Health · Similar reads
Books like Born to Run
The best books like Born to Run are Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, and Why We Sleep. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is about running, human endurance, barefoot movement. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
01
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Cheryl Strayed · Memoir
Wild is Cheryl Strayed's account of hiking 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail alone in 1995 at twenty-six, with no prior backpacking experience and a pack so heavy she could barely lift it.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
02
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
James Nestor · Science
Breath is James Nestor's investigation into one of the most basic and overlooked aspects of human health: how we inhale and exhale.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Why We Sleep
03
Matthew Walker · Science
Why We Sleep is Matthew Walker's attempt to do for sleep what no amount of public health messaging has managed: make people genuinely afraid of what they're losing.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary →
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
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Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth · Psychology
Duckworth's central claim is that talent is overrated.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Into Thin Air
05
Jon Krakauer · Memoir
Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's firsthand account of the May 1996 Everest expedition that killed eight climbers in a single afternoon.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - 80/20 Running
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Matt Fitzgerald · Health
80/20 Running is Matt Fitzgerald's evidence-based argument that the most common mistake recreational runners make is training too hard, too often.
Both dig into running.
Read the summary → - Exercised
07
Daniel Lieberman · Health
Exercised is Daniel Lieberman's follow-up to The Story of the Human Body, applying the same evolutionary lens specifically to physical activity — what it is, why we resist it, and which kinds produce which benefits.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary → - The Story of the Human Body
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Daniel Lieberman · Health
The Story of the Human Body is Daniel Lieberman's account of how evolutionary biology can explain the chronic diseases that plague modern populations.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary → - A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
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A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution
Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg · Science
A Crack in Creation is Jennifer Doudna and Samuel Sternberg's account of how CRISPR-Cas9 works, what it can do, and why its possibilities should give everyone pause.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary → - A Short History of Nearly Everything
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson · Science
A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's attempt to understand the scientific story of everything — from the Big Bang to the emergence of modern humans — by spending three years talking to scientists and reading science history.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary → - Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
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Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
Frans de Waal · Science
Frans de Waal's central argument is that we've spent most of the last century asking the wrong questions about animal intelligence.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary → - Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
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Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Robert M. Sapolsky · Science
Behave is Robert Sapolsky's attempt to explain why humans do what they do — the violence, the altruism, the tribalism, the heroism — by working through every layer of biology that contributes to a single act.
Both dig into evolution.
Read the summary →
Books like Born to Run: quick answers
What are the best books like Born to Run?
The best books like Born to Run by Christopher McDougall are Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with Born to Run, such as running, human endurance, barefoot movement.
What should I read after Born to Run?
A natural next read after Born to Run is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. A kindred health read. Other strong choices are Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth.
What books are similar to Born to Run by Christopher McDougall?
Born to Run centers on running, human endurance, barefoot movement. Books with a similar feel include Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
