1. Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
Learning the origin stories of so many successful white men made me understand that success for myself was attainable. If they could do it, I certainly could.
2. This Naked Mind, Annie Grace
I’d struggled with an addiction to alcohol for 15 years when I came across this book and decided to give it a chance. I haven’t had a drink since finishing the book five days later. It may have saved my life.
3. What I Know for Sure, Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is such an inspiration and a living legend, and if this book doesn’t get you ready to face the day, I don’t know what will.
4. Losing My Virginity, Richard Branson
I’ve been a Branson fan since I was 15. He always seems to be enjoying the hell out of life while lifting others and making a fortune.
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
In the eighth grade, a teacher handed me this book. She thought it would spark something in me. It opened me up to a new way of seeing myself.