Multiple times in the last few months while suggesting a book that young guys should read, I’ve had men ask me for a list of those books. As someone who has read more than a couple of thousand books in his life, it’s hard to cut it down to just 10, but here are some I think are particularly good for young men to read.
1) No More Mr. Nice Guy: Once we get beyond our families, most young men get their ideas about how to succeed in life and love from comics, movies and fairy tales. The problem is that if you follow that model, you’re going to end up being a “nice guy” who is puzzled as to why he keeps getting beaten into the pavement even though he’s “doing the right thing.” This book won’t make you mean or make you into a jerk, but it will improve your life by giving you a much clearer picture of the world you live in.
2) The Rational Male: This is Rollo Tomassi’s master work and it does a better job than any other book I’ve ever seen at explaining gender dynamics — not the phony “Wow, the patriarchy runs everything” gender dynamics you hear about on TV and in politics, but the REAL way things break down between men and women in life and relationships. This book will rip the blindfold off for men.
3) Awaken the Giant Within: This book changed my life and I am such a fan that I have given it away to at least a half dozen different people. Not all of them have read it, but it has had a big impact on the ones that have. The tagline for the book claims it will teach you “How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny.” That is not just hype, my friend.