Hillbilly Poverty: Trump’s Appeal to Poor Appalachian Whites

The discussion of "hillbilly poverty" — a deep and abiding poverty that has been prevalent, but overlooked, for generations in the Appalachian region — seems to keep coming back to the fore, particularly this election season. It may be because white poverty is a blind spot to many Americans who are either white, but don't live in poverty, or are non-white and unaware of or too preoccupied with their own identity struggles to worry about the white underclass. Or maybe most Americans are aware, but feel helpless to do anything about it. read more

In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State

Imagine that the United States were to scrap all its income transfer programs—including Social Security, Medicare, and all forms of welfare—and give every American age 21 and older $10,000 a year for life. This idea was greeted with skepticism in 2006 when Charles Murray first proposed it in his book “In Our Hands.” Yet, 10 years later, some European countries are doing just that.

In a revised and updated edition of “In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State” (AEI Press, June 2016), political scientist and bestselling author Charles Murray demonstrates that this is financially feasible and that many goals of the welfare state—elimination of poverty, comfortable retirement for everyone, universal access to health care—would be better served under a UBI than under the current system.

Buy the Book:

universal basic income

The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don’ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life

Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending

Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

In a book committed to helping you flourish psychologist Martin Seligman summarizes his research in motivation and positive psychology and explains how it can help maximize enjoyment in life. Seligman writes that happiness alone does not give life meaning but advocates a broader type of well-being that capitalizes on tour talents and utilizes your deep seated motivation to enable your own success.

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life

Journalist Rod Dreher returns to his small hometown in Louisiana after the death of his younger sister Ruthie. Dreher is touched by the way this small community rallied around his sister, a local schoolteacher, after she was diagnosed with cancer at age 40.

Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America’s Longest-Held Prisoner of War

Tom Philpott tells the story of Jim Thompson who languished in prison camps across Vietnam after being shot down in 1964. Througout his ordeal Thompson remains fiercely loyal to the United States and relies on the comfort of his faith to sustain himself through the torture he experiences at the hands of his captors. 

Divergent

Divergent tells the story of a young girl who struggles to come to grips with a divided society and looks for a way to find meaning for her life and improve the lives of those she loves. This dystopian vision shows the problems that arise out of societal rifts and divisions.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

The story of an Olympian turned Army Air Corp bombardier, Louis Zamperini captures readers’ attention with this story about the resilience and strength of the human spirit. After his bomber crashed down in the Pacific in 1943 Zamperini ends up laying in a life raft adrift in the ocean.

Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers

This book for business managers provides solutions and recommendations to improve motivation and commitment among employees and accomplish more. It  combines wit and humor with well-reasoned recommendations for any manager looking to boost company success.

The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self, and Relationship

David Whyte urges us to evaluate and envision how they interact with the worlds of love, work and self-understanding. Separating these different realms into three “marriages” better enables us to achieve a balance between them that serves as a basis for sustainable happiness in life.

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

Even marriages that begin with the most deep and profound love and commitment require effort and work to maintain. Gary Chapman examines the different love languages of quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. This book examines how to sustain happy marriages rooted in the five love languages. It helps to promote and deepen the bonds between spouses. Chapman provides a explicit and basic steps to help guide your marriage in the right direction and enable better understanding and a strengthening of relationships.

 

Confessions of St. Augustine

This touching and insightful narrative tells the story of the spiritual growth of Augustine of Hippo who is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of ancient Christianity. Augustine tells of his struggles to overcome personal temptation and explains his understanding of faith in God.

ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible contains two kinds of words. The first is the actual words of the Bible — the words of God to us. The second is the study notes, human words. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published-with new notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines and articles.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

AJ Jacobs embarks on a year of obeying the Bible as literally as possible. Jacobs does not only follow the big commandments but also abides by the lesser-known rules such as avoiding clothes of mixed fibers and playing a ten-string harp. His experience transforms him as an individual.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi helps people find a state of optimal experience known as “flow.” In this state, he argues, people are at their most creative and experience profound satisfaction with their work, experience deeply felt happiness, and improve our overall quality of life.

Why I Wake Early: New Poems

A collection of 47 poems demonstrates the power of poetry and attests to her appreciation of nature. Oliver manages to find the beauty of the simple things in our lives and in nature and truly inspires us to wake early and enjoy life. Many of her poems center on finding and holding on to happiness in our lives.

Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen

North Platte, a small town in the middle of Nebraska, was at the center of rail lines transporting troops across the country en route to their respective theaters  during World War II. This town made it their mission to support and encourage all troops who passed through their community.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

David Allen explains how to adapt a number of strategies to maximize productivity today and reduce and eliminate stress. He bases his advice on the notion that our productivity is proportional to our ability to relax if we can clear our heads from clutter and focus we will be most productive.

On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker

A’Lelia Bundles tells the story of her grandmother Madam CJ Walker who managed to beat the odds and amass tremendous wealth, unheard of for an African American woman, through her self-made beauty empire based on a hair care formula for black women.

Jayber Crow

After being orphaned, Jayber Crow goes from studying theology and entering the ministry to moving to a small community where he becomes a barber. In this role, he becomes deeply attached to those he meets and talks with from behind the barber’s chair to his adopted community.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

This masterpiece has inspired people of all ages from students working hard to succeed in school to high-powered CEOs who reflect on it to guide their thinking. This book highlights tricks to be more productive in work and capitalize on the opportunities presented by embracing change.

The Four Loves

Influential Christian thinker and writer C.S. Lewis describes his four forms of human love. Lewis analyzes both the risk and the even more tremendous reward of these four forms of love and their role in human happiness and contentment. This book both instructs and inspires in its detailed analysis of different forms of love.