Reading Recommendations

The Books Redefining How I See the World

You may have heard me mention the concept on a podcast or on instagram called Bibliotherapy…

Bibliotherapy is the use of reading as a therapeutic tool for emotional healing, personal insight, and self-growth. Whether guided by a therapist or self-directed, bibliotherapy invites readers to engage with stories, memoirs, psychology texts, or even poetry that reflect their own experiences, challenges, or inner worlds. It can provide comfort, perspective, validation, and tools for change.

As trauma therapist Pete Walker puts it, reading about Complex PTSD can feel like “finding a bunch of wise aunts and uncles” who help you feel seen. This sense of recognition of finally having language for what you’ve been through can be powerfully healing. When someone feels understood by an author, it activates a form of co-regulation by proxy, helping the nervous system settle and making space for deeper emotional work.

Importantly, bibliotherapy doesn’t replace body-based healing, like somatic therapy, EMDR, or nervous system regulation practices. But it does support it. Books can help build cognitive scaffolding which is the understanding and context that makes somatic work feel safer and more grounded. They give us frameworks, language, and a sense of companionship on what can be a very lonely road.

This reading list is a reflection of the books that have helped me reconnect with my intuition, untangle belief systems, and feel less alone in the messy, nonlinear process of healing. I hope you find a few “wise uncles and aunts” in these pages too.

Most Influential Books

These books have had the biggest impact on me—broadening my perspectives, challenging my biases, and influencing my work the most.

Top Books of 2024

  • The Righteous Mind – Jonathan Haidt | Moral psychology, tribalism, and why people think differently.
  • The Coddling of the American Mind – Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt | How fragile thinking and overprotection are reshaping society.
  • Religion as Make Believe – Neil Van Leeuwen | A cognitive science perspective on religious belief.
  • Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman | How emotions shape decision-making, with key insights on emotional hijacking.
  • From Surviving to Thriving – Pete Walker | A must-read on complex PTSD, emotional flashbacks, and healing from trauma. Pairs powerfully with Emotional Intelligence—especially in understanding emotional hijacking.

Top Books of 2025 (So Far)

  • The Case Against the Sexual Revolution – Louise Perry | A much-needed critique of modern sexual norms and their impact on women.
  • Science Set Free – Rupert Sheldrake | Challenges rigid scientific dogma and opens the door to alternative ways of thinking.
  • The ESP Enigma: The Scientific Case for Psychic Phenomena – Diane Hennacy Powell | Explores the science behind psychic experiences—more compelling than you’d think!
  • The Body Project – Joan Jacobs Brumberg | How cultural attitudes toward the female body have evolved.
  • The Happiness Hypothesis – Jonathan Haidt
    Explores ancient wisdom through the lens of modern psychology, examining what truly makes people happy.

Psychology, Trauma, & Emotional Healing

  • The Emotionally Destructive Relationship – Leslie Vernick | Identifying and escaping toxic relational patterns.
  • The Nervous System Reset | Regulating your nervous system for better mental health.
  • The Tao of Fully Feeling – Pete Walker | Practical guidance on emotional healing and self-compassion.
  • Fierce Self-Compassion – Kristin Neff | Balancing self-compassion with accountability and resilience.
  • Games People Play – Eric Berne | A classic look at transactional analysis and human behavior patterns.

Religion, Spirituality, & Deconstruction

  • The Story of Christian Theology | A historical perspective on how Christian doctrine developed.
  • Reckless Christianity | Examining extreme religious practices.
  • Winsome Convictions | How to hold firm beliefs while engaging with others respectfully.
  • Scandals of the Evangelical Mind | A critique of intellectual shortcomings in American evangelicalism.
  • When Religion Hurts You | Examining religious trauma and spiritual abuse.
  • Diabolical Trinity-| A critical look at manipulative religious doctrines.
  • The Sin of Certainty – Peter Enns | How faith can coexist with doubt and uncertainty.
  • Traumatized by Religious Abuse | Understanding the psychological effects of religious trauma.
  • Unveiled | Yasmin Mohammed | A memoir of leaving Islam, reclaiming freedom, and confronting religious oppression.
  • Conspiracy Christianity | Analyzing conspiracy thinking within Christian circles.

Culture, Ideology, & Social Change

  • Woke Inc. – Vivek Ramaswamy | How corporate America co-opts social justice movements.
  • Social Media Shift | The impact of social media on society and mental health.
  • Parasitic Mind – Gad Saad | How bad ideas spread and influence culture.
  • More Than a Body | Challenging societal beauty standards and objectification.
  • Well Considered by Just the Inserts | A thought-provoking critique of pharmaceutical and medical practices.

History, Politics, & Power

  • Witch Hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare – Andrea Bernstein | A deep dive into McCarthyism and political paranoia.
  • The Falsification of History or Distorted Reality | Examining historical manipulation and misinformation.
  • Chaos | Exploring government cover-ups, conspiracies, and cultural upheaval.
  • Turtles All the Way Down: Vaccine Science and Myth | A controversial but thought-provoking critique of vaccine narratives.

Classic Dystopian Fiction

  • Animal Farm – George Orwell | A timeless allegory on power and corruption.
  • 1984 – George Orwell | A chilling warning about surveillance and authoritarianism.
  • Brave New World – Aldous Huxley | A dystopian vision of a society controlled by pleasure and conditioning.

📚 Future Reads for 2025

These are books I plan to read soon—expect some of them to show up in my conversations later😎

🔍 Power, Propaganda & Institutional Control

Propaganda – Edward Bernays
Written by the father of public relations, this classic shows how media, business, and government shape public opinion. A foundational read for understanding emotional hijacking and mass persuasion.

Free Your Mind – Laura Dodsworth
Explores how psychological tactics are used to manipulate perception through media and government messaging. Ties into my interest in autonomy, critical thinking, and the mechanics of compliance.

Dumbing Us Down – John Gatto
A scathing critique of modern schooling and how it suppresses independent thought. This lines up with my critique of ideological conditioning and institutional control.

American Transformed – Ronald Pestritto
Details how progressive ideologies reshaped American governance and institutions. Useful for unpacking the philosophical shifts behind today’s cultural battles.

The Assault on Truth – Jeffrey Masson
Masson claims Freud suppressed his own seduction theory to protect social norms rather than the truth about abuse. A revealing take on early psychoanalysis and the politics of memory.

🧠 Ideology, Worldview & Moral Psychology

A Conflict of Visions – Thomas Sowell
Contrasts two worldviews—the constrained vs. unconstrained vision of human nature. This book helps decode deep political and moral divides that shape society.

The Road to Serfdom – F.A. Hayek
Hayek’s classic warning about the dangers of government overreach and centralized planning. Essential for thinking critically about freedom, control, and authoritarian drift.

The Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory – Cynthia Eller
Eller debunks the feminist fantasy of a peaceful matriarchal golden age. A necessary reality check on ideological myth-making and historical revisionism.

Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Mystical Tradition – David Bakan
Explores the potential influence of Jewish mysticism on Freud’s psychoanalytic thought. A rich intersection of religion, psychology, and hidden philosophical currents.

Calendar: Humanity’s Epic Struggle to Determine a True and Accurate Year – David Ewing Duncan
Chronicles how civilizations created and fought over calendar systems. Shows how something as “neutral” as timekeeping is deeply political and cultural.

The Jesus Hoax – David Skrbina | A provocative claim that Jesus was invented for social and political control.

The Historical Jesus – William Benjamin Smith | An early mythicist work questioning the reality of Jesus.

The Closing of the Western Mind – Charles Freeman | How Christian orthodoxy suppressed reason and shaped Western thought.

The Darkening Age – Catherine Nixey | A vivid account of how early Christians destroyed classical culture, art, and philosophy.

💡 Consciousness, Meaning & Inner Work

The Biology of Belief – Bruce H. Lipton
Lipton explores how thoughts and beliefs influence our cells and health. A blend of epigenetics and consciousness that challenges genetic determinism.

The Way of Integrity – Martha Beck
Using Dante’s Divine Comedy as a guide, Beck maps a path toward authenticity by aligning actions with one’s true self. Practical, psychological, and deeply personal.

The Master and His Emissary – Iain McGilchrist
A philosophical neuroscience deep-dive into how the brain’s hemispheres shape culture and consciousness. It questions left-brain dominance and argues for restoring balance through the right.

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church – Vladimir Lossky
A profound introduction to Eastern Orthodox theology. Explores how mystical experience and doctrinal truth work together, offering a different view of faith, embodiment, and divinity.

Homesteading in the Eye of the Storm – Pete Walker
Likely a practical and philosophical guide to resilience and emotional strength in uncertain times. Relevant to my own homesteading life and inner stability work.

📖 Cultural Narratives & Aesthetic Mythologies

The History of Beauty – Umberto Eco
A sweeping exploration of how beauty standards evolved across history. Offers a historical lens on modern body image, aesthetic ideals, and cultural symbolism.

Semiotics of Happiness – Ashley Frawley
Investigates how “happiness” became a political tool and a social problem. Critiques the commodification of well-being and challenges feel-good narratives in self-help culture.

Hollywood Babylon – Kenneth Anger
A legendary underground classic revealing Hollywood’s darkest secrets. Gritty, scandalous, and sensational—an unfiltered look at fame’s underbelly.

🧬 Health, Hormones & Environmental Influence

Why Women Need Fat – William D. Lassek & Steven J.C. Gaulin
Challenges the diet industry and argues women are biologically designed to carry fat. Explores how “healthy” foods may be sabotaging metabolism and fertility.

To Dye For – Alden Wicker
Exposes the hidden health risks of chemicals in clothes and fabrics. Important reading for anyone concerned with environmental toxins and consumer deception.