Six Unlikely Books to Help You Be A Better Man
Five years from now, the person you will become depends on the people you meet and the books you read.
According to the Pew Research center, more than a third of young men have not read any book, in whole or in part, via any medium (electronic, audio or paper) in the past year.
The average book takes about 5 hours to read. To read one book a month, that means you’d have to devote only ten minutes each day to reading. Or multitask by listening to audiobooks in the shower or on the way to work. We aren’t talking home dentistry here, people.
I like to think I’m getting a little bit better as a human being every year I walk this earth. As I think about the influences that have shaped me in the past, I’m drawn to a collection of books that don’t exactly fall into the category of self-help, but they changed me just the same. I am a better man today because of the books on this list, and if you want to be better too, I highly recommend them.
I am not including the Bible in this list because it does not fit the title of this article. But it goes without saying that if you want to be a better person at the end of the year than you were at the beginning, read the Bible every day. It’s a living, breathing document, and as such is the only book ever produced that you can never truly finish reading. It speaks to me, whatever my situation, every time I pick it up.
The following books made me a better man as well, sometimes to my complete surprise.
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand — This massive 800-page tome was an accomplishment just to finish. And while I don’t subscribe to all of Rand’s objectivist philosophy, there are some real nuggets in this book that have stuck with me. Her voluminous thoughts on the meaning of life, the role of politics, the duty of man and the nobility of work have strongly impacted me since I read it almost 20 years ago.
A Helmet For My Pillow by Robert Leckie — War matures a man. The real-life combat I’ve faced has undoubtedly shaped me, but it’s a crucible I cannot recommend. But with this book, Leckie pulls the reader so deeply into the realities of war that I believe you will come out of it a more seasoned, mature person, wiser to the fact that evil does exist in this world. You’ll be more aware of the incredible bubble in which most Americans exist. Add to that the fact that the book contains some of the most eloquent and well-written prose I’ve ever laid eyes on, and you’ll wish Leckie had done much more writing in his lifetime.
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz — If you ever thought you had a difficult life, after reading this book you will be ashamed you ever thought you had something to complain about. Not only is this one of the most epic adventure stories I’ve ever picked up, but it also taught me something about the power of the human will to keep pushing, and the incredible ability of the human body to withstand the most grueling conditions imaginable. It is a book that sticks with me, one I think about often whenever life gets difficult.
Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper — This is the only overt self-help book on the list, but it packs such a powerful punch I had to include it. Piper’s theme that a man should never actually retire — that if I woke up this morning then I have something important to accomplish — has truly shaped the man who I am today. His chapter about “entertaining ourselves to death” was a major catalyst in my giving up television and other passive activity and those decisions have made my life a thousand times better.
Dominion by Randy Alcorn — All of Randy Alcorn’s writing is powerful, but this second of his Ollie Chandler novels had a profound impact on how I understand race relations in the United States. After finishing the book I would never be able to look at a black man the same way for the rest of my life. Alcorn is so skillful at describing black culture and experience that many people simply can’t believe he is white. Through reading this book I gained a much deeper understanding of the importance of research and accuracy in my writing as well.
Mover of Men and Mountains by R.G. LeTourneau — This autobiography of the man who invented most of the machines that made America what it is today is one of the most compelling books I’ve ever read. There is a reason it’s been around for decades. LeTourneau failed over and over again, starting his last business after the age of 40. He started it on his knees, promising God to give not ten percent, but 90 percent of his earnings away. He kept that promise and still died a billionaire. This is an incredible story of grit, hard work, and hustle that every young man should read.
I think every book is a classic in one sense or another. Unfortunately, so few young people read at all anymore. But this presents an opportunity for the guy who wants to outperform his peers. Reading a book a month will put you so far ahead of your competition you will likely never want for a way to put a roof over your head or provide for your family. Couched in those terms, ten minutes a day seems like a pretty high-yield investment.
