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I thought you might find it helpful if shared my favorites in the areas most related to Mental Health and Wellness – the initial list was close to 50, so I reduced it to the best of the best. Feel free to comment if you have read them - I’d love to hear what you thought. (Disclaimer: these are ‘affiliate links’, meaning Amazon.com gives me a bright and shiny nickel for each purchase.)
Marriage, Family, and Parenting
Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters – Dr. Meg Meeker
I’ve recommend this to many people, and many of you have heard me say I go back to this one at least once a year. If you are as blessed as I am to be the father of girls, this is a MUST read.
Dr. Meeker also has a book on parenting boys, but I have not had a chance to review that one, yet.
Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work – John Gottman & The Gottman Institute
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
My go-to marriage book for my own life, and the one I refer most in my office – scientifically based, but well written and easy to read. Full of interesting concepts, but, more importantly, helpful exercises to help keep your marriage working.
Ten Lessons to Transform Your Marriage - Gottman
The follow-up to the Gottman’s ground breaking work – this one has 10 case studies to read about how other couples handle situations
The Five Love Languages – Chapman
A classic marriage and family tome – and another I recommend in my office fairly regularly - this is the basic one aimed and helping you understand how you best give and receive love in a relationship. There are several variations available aimed at children and teens.
Should I Stay Or Go? : How Controlled Separation (CS) Can Save Your Marriage
There are times when marriage becomes so difficult that the best option might be to take a break to regroup. When marriage gets rough, sometimes a separation is helpful – this book is aimed and making those times productive, rather than impulsive and angry attempts to escape. If you have reached the point that nothing else works, this book – as well as the support of a marriage and family therapist – can help.
Mental Health & Psychology – samples of the science of understanding human behavior
Outliers: The Story of Success
Macolm Gladwell just doesn’t write bad books – of his four works, this is my current favorite. In Outliers, Gladwell researches and highlights the factors it takes to be a success – why is it certain Canadien children rise to the top of the National Hockey League and others don’t (hint : it has everything to do with the month they were born), how did the Beatles position themselves for success, and how did Bill Gates amass 10,000 hours of experience before anyone else? A fascinating a quick read that will change how you look at success.
Dorothy Otnow Lewis
Guilty by Reason of Insanity: A Psychiatrist Explores the Minds of Killers
If you have ever watched the news and thought, “How can they commit such horrible acts”, when it comes to criminals and their behavior, this book offers case studies and explanations.
Howard Dully
My Lobotomy
The heart-breaking story of one man’s unfortunate childhood that resulted in having part of his brain removed by lobotomy – a process that was performed over 10,000 times in the 1960’s.
Stress: Portrait of A Killer
A great documentary on the life altering impact of unmitigated stress – this is a dvd that spends more time off my bookshelf being loaned out, than it spends on my shelf.
Dr. Drew Pinsky
The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America
Dr. Drew has the unique opportunity to work with some of our most famous cultural icons through his psychiatric practice and substance abuse treatment in Hollywood. This book chronicles the mental health issues that are pervasive in Hollywood, as well as how the drive for people today to achieve their “15-minutes of fame” is creating a society of narcissists.
Other – really good books that just didn’t fit into an easy category
Hugh McLeod
Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity
Artist Hugh McLeod has a great story about his rise to fame, and a great book of short stories to encourage your creativity. His cartoons focus on topics of business, marketing, creativity, and just about everything in between – if you want a sample, check out his website at www.gapingvoid.com
Linchpin
If you have read more than two of my weekly articles in the past year, then you have heard me talk about Seth Godin – he’s a great entrepreneur, and a bit of a self-help genius without even knowing it. This is really about being all that you can be, doing emotional labor, fighting The Lizard Brain, and achieving.
Dr. Kessler
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
Terribly frightening but necessary read about the food industry’s manipulation of what we eat to “trick” us into buying and consuming more. This book will help you to review and understand your own habits an behavior when it comes to food.
1 comment:
I have really enjoyed reading some of Gottman's material. I'm appreciative of clinicians who are also researchers: who have taken the time to research what works and are willing to share it with the public at large.
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