January gets all the attention as the time for turning over a new leaf, but a friend of mine contends that September is really the prime time for self-improvement. She calls it Shape-Up September, and as I look at the crop of personal development and lifestyle books coming out this fall, I’m starting to think she’s right. The start of a new year makes it a little too easy to believe we can wake up one day and become a totally different person, and the January publishing slate typically reflects that vibe. But fall? Fall is for reflection, refining, getting our shit together because we know that any day can be Day One. Here are six new books coming out this season to help you on your way.
Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki
Oh, what a perfect read for election season! Zaki, a Stanford psychologist, lays out compelling research about the ways cynicism is negatively impacting modern life, from harming our interpersonal relationships to weakening our public institutions to damaging our health. People often think cynicism is a sign of intelligence, but the data reveal that cynical people—those who believe others are generally selfish and primarily motivated by self-interest—are more susceptible to manipulation and conspiracy theories. Cynical thinking not only prevents us from effectively solving social problems, it frequently makes them worse.
What Zaki suggests instead of cynicism is not unquestioning optimism but “hopeful skepticism,” evidence-based critical thinking (from actual evidence, not the “do your own research” corners of the internet) that allows for the possibility that people are trustworthy and want to help. And he offers concrete steps we can take to move away from cynicism and toward hopeful optimism. If you feel yourself resisting that idea as you read the description, you’re exactly the reader for this book. (Available now)
Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life by Brigid Schulte
Brigid Schulte was ahead of the burnout trend. In 2014, she published Overwhelmed, a deep look at the twin crises of stress and time management. In Over Work, she’s turning her sharply trained eye on the many ways in which work is broken and is breaking us. This is a journalistic deep dive into the origins and development of an ongoing crisis in Americans’ quality of life, connections, and happiness. It hasn’t always been like this, Schulte argues, and it doesn’t have to be this way any longer. Reshaping work to be more human and more humane won’t just be good for workers; it will be good for business, too. Schulte draws on examples from businesses all over the world to offer solutions and a path toward a more fulfilling, integrated way of working. (Available now)
Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Somehow, it has been 25 years since Gladwell redefined airport business books with his groundbreaking debut, The Tipping Point, about how small changes can lead to major shifts in social phenomena. Working from the thesis that ideas spread like a virus until they reach the titular tipping point and become wildly popular—what we think of today as “going viral”—Gladwell offered a new framework for understanding how trends become, well, trendy, and suggested that it represented a breakthrough in understanding (and being able to manipulate) human behavior. Now, Gladwell returns to analyze some of the less desirable applications of these principles of social engineering in an attempt to make sense of “the contagions of the modern world.” (Coming October 1)
Do You Still Talk to Grandma? by Brit Barron
What are we to do when, as the subtitle to Brit Barron’s funny and wise new book says, “the problematic people in our lives are the ones we love?” Barron, a teacher, motivational speaker, and self-proclaimed “master of nuance” knows exactly how hard it is to balance the force of our convictions with the desire to stay in community with people we love when they express beliefs that cause harm. How to respond to the racist uncle at Thanksgiving or the friend who reveals anti-LGBTQ views when you don’t want to give up on them but you don’t want to sacrifice yourself, either? What might a path to redemption actually look like? Barron explores the “tension between relationship and accountability” in this accessible, encouraging book that draws on her own experiences as well as research about connection, social justice work, and community. Pick this one up before your next big family event. (Coming October 1)
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Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks changed my life. His philosophy of “time management for mortals,” driven by the reality that the average human life is about four thousand weeks long, was one of those magical right-book-at-the-right-time moments for me. It provided the push I needed to bring how I spend my time into better alignment with my personal values and priorities. Burkeman’s work is all about knowing what really matters to you—what gives your life meaning and joy—and living in a way that reflects it. Here, he provides a four-week crash course filled with practical tips and big-picture thinking to help us make the best use of our finite time…and he’s not talking about how to be more efficient, productive, or send more emails. (Coming October 8)
Bake Club by Christina Tosi
So much self-improvement! We deserve a little treat. Or 100 of them! Before Christina Tosi co-founded Momofuku Milk Bar, she was a passionate home baker with a sweet tooth that knew no bounds. Tosi’s ethos is that baking is fun and anyone can do it, so the recipes in Bake Club don’t require any fancy equipment or hard-to-find ingredients, and they’re made with modifications in mind. No stand mixer? No problem! Short on time? You can still make cookies. I’m a long time fan of Tosi’s approach to creating delicious, delightful, crowd-pleasing desserts (if you’re willing to get a little fancy, All About Cake is terrific), and I have no doubt these will deliver. (Coming November 12)
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