Here are 100 books that Sensitive Is the New Strong fans have personally recommended if you like Sensitive Is the New Strong. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Become The Most Important Person in the Room: Your 30-Day Plan for Empath Empowerment

Sydney Campos Author Of The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything

From my list on for empaths and highly sensitive people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I always sensed I was from another planet, here to help create a new world by nature of my heightened sensitivity and ability to perceive beneath the surface of our supposed reality. After decades of struggling and nearly dying through addiction to mute my sensitivity, my healing path led me to see how being an empath is the greatest gift, once we learn to take care of ourselves and refine our abilities. My book The Empath Experience is the guide I wish I had when I was born, that tells my story and guides life-changing practices to master your energy and harness your empathic gifts as the superpowers they are.

Sydney's book list on for empaths and highly sensitive people

Sydney Campos Why Sydney loves this book

This book changed my life when one of my first holistic healers/life coaches I ever worked with recommended it to me. The practices blew me away and helped me to start cultivating an awareness of my sensitivities and subtle energetic perceptions. I can’t recommend this enough especially for someone just starting out on their path of empath empowerment. The simplicity in exercises is incredible – reminds me that the most simple practices can lead to the most potent transformation.

By Rose Rosetree ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Become The Most Important Person in the Room as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Become" was written from 2005-2009: Seriously outdated, by now, according to the author, Rose. So she has brought it up-to-date, made the book more helpful than ever. Please, get the newer book, published in 2018 as "Empath Empowerment in 30 Days." The ISBN is 978-1-935214-46-5.


If you love Sensitive Is the New Strong...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Book cover of The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People

Laura Palmer Author Of Celebrating Sensitives

From my list on highly sensitive persons HSP.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Once I began to learn more and more about the character trait, I began to understand myself better and, as a result, felt better. I absolutely love supporting other Highly Sensitive Persons on their journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It is the one place I feel useful and impactful. I love being an HSP now. And I am passionate about helping other HSPs to embrace themselves, too. HSPs are wonderful and can be delicate, but can also be hugely impactful to our world/environment simply by being our loving selves. It is an honor to watch that self-knowledge unfold in others.

Laura's book list on highly sensitive persons HSP

Laura Palmer Why Laura loves this book

I loved this book because it helped me delve further into being a Highly Sensitive Person. The reason I loved this book so much is that it describes and explains the Sensitive in a different way. Dr. Orloff explains the Sensitive/Empath in a more energetic way, on a “higher” level.

This helped me understand an even bigger part of myself as a Sensitive. Dr. Orloff’s book offers quizzes that helped me identify whether I was an empath and what kind of empath I was. She offers insight with little tips and techniques sprinkled throughout the book, which I have found to be quite helpful.

By Judith Orloff ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Empath's Survival Guide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What is the difference between having empathy and being an empath? "Having empathy means our heart goes out to another person in joy or pain," says Judith Orloff, MD. "But for empaths it goes much further. We actually feel others' emotions, energy, and physical symptoms in our own bodies, without the usual defenses that most people have." With The Empath's Survival Guide, Dr. Orloff offers a practical tool set to help sensitive people develop healthy coping mechanisms in our high-stimulus world-while fully embracing the empath's gifts of intuition, compassion, creativity, and spiritual connection.

This practical, empowering, and loving book was…


Book cover of The Intuitive Way: The Definitive Guide to Increasing Your Awareness

Sydney Campos Author Of The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything

From my list on for empaths and highly sensitive people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I always sensed I was from another planet, here to help create a new world by nature of my heightened sensitivity and ability to perceive beneath the surface of our supposed reality. After decades of struggling and nearly dying through addiction to mute my sensitivity, my healing path led me to see how being an empath is the greatest gift, once we learn to take care of ourselves and refine our abilities. My book The Empath Experience is the guide I wish I had when I was born, that tells my story and guides life-changing practices to master your energy and harness your empathic gifts as the superpowers they are.

Sydney's book list on for empaths and highly sensitive people

Sydney Campos Why Sydney loves this book

This is one of my favorite books for learning about how to utilize your intuitive gifts. The way it’s written is so beautiful: in a friendly tone where it feels like you’re speaking with an old friend. It includes great practices for awakening your intuitive abilities and working with your empathic gifts as well which naturally give way to intuitive prowess.

By Penney Peirce ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A renowned intuitive and visionary shows you how to know what you need to know just when you need to know it.

Intuition is not a rare gift that only a gifted few possess but an innate human capacity that can be enhanced and developed. Synthesizing insights from psychology, East- West philosophy, religion, metaphysics, and business, this hands-on workbook in the tradition of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, can teach anyone to achieve a heightened state of perceptual vitality and integrate it into daily life. Intuition, writes Penney Peirce, is “not the opposite of logic,” but rather “a comprehensive way…


If you love Anita Moorjani...

Book cover of Chilled to the Bone

Chilled to the Bone by B.D. Lawrence,

Jake Sledge, a rugged ex-cop turned private eye, teams up with his colossal partner Bobo to navigate the gritty streets of River City.

A murdered lawyer drags them into a web of political intrigue, neo-Nazi thugs, and bloody showdowns. With sharp wit and hard-hitting action, Jake tackles scumbags the only…

Book cover of Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing

Sydney Campos Author Of The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything

From my list on for empaths and highly sensitive people.

Why am I passionate about this?

I always sensed I was from another planet, here to help create a new world by nature of my heightened sensitivity and ability to perceive beneath the surface of our supposed reality. After decades of struggling and nearly dying through addiction to mute my sensitivity, my healing path led me to see how being an empath is the greatest gift, once we learn to take care of ourselves and refine our abilities. My book The Empath Experience is the guide I wish I had when I was born, that tells my story and guides life-changing practices to master your energy and harness your empathic gifts as the superpowers they are.

Sydney's book list on for empaths and highly sensitive people

Sydney Campos Why Sydney loves this book

This book is so genius in its ability to straddle so many different dimensions of experience – from science to medicine to intuition to energy healing and everything in between. I love Carolyn Myss as a great example of what’s possible in bridging worlds – her story of bringing medical intuition into more mass consciousness is brilliant and endlessly inspiring. This book helped me to affirm what I was already sensing as an energy healer – that all dis-ease and pain is rooted in an underlying spiritual or energetic issue. This book provides great precedents for how we can truly heal and recover from seemingly hopeless ailments by actually getting to the root of our supposed problems and meeting them with love, grace, and acceptance.

By Caroline Myss ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Encoded within your body, teaches Caroline Myss, is an energy system linking you directly to the world's great spiritual traditions. Through it, you have direct access to the divine energy that seamlessly connects all life. On Anatomy of the Spirit, Myss offers a stunning picture of the human body's hidden energetic structures, while revealing its precise spiritual code and relationship to the sacred energy of creation.

Our most revered wisdom traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism, hold in common essential teachings about seven specific levels of spiritual development, the stages of power in life. These seven great truths also grace…


Book cover of Faith's Reckoning

Susan S. Scott Author Of Healing with Nature

From my list on inspiring resilience in the face of adversity.

Why am I passionate about this?

Whether I read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or prose, I especially love books by authors whose voices resonate with authenticity and originality, and who write imaginative page-turners about characters who change and grow personally, regardless of the difficulties they face in life. When their changes lead to creating conducive conditions for others to thrive, I feel gratified and inspired by them. As a practicing psychotherapist and writer I have devoted my career to supporting people in discovering and nurturing the creative sparks within themselves. My PhD in psychology and Post-Doctoral studies, presentations, and publications over the past 45 years have focused on the healing aspect of the creative process.  

Susan's book list on inspiring resilience in the face of adversity

Susan S. Scott Why Susan loves this book

Barbara Small’s novel is about the interwoven lives of a Black family and a White family facing the challenges of surviving while raising their children in the Jim Crow South during the Great Depression.

The vivid language and sense details of Faith’s Reckoning transported me completely into the very different worlds the characters experienced in this riveting page-turner. What I loved most was how they transformed their suffering into a desire to improve the worlds they inhabited, not only for themselves but also others. The personal reckonings they made by changing their lives evoked a depth of empathy that has changed me.

These characters continue to stay in my heart, and like friends I cherish them still. In fact, I hope to see a sequel and a movie one day!

Book cover of Maggie and the Goodbye Gift

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a believer that kids can be creative, powerful problem-solvers–for themselves but also as mediators in their schools. I’ve been a school mediation trainer for over 30 years and know that learning someone else’s story brings empathy, understanding, and caring, and solutions can be found. I love delightful picture books that make this truth come alive for kids and adults alike, and I use them in trainings and just for my own inspiration and joy. I’ve also written YA (for all ages), including the novel Encounter: When Religions Become Classmates–From Oregon to India and Back. I want to make ripples for good in our world.

Kathy's book list on picture books that delight and inspire kids to friendship, empathy, and creative problem-solving

Kathy Beckwith Why Kathy loves this book

I love being “caught” by great truths in the shape of precious, funny picture books. And this is one that did just that!

We all get that strangers are scary and probably not friendly and probably not nice and probably.. and probably... Well, I didn’t know how Maggie could possibly change the situation for her family, but she sure did.

I laughed and was so glad that I had discovered this book! It was written in 1979 and is so worth the search to find! 

By Sue Milord , Jerry Milord ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Maggie and the Goodbye Gift as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After moving, Maggie and her family are lonely until she discovers how to use the goodbye gift


If you love Sensitive Is the New Strong...

Book cover of The Woman and Her Stars

The Woman and Her Stars by Penny Haw,

Caroline Herschel has always lived in the shadows. Beholden to her wildly popular older brother, William, who rescued her from servitude, she's worked hard to build a life for herself – one where she can go unnoticed and repay the debt she believes she owes him. But when her brother…

Book cover of The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society

Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson Author Of The Inner Level: How More Equal Societies Reduce Stress, Restore Sanity and Improve Everyone's Well-Being

From my list on busting common myths about our human nature.

Why are we passionate about this?

We are social epidemiologists trying to understand how the societies we live in affect our health. Together, we try to communicate our scientific research to politicians and policy-makers, but even more importantly to everyone who is curious about how our worlds shape our wellbeing and who want to work together for positive change.  We co-founded a UK charity, The Equality Trust, to build a social movement for a more equal society, and we are Global Ambassadors for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, an international collaboration of organisations and individuals working to transform economic systems.

Kate's book list on busting common myths about our human nature

Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson Why Kate loves this book

Often, when we talk to people about the need for more egalitarian societies, we get push back. 

People say, “Oh, there will always be inequality because humans are only interested in their own survival and their own interests, they will always be out for themselves – you can’t fight human nature."

Primatologist Frans de Waal turns that argument on its head, showing the survival value of empathy, cooperation, and a sense of fairness for animals and humans alike.

By Franz de Waal ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

'Kindness and co-operation have played a crucial role in raising humans to the top of the evolutionary tree ... We have thrived on the milk of human kindness.' Observer

BY THE AUTHOR OF ARE WE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW SMART ANIMALS ARE?

'There is a widely-held assumption that humans are hard-wired for relentless and ruthless competition ... Frans de Waal sees nature differently - as a biological legacy in which empathy, not mere self-interest, is shared by humans, bonobos and animals.' Ben Macintyre, The Times

Empathy holds us together. That we are hardwired to be altruistic is the result…


Book cover of The Rabbit Listened

Naomi Shulman Author Of Be Kind: You Can Make the World a Happier Place! 125 Kind Things to Say & Do

From my list on raising kind kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a little bit obsessed with children’s books. I have an extensive personal library of books from my own childhood as well as my kids'. I’m also a person who has become increasingly, shall we say, concerned about the deepening of the culture wars in our society and the ways in which children’s libraries end up being the battleground for those wars. Children’s books matter; if they didn’t, no one would be trying to censor them. And I’d argue that children’s books about ethics and morality might matter even more than most. The five books I’ve recommended here are, in my opinion, truly among the best. 

Naomi's book list on raising kind kids

Naomi Shulman Why Naomi loves this book

One of the key elements of being kind, maybe the key element, is simply being present in hard moments.

That’s what this book is about. When the child in this book is going through something difficult, the other animals do their best to help him feel better, but only Rabbit gets it right—and all Rabbit does is listen. It’s a profound message, one that grownups need as much as kids.

By Cori Doerrfeld ,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Rabbit Listened as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With its spare, poignant text and irresistibly sweet illustrations, The Rabbit Listened is a tender meditation on loss. When something terrible happens, Taylor doesn't know where to turn. All the animals are sure they have the answer. The chicken wants to talk it out, but Taylor doesn't feel like chatting. The bear thinks Taylor should get angry, but that's not quite right either. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to process this loss, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives. All the rabbit does is listen, which is just what Taylor needs. Whether…


Book cover of The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter

Sunny Weber Author Of Beyond Flight or Fight: A Compassionate Guide for Working with Fearful Dogs

From my list on building relationships with fearful dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have over 30 years in animal welfare advocacy and have rehabilitated then re-homed hundreds of dogs, cats and horses. As a professional humane educator, I consult with animal welfare professionals as well as adopters and have developed educational programs for all ages regarding the need for compassion and care of domestic and wild animals. I write books, blogs, and articles that fit into my missions of: 1) saving more animal lives by educating the people who care for them, and 2) humane education through storytelling. My children’s Pups & Purrs Series spotlights teaching compassion, respect, and tolerance. Each is narrated by its own dog protagonist.

Sunny's book list on building relationships with fearful dogs

Sunny Weber Why Sunny loves this book

I feel that true understanding of animals comes from deep within the human psyche, if only we would allow ourselves to indulge in our own natural instincts and needs. Scientist Marc Becoff’s years of research show that animals have rich emotional lives, like humans, and are not as different as we are taught to believe. He has assisted in the successful social revolution combining science and ethics, resulting in a call for reassessing both how we view animals and how we treat them. Not only do animals feel joy, love, surprise, sadness, fear, anger, and empathy, but they are now known to adhere to rules of fair play, wild justice, and their own types of honor. He emphasizes that real richness in relationships grows out of respect, compassion, and patience, as well as scientific understanding. I feel humane arrogance blocks these virtues, much to our detriment.

By Marc Bekoff ,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Based on award-winning scientist Marc Bekoff’s years studying social communication in a wide range of species, this important book shows that animals have rich emotional lives. Bekoff skillfully blends extraordinary stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with the latest scientific research confirming the existence of emotions that common sense and experience have long implied. Filled with Bekoff’s light humor and touching stories, The Emotional Lives of Animals is a clarion call for reassessing both how we view animals and how we treat them.


If you love Anita Moorjani...

Book cover of Murder, Lies and Chocolate

Murder, Lies and Chocolate by Sally Berneathy,

Book 2, Death by Chocolate series.

Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…

Book cover of The Night I Followed the Dog

Kathleen Doherty Author Of The Thingity-Jig

From my list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.

Kathleen's book list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy

Kathleen Doherty Why Kathleen loves this book

This book inspires happiness and laughter. I used to throw my voice when I read it aloud to students. I’d stop reading halfway through the story and ask students to make a few predictions. Where could the dog be going? Why is he dressed up? Why is he sneaking out of the house at night? What could be going on inside the building?

By Nina Laden ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Night I Followed the Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A story which looks at what dogs do at night when their owners are asleep, featuring a dog who runs a nightclub for stressed dogs. Illustrated in colour by the author.


Book cover of Become The Most Important Person in the Room: Your 30-Day Plan for Empath Empowerment
Book cover of The Empath's Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People
Book cover of The Intuitive Way: The Definitive Guide to Increasing Your Awareness

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