Books That Could Change Your Life

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” — Viktor E. Frankl, MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING

On Monday, April 28, 2025, I quite unexpectedly had an aggressive malignant brain tumor removed from my left frontal lobe. Although this could have been scary, it was a relief as I thought I had dementia.

As I meet with doctors regarding radiation and chemo therapies, I have decided to work on the granular level, as my brother Edward said. To that effect I am rounding up all the “books that could change your life” that I have read for over 40 years (yes, I first read WHEN I SAY NO I FEEL GUILTY in Philadelphia before Mitch and I moved here in the summer of 1980).

I hope that one or more of these books might help you in your work, your personal life, or both. (None of the below links is an affiliate link.) One purpose only: To follow my long-term marketing mantra of “making it as easy as possible for your targeted audience to say yes to you.”         

And, yes, this is a combination of book citation styles — one designed to be the clearest:

CAUTIONARY WARNING: Some of the older medical-related books might not have the most recent information. Thus they should be read with a grain of salt. The same can be said about the use of inappropriate language such as in Twyla Tharp’s book THE CREATIVE HABIT in which she uses a derogatory word for “cheating.” (This may have been corrected in the 2006 edition below.)

And, yes, there will be discrepancies for a book’s publisher/year information. For example, my 1992 co-written Jewish holiday book SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION was originally published by Perigee. When the rights reverted per the contract, co-author Rabbi Karen L. Fox and I self-published the book through BookSurge. The Amazon listing shows BookSurge as the publisher with the date of 2008.

In cases where there is more than one edition (particularly in books such as CHANGE YOUR QUESTIONS CHANGE YOUR LIFE), for the most up-to-date information make sure you get the current edition. (For the reissue of a deceased author’s book — you can get whatever is on offer.)

Discrepancies also sometimes exist between publisher of the book’s hardcover and paperback or the year of such publication, which is frequently not the same, etc.

IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Marilee Adams, CHANGE YOUR QUESTIONS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE, 4th Edition: 12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Results (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2022).

Blaise Aguirre, I HATE MYSELF: Overcome Self-Loathing and Realize Why You’re Wrong About You (Wiley, 2025).

Daniel G. Amen, HEALING ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 7 types of ADD (Berkley revised edition, 2013).

Aaron T. Beck, COGNITIVE THERAPY AND THE EMOTIONAL DISORDERS (Plume, 1979).

Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles (foreword by Harvey Mackay), RAVING FANS: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service (William Morrow, 1993).

Joshua Coleman, RULES OF ESTRANGEMENT: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict (Harmony, 2024).

Carol S. Dweck, MINDSET: The New Psychology of Success (Ballantine Books, 2007).

Karen L. Fox and Phyllis Zimbler Miller, SEASONS FOR CELEBRATION: A Contemporary Guide to the Joys, Practices, and Traditions of the Jewish Holidays (Perigee, 1992)

Viktor E. Frankl, MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING (Beacon Press, 2006).

Michael E. Gerber, THE E-MYTH REVISITED: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It (Harper Business, 2004).

Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION: Recognizing and Coping With Attention Deficit Disorder (Vintage revised, 2011).

Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey, DELIVERED FROM DISTRACTION: Getting the Most Out of Life With Attention Deficit Disorder (Ballantine Books, 2005).

Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life: Strategies That Work From an Acclaimed Professional Organizer and a Renowned ADD Clinician (Routledge 2nd edition, 2016).

Robert L. Klapper and Lynda Huey, HEAL YOUR KNEES:  How to Prevent Knee Surgery and What to Do If You Need It (M. Evans & Company, 2004).

Robert L. Klapper and Lynda Huey, HEAL YOUR HIPS: How to Prevent Hip Surgery – and What to Do If You Need It (Trade Paper Press, 1999).

Harvey Mackay, DIG YOUR WELL BEFORE YOU’RE THIRSTY (Crown Currency, 1999).

Erin Meyer, THE CULTURE MAP: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business (Public Affairs, 2014).

Arthur Miller, INCIDENT AT VICHY: A Play (Penguin, 1985).

Olga Naiman, SPATIAL ALCHEMY: Design Your Home to Transform Your Life (Artisan, 2025)

Dan Olsen, THE LEAN PRODUCT PLAYBOOK: How to Innovate With Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback (Wiley, 2015).

Eric Ries, THE LEAN STARTUP: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses (Vikin, 2011).

Sheryl Sandberg, LEAN IN: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (Knopf, 2013).

Michael Shurtleff, AUDITION: Everything An Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part (Bloomsbury USA, 2003).

Manuel J. Smith, WHEN I SAY NO I FEEL GUILTY (Bantam Books, 1979).

Twyla Tharp, THE CREATIVE HABIT: Learn It and Use It for Life (Simon & Schuster, 2006).

Harry Weisman, THE 18% SOLUTION: Lose 18 Percent of Your Weight in 18 Weeks (iUniverse, 2007)