When our kids graduate from high school or college, there is a moment when you appreciate that their growth and perspectives and enthusiasms will be further informed by their colleges, their jobs, their friends, their wiring, and oh yes - on the way we advertently or inadvertently raised them.

 

Four years ago when our son Edward graduated from college, I put together a list of the 10 books that I thought might provide further practical and inspirational reading as he made his way in the world.  So, there was good news and bad news: he was interested in reading only half of the books, but 50% is not too bad.  The really good news is, of course, I continue to send him books.  Currently, my hit rate is still not 100% but is now closer to 75%.

 

Discussions resulting from his readings have been lively, informative, and invigorating.  In talking to him and his friends, it appears that print books are more appealing than we think, so I remain wildly optimistic and committed to sending him books.  I urge you to send books as a wonderful way for the graduate in your life to gather practical information, reevaluate their points of view, and to further enlighten them.

 

A fun way to do this is to send your graduate a whole bundle of books- just give us a theme: inspirational, practical, history (as Daniel Boorstein said, "planning for the future without a sense of history is like planting cut flowers") or tell us a little about them and we can send one book a month - maybe even a classic a month?  If you would like to organize a basket or send a subscription like this, email Elizabeth Katz at ekatz@justtherightbook.com or me directly at rcoady@rjjulia.com.  Either way, I promise you will create an opportunity for conversation, life-long learning, and inspiration.

 

Here are my top picks:

 

I am in love with this book.  It manages to make philosophy accessible yet smart. Divided into four sections - Philosphy, Science, Religion and Morals, and Society- and covering such topics and questions like Paradoxical Truth, Kierkegaard's Antigone, Good Minus G-d, The Myth of Universal Love and tons more, this book is perfect for everyone and for all time.

 

This book from a couple of years ago was recently recommended to me by Cindy Spiegel of Spiegel and Grau (an imprint of Penguin Random House). I devoured it, leaving me shocked, dismayed, and ultimately inspired by an unforgettable true story about the redeeming potential of mercy.  Stevenson was a gifted young attorney when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system.  One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man sentenced to die for a notorious murder he didn't commit. The case led Stevenson into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinkmanship and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.  It will change the way I read the news, the way I understand how laws are enforced, and ultimately, how I think. 

 

A wonderful collaboration between artist Maira Kalman, writer Daniel Handler (of Lemony Snicket fame) and the Museum of Modern Art.

The photographs from the archives of MOMA, accompanied by ten vibrant paintings by Kalman and clever prose from Handler, create a tableaux encouraging us to ponder the merits of action and contemplation, making this book a spirited reflection on the daily rhythms of life.  Utterly charming and smart.

 

Grit is a word thrown around a lot these days, typically paired with the lament that the millennials just don't have any. Angela Duckworth, a MacArthur Fellow and professor of psychology at the University of Pennslyvania, and an alphabet soup of degrees in neurobiology, neuroscience, and psychology, has written a book on the subject that is winningly personal, insightful, and life changing. Not only does she use countless individual stories to elaborate on what grit looks like, but most importantly she educates us on what goes through your head when you fall down or fail and how grit - not luck or even talent -will help you emerge and learn. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance has wit, intelligence, and energy.

 

And just because every pile of books for a grad should include speeches, it's worthwhile to add The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches. These include Teddy Roosevelt, Churchill, Lenin, Mahatma Ghandi, Vaclav Havel, Martin Luther King, Jr., Trotsky and dozens and dozens more.  The idealism and revolutions of the twentieth century are reflected in the speeches from Churchill rousing the British to take up arms, Fidel Castro inspiring the Cuban Revolution, or Salman Rushdie denouncing his fatwa.

 

This teeny tiny slipcase of 3 little books from Shakespeare is charming and delicious. One is The Bard's Guide to Abuses and Affronts, the other includes 15 of his sonnets, and the third summarizes his plays (which might inspire you to read them all!). I bought one to keep in my car to read at stoplights (beats texting!).

 

The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future by Steve Case, the founder of AOL, and/or You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice by Tom Vanderbilt.

 

My favorite of the important books for a grad to read is Thinking, Fast and Slow by the Nobel Prize winning economist Daniel Kahneman.  This is critical reading to understand the drivers of our decision making.  "A masterpiece... This is one of the greatest and most engaging collections of insights into the human mind I have read."  -Financial Times

 

And you must check out Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience, a fascinating eclectic collection of correspondence from Beethoven, Mick Jagger, Churchill, and Groucho Marx to tons of others throughout history.  They are mordant, hilarious, and poignant.

And then there is always the amazingly still important Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke. You get the idea- I could go on forever!  This is why it is important to send young minds books.  One a year might not even be enough!

 

Please give the graduate in your life my warmest wishes for embarking on their future with zest, curiosity, and compassion.