Friday reflection

Books to inspire

Greetings, you mighty forces.

Last week I asked you to tell me which of the books on your bookshelf inspired you to use your voice, and you responded in droves: THANK YOU! The wise AF Venu Gupta suggested that I share your recommendations back to you, in aggregate, as a way of showing you just the kind of community you’re a part of. Um, yes please! Without further ado, here is your list… I hope you find something to inspire you.

(*Note, the list was getting reallly long so I did some light trimming with an eye to titles that would resonate for the most readers. Many of the omitted books were ones tied to your particular industry or an element of your identity, such as neurodivergence, which I think is cool and makes a world of sense.)

Your queens & their books

You mentioned these more than once

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle

• The Gifts of Imperfection, Dare to Lead, and Rising Strong by Brene Brown

• Becoming and The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

• And one king: A number of you mentioned Adam Grant

Storytelling & creativity

• How to Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

• Your Stories Don't Define You, But How You Tell Them Will bySarah Elkins

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

• Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Melissa Febos

Feminist favorites

• The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off! by Gloria Steinem

• Women & Power by Mary Beard

• Patriarchy Stress Disorder by Valerie Rein

• Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett

• I'm Not Yelling by Elizabeth Leiba

• Ask for It byBabcock and Laschever

Ideas & voices you appreciate

• Bossypants by Tina Fey

• Anything by Anne Lamott

• Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

• Reclaiming Conversation bySherry Turkle

• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership byJim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Klemp

Race & racism

• White Fragility by Robin D’Angelo

• Citizen by Claudia Rankine

Fiction & poetry (& authors & poets)

• Arundhati Roy

• Jane Austen

• Virginia Woolfe

• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

• The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois

Wisdom & spirituality

• Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

• Old Path, White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh

• Standing on the Edge by Joan Halifax

What’s not on this list that absolutely should be?

What does reading this list make you feel about the Mighty Forces community that you’re a part of?

Let us know in the comments!

Amanda