Library
Book Summaries
The big ideas from books we love, summarized in our own words, with questions to help you put them into practice. Each summary links to the book so you can read it in full.
- Book summary · 10 min read
Leadership and Self-Deception
The Arbinger Institute, with its companion book, The Anatomy of Peace
Why we stop seeing people as people, how we talk ourselves into it, and the simple, honest steps that bring us back, including at home with our kids.
- Relationships
- Leadership
- Parenting
- Conflict
- Book summary · 16 min read
Motivational Interviewing
William R. Miller & Stephen Rollnick, Helping People Change
How to help someone find their own reasons to change, with the core listening skills, change talk, and lots of real-life examples for sessions, parenting, relationships and habits.
- Communication
- Behavior change
- Parenting
- Coaching
- Book summary · 4 min read
The Courage to Be Disliked
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, continued in The Courage to Be Happy
A philosopher and a restless young man debate over five nights how to stop living for approval, take ownership of your choices, and find happiness through contribution.
- Self-growth
- Relationships
- Behavior change
- Book summary · 4 min read
The Courage to Be Happy
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, sequel to The Courage to Be Disliked
Three years later, the young man is a struggling teacher, and the philosopher shows how respect, encouragement, and love as a choice turn ideas into practice.
- Relationships
- Parenting
- Communication
- Leadership
- Book summary · 4 min read
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys
David Thomas, Tools Your Son Can Build On for Life
A seasoned family counselor offers parents practical, boy-friendly tools for helping sons notice, manage, and own their emotions, without "man up" messages.
- Parenting
- Communication
- Behavior change
- Book summary · 4 min read
Trust
Henry Cloud, Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken
Psychologist Henry Cloud explains the five essentials of trust and a clear, step-by-step path for deciding when to trust again after it breaks.
- Relationships
- Conflict
- Leadership
- Communication
- Book summary · 6 min read
How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, From the authors of How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk
Two beloved parenting educators give parents of teenagers real words to use, so hard talks about grades, curfews, friends, and risky choices become teamwork instead of a tug-of-war.
- Parenting
- Communication
- Conflict
- Book summary · 6 min read
Mindset
Carol S. Dweck, The New Psychology of Success
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck explains the difference between believing abilities are fixed and believing they can grow, and how that belief shapes the way we handle effort, setbacks, and feedback.
- Self-growth
- Parenting
- Communication
- Leadership
- Book summary · 6 min read
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, Foreword by Patrick Lencioni
A short, practical guide to the four skills of emotional intelligence, with dozens of everyday strategies for noticing your emotions, managing your reactions, reading other people, and handling relationships well.
- Self-growth
- Communication
- Relationships
- Leadership
- Parenting
- Book summary · 7 min read
The Marriage Clinic
John M. Gottman, A Scientifically Based Marital Therapy
Relationship researcher John Gottman turns decades of watching real couples into a clear picture of what makes marriages last, from everyday friendship to handling the problems that never fully go away.
- Marriage
- Relationships
- Communication
- Conflict
- Book summary · 6 min read
Mental and Emotional Release
Dr. Matt James, with Tris Thorp, Introducing the MER® technique
NLP trainer Dr. Matt James explains Mental and Emotional Release (MER), a guided-imagery technique that uses a mental "time line" to look back at old emotional patterns from a calmer distance and keep the lessons they hold.
- Self-growth
- Emotions
- Behavior change