“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one,” said George R.R. Martin.
Books are the hotbed of ideas, some of which have the potential to irretrievably alter your perspective in life. Whether a zealous reader or a casual peruser of multiple texts, we’ll give you a fresh impetus to rekindle a reading habit.
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What food is to the body, books are to the mind. Books stretch you into an invisible world. The pages let you interact with personalities and ideas that would have otherwise been out of grasp. That’s why every man should develop a habit of reading. To make your work easier, we’ve compiled a list of 8 books for men every man should read.
Some of The Best Books For Men
Placing your hands on one of the valuable, compelling, and non-fluffy books for men can prove to be a demanding and time-consuming task. Although our list is bound to be subjective, given that we have different tastes, interests, and preferences, we hope it will be beneficial to stimulate a flourishing reading culture.
In our quest to draw up a valuable line-up, we went for books that will not only entertain the mind. We searched out for titles that can be so revolutionizing in content as to leave an indelible mark on your mind years after you’ve consumed the writing. These are books you’ll want to read over and over again so that you can keep chewing the curd.
Here’s a list of such books that should find a place on every man’s shelf.
#1 – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu penned down this masterpiece on warfare and military strategy in ancient China. But it continues to be a source of guidance to business moguls, sports coaches, military strategists, and political supremos. Indisputably, Sun Tzu gifted us with a classic that remains relevant in learning how to outdo opponents to date.
You’re likely no military commander, but this book’s content is relevant as you face opponents in the most unlikely quarters. Be it at the workplace where you’ll need to negotiate your way up the career ladder or a simple argument at home. It could be a heated political debate as you lounge with friends; the insights in this classic can prove worthwhile. Apart from being a general, Sun Tzu was a military strategist and a philosopher.
In a nutshell, the author admonishes us in three profound ways. One is to only engage in wars where there is a realistic possibility of being victorious. Second, be a master deceiver who causes your competition to react just as you would like them to. Lastly, see the team you lead as a single man and take him by the hand.
The writing is highly famed for being compelling and actionable across multiple disciplines. Some of the book’s most popular quotes are startling and relevant in 21st-century business, warfare, and politics. This is one of those texts generously sprinkled with nuggets of wisdom from start to end.
The book speaks to you regardless of whether you’re starting a medium-sized business or managing a multinational corporation. It must be your companion if you’re competing for political office or leading a high school baseball team. A must-have for any man who would want to get ahead of the competition and win in this life.
Famous quotes from the book:
“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
“If it is to your advantage, make a forward move. If not, stay where you are.”
#2 – How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
There must be a reason why over 45 million people have poured through the pages of this self-help manual since it was first published in 1936. Dale Carnegie brings out steps that outwardly seem plain simple, and non-revelatory. The mainstay of the book is: be good to others, and they’ll return the favor. Doesn’t that sound rather obvious and too simplistic?
The magnum opus by a man whose classical wisdom outlived him espouses that by changing your behavior towards others, you can become more likable, win friends, and have impactful persuasion over others that you lead. Armed with this principle, limitless career possibilities, a happy family life, and business success can become yours.
Testimonials of praise for Dale’s principles abound. Warren Buffet, one of the greatest investors ever, admits the book’s principles significantly impacted his life for the better.
As a successful salesman and prolific public speaker, Dale’s timeless advice emanates from real-life business interactions. It’s not surprising that it’s been instrumental in the positive transformation of numerous families and businesses, making it one of the greatest bestsellers of all time.
He also discusses how to make yourself likable to people by not criticizing, condemning, or complaining. Then he gives six rules that’ll get people to like you. He develops his subject by giving twelve groundbreaking tips on winning people over to your way of thinking. He crowns it all by explaining nine ways you can influence people without stirring up resentment.
Richly illustrated by case studies of iconic leaders like Benjamin Franklin and Ibraham Lincoln, he demonstrates that greatness is achieved when you influence rather than order. Greatness can be found when authority is exercised with gentleness and humility. He asserts that kindness is not a weakness but an asset that we should celebrate.
Written as America rose from the ashes of The Great Depression, Dale sold one of the most fundamental ingredients; hope. You, too, can join others who’ve imbibed these time-proven principles to win friends and influence people, and become a master of your destiny.
#3 – Manvotionals – Brett & Katte Mackay
The book is an eclectic collection of inspiring writings written to motivate men to live virtuous and excellent lives. Brett & Kate have assembled a collection of some of the finest writings available to promote seven fundamental virtues that will enable men to lead authentic and exemplary lives. It’s no wonder it’s made it in this list of the best books for men.
Since each of the seven chapters propounds a particular virtue, you do not have to read it sequentially. You can pick the book and skip to a chapter you’d want to read. You could conveniently read random portions of the book and still consume classic wisdom that has flowed through the ages from diverse writers.
The book spurns the best advice to men from the writings of Aristotle, a Greek philosopher in Ancient Greece, writings of the 19th and 20th century, poems, and speeches. Renowned men like Theodore Roosevelt have their words of wisdom featured in this classic – one of the best books for men.
Grab a copy of these capsules of wisdom and glean from essays, poems, and writings laden with ancient wisdom that every man needs to flourish in virtue. It’s a book you’ll easily resort to over and over again for inspiration.
#4 – Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
You’ve probably been caught up in a catch-22 situation. Well, the idiom finds its genesis in this brilliant and funny novel by Joseph Heller. American satire never got better than this.
Catch-22 is an iconic publication that stands tall in American literature as one of the most celebrated satirical writings of all time. It has been acclaimed by some of the most prominent magazines like Newsweek, Time, the London Observer, and Modern Library on their best novels list catch-22. So why not on our top 8 list of best books for men?
Joseph Heller makes a whole lot of fun out of war. The setting is Italy during the second world war. The protagonist in the novel is Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier for the American military. He’s doing his best to survive. He personalizes the war and perceives it as an attempt by the military to eliminate him. The plot develops around his creative endeavors to escape this mischievous mission.
The novel is fertile with paradoxical occurrences that add up to its rich sense of humor. The most outstanding of them is a regulation known as the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade: a man who flies to dangerous combat missions is regarded as insane. To be exempted from such a mission, he needs to complete a request to be excused from these dangerous missions. Successfully completing the request proves that he is sane hence inexcusable from the mission. Insane!
This funny turn of events that castigates the bigotry of bureaucracy, combined with tragedy, makes for an exhilarating and exciting novel. In 1970, a movie, Catch-22, was adapted from the book.
#5 – The 48 Laws of Power – Robert Green
Are you in search of power-packed books for men? Men have naturally had an overarching interest in power and control. History is strewn with casualties who tried to resist men who were obsessed with power. Robert Green makes groundbreaking observations from historical figures on how to wield power and stay ahead of your opponents or competitors.
He draws lessons from key historical figures and perspectives over the last 3,000 years. He condenses his findings into what he refers to as the 48 laws of power. His power-play principles are largely from the philosophies of Sun Tzu, Machiavelli, Carl Von Clausewitz.
He makes observations and concludes how to outwit an opponent from a number of popular personalities such as P.T. Barnum, Henry Kissinger, and more. In this ruthless and amoral text, he cites examples of men who exercised these laws to their advantage and those who ignored them to their detriment.
The text is as fascinating as it is controversial, pressing the narrative of self-preservation to the extreme of disregarding conventional morality, courtesy, and integrity. The book will doubtlessly remain a classical point of reference for those waging war for control in politics, family, career, business, and life.
Some laws are pretty heartless.
For instance, “Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally“. You’ll find this arresting read often blunt and manipulative but tactful—a must-have.
#6 – More than Complete Hitchhiker’s Guide – Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams was a witty master of comedy and a wizard with the English language. He authored the successful Hitchhiker’s Guides, a series of sci-fi comic books for men that sold over 15 million copies globally. A science fiction book so full of humor it will leave you in stitches.
The book had been translated into more than 30 languages, effectively breaking the language barrier.
The story is about the calamitous happenings around a fictional character Arthur Dent, the earth’s last surviving person. He lost his safe abode on earth as it was being demolished to pave the way for the construction of a hyperspace bypass. The narrative details how he’s rescued from the earth and how he hitchhikes into space. With an electronic space travel guide, he explores the universe.
The pages of this book are pregnant with humor and imagination. Reading this can get you thinking beyond your world.
#7 – The Republic – Plato
The Republic is pericarp Plato’s greatest work in a string of near-eternal classics from the celebrated philosopher. Plato lived around 300BC. To date, his works have remained relevant, forming the foundation stone of western philosophy and religion.
Plato centers his narrative in a eutopic world. The philosophical backbone of The Republic has inspired the works of many illustrious authors and philosophers over the years. Despite the author penning the writing over two thousand years ago, the content radiates with the realities of contemporary existence.
Penned as a series of dialogs between Socrates and his students and the citizenry at large, The Republic dwells on finding answers to what justice is.
He also strives to explain his perception of the role of the philosopher in society. To this end, he postulates that all humans live imprisoned in a cave. However, only philosophers dare venture outside of this confinement. By doing so, they’re able to get a fuller perspective of the happenings in their world and can go back to the cave and interpret their revelations to the rest of humanity.
Catch up with ancient wisdom and philosophy as you interact with one of the greatest minds ever.
#8 – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
A writer of legendary status, Mark Twain is one of the greatest humorists to ever come out of the United States of America. And this book is one of the reasons we celebrate him.
The novel’s storyline consists of skillfully recreated boyhood adventures of Huckleberry Finn along the banks of the Mississippi River. Inspired by one of Mark Twain’s childhood friends, the novel displays the author’s mastery of dialog to tell a captivating tale while driving home succinct lessons. An exceptional story well-curated by an excellent chef.
Ernest Hemingway, an American novelist, stated that “all modern American literature stems from this one book.”
Get your hands on this book, and I doubt if you’ll find a reason to put it down before you reach its last page.
Parting Shot
There you have it. Which publication among our list of the best books for men have you read? Please share in the comments below and let us know of any other captivating read.