Reading List
Becoming a social worker means that for every book I finish, I will be adding ten books to my reading list. You just accept it at some point.
The books below are part of my "every human being should read these" list. They have helped me tremendously as a client, and continue to inform my work as a social worker.
I hope you will give some of them a try, and if you have questions about them (or anything else), don't hesitate to reach out to me.
On Shame and Depression
Real, T. (1997). I don't want to talk about it: Overcoming the secret legacy of male depression. Scribner. Open Library
Brown, B. (2008). I thought it was just me (but it isn't): Making the journey from "What will people think?" to "I am enough." Avery. Open Library
On Addiction
Maté, G. (2010). In the realm of hungry ghosts: Close encounters with addiction. North Atlantic Books. Open Library
On Coupling
Real, T. (2022). Us: Getting past you and me to build a more loving relationship. Rodale Books. Open Library
Burgo, J. (2012). Why do I do that? Psychological defense mechanisms and the hidden ways they shape our lives. New Rise Press. Open Library
On Trauma and Anxiety
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking. Open Library
Menakem, R. (2017). My grandmother's hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies. Central Recovery Press. Open Library
On Masculinity and Patriarchy
hooks, b. (2004). The will to change: Men, masculinity, and love. Atria Books. Open Library
On Acceptance and Self-Discovery
Brach, T. (2003). Radical acceptance: Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. Bantam. Open Library
Nhat Hanh, T. (1991). Peace is every step: The path of mindfulness in everyday life. Bantam. Open Library
Stanley, J. (2021). Yoke: My yoga of self-acceptance. Workman Publishing. Open Library
On Parenting
Neufeld, G., & Maté, G. (2004). Hold on to your kids: Why parents need to matter more than peers. Ballantine Books. Open Library
Faber, J., & King, J. (2017). How to talk so little kids will listen: A survival guide to life with children ages 2–7. Scribner. Open Library
On Emotional Sensitivity
Lo, I. (2018). Emotional sensitivity and intensity: How to manage intense emotions as a highly sensitive person. Hodder & Stoughton. More info
On Our American Experience
Zinn, H. (1980). A people's history of the United States. Harper & Row. Open Library
Wilkerson, I. (2010). The warmth of other suns: The epic story of America's great migration. Random House. Open Library
Coates, T. (2017). We were eight years in power: An American tragedy. One World. Open Library
Rothstein, R. (2017). The color of law: A forgotten history of how our government segregated America. Liveright. Open Library
On Leading with Compassion
Sinek, S. (2014). Leaders eat last: Why some teams pull together and others don't. Portfolio. Open Library