These are some of the books that I currently have on my bookshelves. I have read them all, and the reason they are on this list and why I have kept them is because I have gotten something from them. Some books I have really struggled to read. Others I have read in a day. Some books I hate that the information in them is true. Other books I have absorbed with gratefulness and return to them often.
But they have all changed my thinking, and for that I am grateful.
Advocacy
Carry on, Warrior: The power of embracing your messy, beautiful life by Glennon Doyle
Our Time is Now by Stacey Abrams
Influencer: The power to change anything by Kerry Patterson, Josephy Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Invisible Influence: The hidden forces that shape behavior by Jonah Berger
How to be an Inclusive Leader: The role in creating cultures of belonging where everyone can thrive by Jennifer Brown
The Storyteller’s Secret: Why some ideas catch on and others don’t by Carmine Gallo
Your Next Five Moves: Master the art of business strategy by Patrick Bet-David
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers
Your Silence will Not Protect you by Audre Lorde
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind by Jonah Berger
Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things: by Adam Grant
Surrounded by Idiots: The four types of human behavior and how to effectively communicate with each in business (and in Life) by Thomas Erikson
The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference by Malcom Gladwell
David and Goliath: Underdogs, misfits, and the art of battling giants by Malcom Gladwell
Weathering: The extraordinary stress of ordinary life in an unjust society by Arline T. Geronimus
5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life: Identify and Dealing with Narcissist, Sociopaths, and Other High-Conflict Personalities by Bill Eddy
Trauma & Healing
The Strength in Our Scars by Bianca Sparacino
This is How you Heal by Brianna Wiest
The Mountain is You: Transforming self-sabotage into self-mastery by Brianna Wiest
A Gentle Reminder by Bianca Sparacino
This was Meant to Find You When you Needed it Most by Charlotte Freeman
The Life That’s Waiting by Brianna Wiest
101 Essays that will Change the way You Think by Brianna Wiest
The Practice of Healing by Chris Bharnes
The Human Element by Brianna Wiest
Ceremony by Brianna Wiest
The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest
How to Suffer Well by Peter Hollins
Let that Shit Go by Nina Purewal and Kate Petriw
Hurry Up and Meditate: Your starter kit for inner peace and better health by David Michie
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk
Master Your Emotions: A practical guide to overcome negativity and better manage your feelings by Thibaut Meurisse
Anchored: How to befriend your nervous system using polyvagal theory by Deb Dana
Molecules of Emotion: Why you feel the way you feel by Candace B. Pert
Forgiving What you Can’t Forget: Discover how to move on, make peace with painful memories, and create a life that’s beautiful again by Lysa Terkeurst
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine
The Joy of Solitude: How to reconnect with yourself in an overconnected world by Robert J. Coplan
ACT Made Simple: An easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy by Russ Harriss
Managing Transitions: Making the most of change by William Bridges
Mental Framework
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A counterintuitive approach to living a good life by Mark Manson
Wise as Fuck: Simple truths to guide you through the shitstorms of life by Gary John Bishop
Everything is #@%!ED: A book about hope by Mark Manson
You do You: How to be who you are and use what you’ve got to get what you want. A No F*cks given guide by Sarah Knight
The Gift of Not Belonging by Rami Kaminski
Say Yes to Life: In spite of everything by Viktor E. Frankl
Disability
Normal Sucks: How to live, learn and thrive, outside the lines by Jonathan Mooney
Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic Edited by Marcia Brissett-Bailey
The Canary Code: A guide to neurodiversity, dignity and intersectional belonging at work by Ludmila N. Praslova
Unlearning Ableism By Celia Chartres-Artis and Jamie Shields
Visual Thinking: The hidden gifts of people who think in pictures, patterns and abstractions by Temple Grandin
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, illness & heaing in a toxic culture by Gabor Mate
Disability Visibility: First person stories from the twenty-first century Edited by Alice Wong
Brillian Imperfection: Grappling with cure by Eli Clare
Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Voice Unearthed: Hope, help and wake-up-call for the parents of children who stutter by Doreen Lenz Holte
Extra Focus: The quick start guide to adult ADHD by Jesse J. Anderson
Boldly Belong: The power of being you in a disabling society by Julie Harris
Biography
My Life is Art: 11 pillars for a positive and purposeful life by Emmanuel Jal
I am Malala: The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Haben: The Deafblind woman who conquered Harvard law by Haben Girma
Being Heumann: An unrepentant memoir of a disability rights activist by Judith Heumann
Unbroken: A fight for survival, hope, and justice for Indigenous women and girls by Angela Sterritt
Fire Under the Snow by Palden Gyatso
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr Edited by Clayborn Carson
Law & Policy
The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, argue and win by Joel P. Trachtman
Policy Paradox: The art of political decision making by Deborah Stone
Education Law in Canada: A guide for Teachers and Administrators Edited by David C. Young
Systemic Change
Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows
Lead from the Outside: How to build your future and make real change by Stacy Abrams
Let’s Move the Needle: An activism handbook for artists, crafters, creatives and makers by Shannon Downey
Theories of Small Group Development by Raye Kass
Managing Dynamic Groups by Hedley G Dimock and Irene Devine
How to Observe Your Group by Hedley G. Dimock
Questions that Work: A resource for facilitators by Dorthy Strachan
In Mixed Company: Small group communication by J. Dan Rothwell
Power and Control
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
The Daily Laws by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene
Criminalization of Disability
Disability, Crime and Justice in Canada by Barabara Perry
Disability Injustice: Confronting Criminalization in Canada
Disability Politics & Theory by A.J Withers
Disability Incarcerated: Imprisonment and Disability in the United States and Canada by Liat Ben-Moshe, Chris Chapman, and Allison C. Carey
Education and Disability
Disabling the School-To-Prison Pipeline: The Relationship between special education and arrest by Laura Vernikoff
Dumbing us Down: The hidden curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League students with LD and ADHD Give you the Tools for Academic Success and Education Revolution by Jonathan Mooney
Reconceptualizing Disability in Education by Luigi Iannacci