Books like Daring Greatly

01

Dare to Lead

Brené Brown · Business

Dare to Lead is Brené Brown's application of her research on vulnerability and courage to the specific context of leadership.

Shares vulnerability and courage with Daring Greatly.

02

The Willpower Instinct

Kelly McGonigal · Self-help

The Willpower Instinct is based on Kelly McGonigal's popular ten-week science of willpower course at Stanford University's Continuing Studies program.

A kindred health read.

03

Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect

Matthew D. Lieberman · Psychology

Matthew Lieberman is one of the founders of social neuroscience, the field that uses brain imaging and neuroscience methods to study social behavior.

Both dig into connection.

04

Lost Connections

Johann Hari · Health

Lost Connections is Johann Hari's argument that depression and anxiety are not primarily chemical imbalances in the brain but responses to social and environmental conditions — disconnection from meaningful work, close relationships, the natural world, a secure future, and status that feels deserved.

A kindred health read.

05

The Upside of Stress

Kelly McGonigal · Health

The Upside of Stress is Kelly McGonigal's evidence-based argument that the harm of stress is mediated less by stress itself than by the belief that stress is harmful.

A kindred health read.

06

I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't)

Brené Brown · Psychology

I Thought It Was Just Me is Brené Brown's first major book, written from her research on shame as a social scientist.

Shares vulnerability and shame with Daring Greatly.

07

Atlas of the Heart

Brené Brown · Psychology

Atlas of the Heart is Brené Brown's attempt to map eighty-seven distinct human emotions and experiences — not as a clinical taxonomy but as a practical vocabulary for people who want to communicate more precisely about what they feel.

Shares vulnerability and connection with Daring Greatly.

08

The Gifts of Imperfection

Brené Brown · Self-help

The Gifts of Imperfection is Brené Brown's attempt to translate a decade of qualitative research on shame, vulnerability, and belonging into practical guidance for everyday life.

Shares vulnerability and shame with Daring Greatly.

09

A Man on the Moon

Andrew Chaikin · History

A Man on the Moon is Andrew Chaikin's exhaustive narrative history of the Apollo program, from the first lunar orbit of Apollo 8 in 1968 through the final mission, Apollo 17, in 1972.

Both dig into courage.

10

Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission

Hampton Sides · History

Ghost Soldiers tells the story of the January 1945 raid on the Cabanatuan prisoner-of-war camp in the Philippines — a mission to rescue 513 American and Allied prisoners, survivors of the Bataan Death March, before the retreating Japanese army could execute them.

Both dig into courage.

11

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

Becky Kennedy · Psychology

Good Inside is clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy's guide to a parenting philosophy built around one central premise: children are fundamentally good inside, and difficult behaviors are not character flaws or manipulation but signals of unmet needs or underdeveloped skills.

Both dig into connection.

12

I Am Malala

Malala Yousafzai · Memoir

I Am Malala is the memoir of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban on her school bus in October 2012 at age fifteen, and who survived to become the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Both dig into courage.