Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better by Woo-Kyoung AhnWhat it is: a thought-provoking exploration of the preconceptions that can cloud our judgement and negatively impact our reasoning skills, with strategies to help readers improve their critical thinking skills.
Topics include: confirmation bias; anecdotal evidence; and perspective-taking techniques.
Why you might like it: Though author Woo-Kyoung Ahn bases her conclusions in comprehensive psychological research, her analysis is accessible, engaging, and full of useful, everyday examples.
Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories that Make Us by Rachel AvivWhat it's about: the importance of our self-perception and the stories we tell ourselves, with a focus on mental health and how current psychiatric frameworks can both help and hinder our sense of who we are.
How it's structured: as a collection of candid, moving profiles of people with mental illness, interspersed with the author's own conclusions based on original research and reporting.
Reviewers say: "A moving, meticulously researched, elegantly constructed work of nonfiction (Kirkus Reviews).
The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired our Minds and Our World by Max FisherWhat it is: a candid and well-researched examination of the effect social media is having on our minds and societies.
Best for: readers curious about the relationship between their individual experiences and the wider structural forces that may play a role in how they think and feel about themselves.
About the author: Pulitzer Prize finalist Max Fisher is a New York Times columnist whose work has also appeared in The Atlantic and the Washington Post.
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends by Marisa G. Franco, PhDWhat it's about: the importance of friendship, how to foster it in our lives, and how learning about attachment styles can help us connect with one another.
Don't miss: the chapter exploring the unique hurdles that marginalized people can face in friendships with privileged people and how set and maintain boundaries.
Reviewers say: Platonic is a "pleasing mix of research, advice, and humor" an a "useful tonic to a key social ailment" (Kirkus Reviews).
Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) by Amy GalloWhat it is: a thought-provoking exploration of workplace conflict -- how it happens, how it affects us, and what we can do about it.
Topics include: common types of difficult coworkers; dealing with an insecure boss; learning to be "the adult in the room."
About the author: Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review who wrote The HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict and hosts the podcast Women at Work.
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky KennedyWhat it's about: how to develop a parenting framework that emphasizes connecting with children over correcting them.
The title: refers to the central argument that parents should aim to view their children as "good inside" when considering their behavior, which sounds obvious but can be difficult to put into practice.
Reviewers say: "Frustrated parents will find this well worth their time" (Publishers Weekly).
It's Not Me, It's You: Break the Blame Cycle, Relationship Better by John Kim and Vanessa BennettWhat it is: an approachable analysis of common obstacles faced by couples in long-term relationships and advice for moving forward together.
Why you might like it: the skillful mix of professional and personal -- authors John Kim and Vanessa Bennett share knowledge gained from their careers as therapists and reflections on their own long-term relationship as they guide readers through topics like communication and parenting.
Don't miss: the "questions to ask yourself" section at the end of each chapter and the "Practice" challenges for how to apply what you've learned.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in A Toxic Culture by Gabor Maté with Daniel MatéWhat it's about: the increase in chronic illness in wealthy countries and the potential connections between trauma and capitalism and these poorer health outcomes.
Topics include: the physiological impact of stress the body; the uptick in mental illness diagnosis in adolescents; how socioeconomic factors like racism can lead to lower life expectancy.
Reviewers say: Myth is a "bold reappraisal" of modern medicine that "has the power to change how readers think about health" (Publishers Weekly).
Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in An Era of Increased Anxiety... by Donna Jackson NakazawaWhat it is: an incisive look at factors that can have a negative impact on girls' mental health and strategies for navigating their formative years.
Why you should read it: although the subject matter is sobering, the engaging and accessible writing style makes reading about such an important topic a little less daunting.
About the author: Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning science journalist whose previous books include The Last Best Cure and Childhood Disrupted.
The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care by Rina RaphaelWhat it's about: the rapid rise of the wellness industry, what it can actually offer, and how to approach it with a critical eye.
Chapters include: "Why the Hell is the Advice Always Yoga?"; "Is My Face Wash Trying to Kill Me?"; and "Gym as Church."
Reviewers say: "This astute and revealing investigation packs a punch" (Publishers Weekly).
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