Find Your Meaning in 60 Days

From my list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an IT engineer and a philosopher, I can see that this new world is not going away. My dentist fears for his job, and my daughter says we shouldn't touch AI. My book is about inner work: not watching which way the wave goes, but how we relate to it and stay ourselves. I most want to help those who face it with fear.

Krisztián's book list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Why Krisztián loves this book

Few books have shaped the way I think as deeply as this one.

I corresponded with Charlie Munger by post, and that makes this book especially close to my heart. His insights are brilliant, but what I love most is that they are practical.

I do not just admire his mental models; I use them every day. They help me slow down, look at a problem from more than one side, and see my own mistakes more clearly. They have helped me a lot in my life. I keep coming back to these pages, and I recommend this book to everyone.

By Charles T. Munger , Peter D. Kaufman (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Poor Charlie's Almanack as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the legendary vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, lessons in investment strategy, philanthropy, and living a rational and ethical life.

"A timeless classic that will change how you approach life. There is a billion-dollar education inside this book."
-Shane Parrish, founder of Syrus Partners and Farnam Street

"Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up," Charles T. Munger advises in Poor Charlie's Almanack. Originally published in 2005, this compendium of eleven talks delivered by the legendary Berkshire Hathaway vice-chairman between 1986 and 2007 has become a touchstone for a generation of investors and…


Book cover of Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Author Of Find Your Meaning in 60 Days

From my list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an IT engineer and a philosopher, I can see that this new world is not going away. My dentist fears for his job, and my daughter says we shouldn't touch AI. My book is about inner work: not watching which way the wave goes, but how we relate to it and stay ourselves. I most want to help those who face it with fear.

Krisztián's book list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Why Krisztián loves this book

What is invisible is not therefore empty. 

I carry this thought from Chapter 14 with me everywhere. I first came to know it through my friend's translation, and I think that is why the Tao Te Ching feels so personal to me: I did not meet it as a distant classic on a shelf, but as a gift passed from one person to another.

Since then, it has been my measure. When I judge a person, an idea, or a situation, I remind myself that the most important things are often the ones I cannot see. I love how few words Lao Tzu needs to say so much.

By Lao Tzu , Stephen Mitchell (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Tao Te Ching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The bestselling, widely acclaimed translation from Stephen Mitchell

"Mitchell's rendition of the Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. It embodies the virtues its translator credits to the Chinese original: a gemlike lucidity that is radiant with humor, grace, largeheartedness, and deep wisdom." — Huston Smith, author of The Religions of Man

In eighty-one brief chapters, Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit, and teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill…


If you love Sean Patrick...

Book cover of Katie’s Gamble

Katie’s Gamble by Kara O'Neal,

Katie's Gamble is an unexpected, unique story about a young woman who's trying to support her younger siblings by keeping her family's confectionery shop open.

In order to do that, she has to take on her older brother, who's a notorious gambler in Louisiana. Additionally, she has to outsmart Rowdy…

Book cover of The Mediocre Man

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Author Of Find Your Meaning in 60 Days

From my list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an IT engineer and a philosopher, I can see that this new world is not going away. My dentist fears for his job, and my daughter says we shouldn't touch AI. My book is about inner work: not watching which way the wave goes, but how we relate to it and stay ourselves. I most want to help those who face it with fear.

Krisztián's book list on finding meaning when machines can do more of the work

Krisztián Galánthai Fekete Why Krisztián loves this book

Life is not worth living without ideals.

My best friend's grandfather came from a poor family and became one of Mexico's most famous doctors. He read this book and kept knocking on the medical school's door until they started an evening course for working people.

He became Mexico's best hematologist; there are statues of him, and he was president of the Rotary Club. Everyone in Mexican medicine knows this family. I recommend this book to everyone.

By Jose Ingenieros , Carlos Emilio Picone (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Mediocre Man as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The book that made the most powerful impact in my adolescence was “El Hombre Mediocre” (The Mediocre Man), Jose Ingenieros’ most important work. I read it when I was 17 years old, growing up in my Argentina’s Pampas. Upon its completion, and motivated to drink all I could from his rich fountain, I found his published works and made quick progress with all of them as you may as well, once you devour his first page. Jose Ingenieros grew up in Argentina, where he graduated as a physician from the University of Buenos Aires in 1900. He later became a…


Book cover of Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius

Anthony D. Fredericks Author Of From Fizzle to Sizzle: The Hidden Forces Crushing Your Creativity and How You Can Overcome Them

From my list on creativity and imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was the kid who colored outside the lines and marveled at the special effects of monster movies. Yet, as I grew, I became aware of certain “rules” and “expectations” that seemed to limit my innate creativity. When I became a professional educator, I became even more cognizant of how students’ creativity was shut down. I read tons of books on creativity, but soon discovered that no one had ever written a book on the ingrained practices in family life, education, work environments, and personal beliefs that stamped out our natural creativity. Why do so many people consider themselves as “non-creative?” I wanted to find out…and change the equation.

Anthony's book list on creativity and imagination

Anthony D. Fredericks Why Anthony loves this book

Here is another “classic” that should be part of your personal library.

Michalko shares life-changing creative techniques captured from creative “experts” such as Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Pablo Picasso. With easy-to-follow instructions, you too, can lead a more creative life (and change the world) at home and at work.

The author shows you, in exquisite detail, how to alter your thinking or modify your problem-solving abilities to generate tons of new ideas and tons of satisfying solutions to ongoing challenges.

No matter your occupation, this is a book that will generate an array of new and positive ideas.

By Michael Michalko ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cracking Creativity as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the bestselling author of Thinkertoys, this follow up brings innovative creative thinking techniques within reach, giving you the tools to tackle everyday challenges in new ways. 

Internationally renowned business creativity expert, Michael Michalko will show you how creative people think—and how to put their secrets to work for you in business and in your personal life. You don't have to be a genius to solve problems like one. Michalko researched and analyzed hundreds of history's greatest thinkers across disciplines—from Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso—to bring the best of their techniques together and to teach you how to apply…


Book cover of Edison

Sanford D. Greenberg Author Of Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life

From my list on biographies for sheer inspiration.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a man who has led two lives. The first was as a junk dealer’s son from Buffalo, New York, who worked his tail off in school, won a full scholarship to Columbia University in 1958, and began dreaming of entering politics and someday becoming governor of New York State. The second life arrived suddenly during the third semester of my junior year when blindness seemed to rob me of my dreams. It didn’t, and along with dear friends and a loving family, these biographies have played a central role in keeping my dreams alive.

Sanford's book list on biographies for sheer inspiration

Sanford D. Greenberg Why Sanford loves this book

Like Da Vinci, Thomas Edison was possessed of great genius, but the point Edmund Morris drives home so well is that Edison was also indefatigable. The Wizard of Menlo Park worked untold hours on end, often sleeping on a mat on the floor, hard by whatever his current project was. It’s such a simple concept—enormous work can lead to enormous accomplishments—and Morris gives us a living example of one man whose work ethic changed civilization.

By Edmund Morris ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Edison as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris comes a revelatory new biography of Thomas Alva Edison, the most prolific genius in American history.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews

Although Thomas Alva Edison was the most famous American of his time, and remains an international name today, he is mostly remembered only for the gift of universal electric light. His invention of the first practical incandescent lamp 140 years ago so dazzled the world—already reeling from his invention of the phonograph and dozens of other…


If you love Awakening Your Inner Genius...

Book cover of The Delphi Agenda

The Delphi Agenda by Rob Swigart,

Papyrologist Lisa Emmer's world flips when the Sûreté detains her at her Metro station with news of the savage murder of the esteemed Paris historian Dr. Raimond Foix, her friend and mentor in the study of ancient documents.

Horrified, Lisa finds clues at the crime scene left behind for her…

Book cover of Love in Infant Monkeys: Stories

Jess Bowers Author Of Horse Show

From my list on animal lovers who are also history geeks.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a fiction writer and animal studies scholar, I’m always looking for strange historical anecdotes about human/animal relationships and literary works that help me view humanity’s complex historical relationship with our fellow creatures through fresh eyes. As these books show, whenever humans write about animals, we also write about personhood, bodily autonomy, coexistence, partnership, symbiosis, spectacle, sentience, and exploitation—themes perpetually relevant to what it means to be human!

Jess' book list on animal lovers who are also history geeks

Jess Bowers Why Jess loves this book

For me, this book is a master class on using animals to write about humans without losing sight that animals aren’t human at all. It’s also laugh-out-loud hilarious because each story here is based on a real celebrity’s fateful encounter with an animal—and Millet uses a delightfully broad and irreverent definition of “celebrity.”

In this book, Noam Chomsky tries to sell a used gerbil habitat, Sharon Stone’s journalist husband is bitten and infected by a komodo dragon, and Madonna, in her British accent phase, shoots a pheasant badly. Millet’s precise prose satirically skewers our relationship with celebrities and creatures, inviting us to reconsider both.

By Lydia Millet ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Love in Infant Monkeys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Animals and celebrities share unusual relationships in these hilarious satirical stories by an award-winning contemporary writer.

  Lions, Komodo dragons, dogs, monkeys, and pheasants―all have shared spotlights and tabloid headlines with celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Thomas Edison, and David Hasselhoff. Millet hilariously tweaks these unholy communions to run a stake through the heart of our fascination with famous people and pop culture in a wildly inventive collection of stories that “evoke the spectrum of human feeling and also its limits” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review).

  While in so much fiction animals exist as symbols of good and evil or as author…


Book cover of ADHD: A Hunter in a Farmer's World

Amelia Kelley Author Of Powered by ADHD: Strategies and Exercises for Women to Harness Their Untapped Gifts

From my list on get the most out of your ADHD.

Why am I passionate about this?

Inspired both by my marriage to someone with ADHD as well as my own neurodiversity, I have been researching this topic for the last 15 years. As a collegiate athlete and stimulation seeker myself, my doctoral dissertation explored the impact of HIIT exercise on symptom presentation in adults with ADHD, and the results were inspiring. I truly believe that with the right set of tools and supports, those with ADHD can be the driving force behind humanity's many accomplishments. This belief also informs my strength-based counseling approach with those who have ADHD that I am honored to continue working with throughout their own self-empowerment journeys.  

Amelia's book list on get the most out of your ADHD

Amelia Kelley Why Amelia loves this book

I always felt that those with ADHD were not disordered but rather unique brains that sometimes struggled in the current highly stimulating yet sometimes sedentary modern world we live in. When I came across this book, I felt as if all my ideas had been synthesized into one comprehensive and truly revolutionary piece of literature that outlines the biology, history, and research behind why this is correct.

The author lays out why ADHD should not be considered a form of dysfunction or disorder but rather a subset of people who are “hunters in a farmer’s world.”

This book also helped me understand why some vocational tests, academic expectations, and societal norms do not support the unique ADHD brain and why thinking outside the box and asking what the powerful ADHD brain can offer our society has the potential to benefit us all.  

By Thom Hartmann ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked ADHD as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A newly revised and updated edition of the classic guide to reframing our view of ADHD and embracing its benefits

* Explains that people with ADHD are not disordered or dysfunctional, but simply "hunters in a farmer's world"--possessing a unique mental skill set that would have allowed them to thrive in a hunter-gatherer society

* Offers concrete non-drug methods and practices to help hunters--and their parents, teachers, and managers--embrace their differences, nurture creativity, and find success in school, at work, and at home

* Reveals how some of the world's most successful people can be labeled as ADHD hunters, including…


Book cover of The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford

Natascha Biebow Author Of The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

From my list on inventors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to get kids fired up about true stories, using their imaginations and believing in themselves as future innovators, inventors, and creators. Crayola crayons inventor Edwin Binney's story is a fabulous springboard for exploring nature, color and creativity. I love to draw and make stuff just like Binney, so his story resonated with me. The more I researched, the more I admired how he listened to what people needed and looked to nature for inspiration. I am intrigued by the origins of everyday objects. Here are some books that inspired me when I was writing, and that have that fascinating a-ha moment that spurs on innovation.

Natascha's book list on inventors

Natascha Biebow Why Natascha loves this book

We’ve all heard of these two inventors, but I hadn’t heard of the time they met. The title immediately intrigues and hooks in readers – what did Ford and Edison learn from each other? Curiosity was a trait they shared that got them both into heaps of trouble and spurred them on to explore, innovate and create life-changing inventions. But before Henry successfully invented the Ford car, he looked longingly at Edison’s numerous successful inventions. What was the secret of his success? “Keep at it!” – such a simple, empowering tip, one that everyone can find inspiring and encouraging, especially young readers.

By Suzanne Slade , Jennifer Black Reinhardt (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Inventor's Secret as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

* 2017 NSTA Best STEM Book List K-12* * NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 *
Thomas Edison and Henry Ford started off as insatiably curious tinkerers. That curiosity led them to become inventors--with very different results. As Edison invented hit after commercial hit, gaining fame and fortune, Henry struggled to make a single invention (an affordable car) work. Witnessing Thomas's glorious career from afar, a frustrated Henry wondered about the secret to his success.

This little-known story is a fresh, kid-friendly way to show how Thomas Edison and Henry Ford grew up to be the most famous…


If you love Sean Patrick...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies

Chris Yogerst Author Of The Warner Brothers

From my list on bringing Hollywood history to life in the present.

Why am I passionate about this?

I fell in love with Hollywood’s Golden Age when I first watched Psycho. From there, every new film and book from or about the era has been a journey into Hollywood’s history. I got into higher education and writing because I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned with others as much as I enjoy the learning process itself. What interests me most about Hollywood history is how the industry has interacted with American and global history. Hollywood has always had either a front-row seat or a seat at the table of history in the making. Not always on the right side of history, but always fascinating. 

Chris' book list on bringing Hollywood history to life in the present

Chris Yogerst Why Chris loves this book

This book was my first foray into social and political history of Hollywood.

Sklar covers early film industry battles with Thomas Edison, the impact of censorship in Hollywood, the monopoly-like integration of the studios, and the overarching mythology that Hollywood sold through their movies.

I read it as an undergraduate when I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Looking back as an author and professor, I can see this book as planting seeds that continue to blossom through my own work in the classroom as well as in books and articles that I publish. 

By Robert Sklar ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Movie-Made America as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Hailed as the definitive work upon its original publication in 1975 and now extensively revised and updated by the author, this vastly absorbing and richly illustrated book examines film as an art form, technological innovation, big business, and shaper of American values.
Ever since Edison's peep shows first captivated urban audiences, film has had a revolutionary impact on American society, transforming culture from the bottom up, radically revising attitudes toward pleasure and sexuality, and at the same time, cementing the myth of the American dream. No book has measured film's impact more clearly or comprehensively than Movie-Made America.
This vastly…


Book cover of Free to Choose: A Personal Statement
Book cover of Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
Book cover of Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

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