Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading

Nonfiction

On What It Means to Be a Man

‘Iron John’ By Robert Bly

With fatherlessness affecting so many young men today, the journey to manhood is one that young men must embark on themselves. “Iron John,” told through a fairy tale, manages to be entertaining while offering useful advice for men and the women who seek to understand them.

Da Capo, 2015, 304 pages

Hong Kong: A Case Study

‘Freedom: How We Lose It and How We Fight Back’ By Nathan Law and Evan Fowler

Nathan Law used to be a regular citizen. Jolted into action by witnessing the erosion of freedom in Hong Kong, he became an activist, a legislator, and a prisoner. Now in exile, he tells a tale that’s widely applicable to the world, explaining how seeds were sown a long time ago, resulting in disinformation and division between groups.

His conclusion: truth is the answer, and you have to tell the truth. Even though Hong Kong’s fate looks as though it’s sealed, he ends on a hopeful note: No action is meaningless.

The Experiment, 2021, 240 pages

Historical Roadmaps for Leadership

‘The Leader’s Bookshelf’ By James Stavridis and R. Manning Ancell

Retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis and writer Manning Ancell have put together a list of books recommended by upper echelon military officers that they consider to be valuable tools for leadership. This impressive collection includes histories, biographies, and novels that not only underline leadership qualities, but also direct us to valuable lessons we can learn from past accounts of battles and wars. This book is highly recommended and is a must for anyone interested in military history.

Naval Institute Press, 2017, 288 pages

A Quick Spark of Inspiration

‘Outer Order, Inner Calm’ By Gretchen Rubin

Rubin walks the reader through the five steps for establishing outer order: make choices, create order, know yourself and others, cultivate helpful habits, and add beauty. Reading any part of it for five or 10 minutes provides a boost of motivation to get up and make progress, and the tips are the kind you’ll want to be reminded of over and over again.

Don’t miss the top 10 tips in the back of the book, which is a nice final touch.

Harmony, 2019, 240 pages

Classics

The Man in the Mirror

‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ By Oscar Wilde

As Dorian Gray embraces a life of hedonism and amorality and wreaks havoc on the lives that he touches, he never taints his own appearance. However, his portrait, painted by an artist friend at age 17, becomes uglier and disfigured with every sin. Wilde’s novel raises the question of how we can live a life that does right by our souls.

Chiltern, 2020, 256 pages

A Bargain With the Devil

‘Doctor Faustus’ By Christopher Marlowe

This play features a scholar, Faustus, whose pride and overweening ambition lead him to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and magical powers. As we follow Faustus through his journey—some scenes are comedic—the play acts as a mirror for us. What moral goods are we willing to exchange to obtain our desires? Are we able, unlike the indecisive Faustus, to reverse our course? It also reveals the conflict between religion and Renaissance science, raising another point: How much faith should we put in science today?

W.W. Norton & Company, 2005, 448 pages

For Kids

The Joy of Books

‘A Library Book for Bear’ By Bonny Becker, ill. by Kady MacDonald Denton

Featuring the chipper and optimistic little Mouse and his reluctant, set-in-his-ways friend Bear, this book is a perfect combination of comic relief with themes of friendship and personality differences. It makes a wonderful read-aloud.

Candlewick, 2014, 32 pages

For Children Who Love Trains

‘Trains’ By Lynn Curlee

The wealth of knowledge and history conveyed in slightly more than 40 pages speaks to Curlee’s writing talents. Children will learn about the invention and influence of trains and develop a deep appreciation for those iron horses of yesteryear.

Atheneum Books, 2009, 48 pages