Ryan Holiday Picks 20 Books to Help You Live Better in 2020
A reading list that’s all about what really matters
2020 is already looking rough. On top of all the ordinary stresses that come with 12 months of life on Earth, we’re in a divisive election year, one that’s bound to be filled with bitter fights and deepening fears. So how do we get through it?
Especially in difficult times, I think the goal should be to think more clearly, to be provoked less, to be kinder, to see the bigger picture, and to improve at the things that matter to us.
It’s a lot to take on. But we can start by turning to smart people who might know more than us in these areas — people, some alive today and some from thousands of years ago, who have done hard thinking on hard topics and distilled their wisdom into books. Here are 20 of those books — some new, some old — that will help you live better, be better, and meet the goals that matter for 2020.
Plutarch’s Lives by Plutarch
One of the best ways to learn is by studying the lives of successful people: their flaws, their virtues, their strategies, and their failures. One problem with studying people from the modern era, however, is that everyone and everything has been politicized. Winston Churchill, Elon Musk, Michelle Obama — we are too…
