Books like The Death of Ivan Ilyich

01

When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanithi · Memoir

When Breath Becomes Air is Paul Kalanithi's account of his life before and after being diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at 36, while completing his residency in neurosurgery at Stanford.

A kindred literary fiction read.

02

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

Atul Gawande · Health

Being Mortal is Atul Gawande's investigation into why modern medicine is so bad at helping people die well.

A kindred literary fiction read.

03

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion · Memoir

Joan Didion's account of the year following the sudden death of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, is the most rigorous and unflinching memoir of grief in American literature.

A kindred literary fiction read.

04

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology

Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.

A kindred literary fiction read.

05

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion

Paul Bloom · Psychology

Paul Bloom's argument is not that we should care less about others.

Both dig into compassion.

06

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Gabor Maté · Health

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is Gabor Maté's book about addiction, written while he was working as a physician in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, one of North America's most concentrated pockets of poverty, drug use, and homelessness.

Both dig into compassion.

07

Peace Is Every Step

Thich Nhat Hanh · Religion & Spirituality

Peace Is Every Step is Thich Nhat Hanh's most accessible work — a short, warmly written invitation to bring mindfulness practice into the texture of daily life.

Both dig into compassion.

08

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

Alan Watts · Philosophy

The Book, published in 1966, is Alan Watts's most direct attempt to explain the central illusion he spent his career examining: the belief that each of us is a separate self, enclosed in skin, confronting an alien world.

Both dig into self-deception.

09

The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life

Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson · Psychology

Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson argue that human behavior is much more self-interested and much less high-minded than the explanations people give for it.

Both dig into self-deception.

10

The Good Heart

The Dalai Lama · Religion & Spirituality

The Good Heart records the Dalai Lama's commentary on selected passages from the Christian Gospels, delivered at a 1994 seminar organized by the John Main Institute in London.

Both dig into compassion.

11

The Mind of the Leader

Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter · Business

The Mind of the Leader makes a straightforward claim: the leadership crisis in most organizations is not a skills problem but a mental habits problem.

Both dig into compassion.

12

The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain

Tali Sharot · Psychology

Tali Sharot is a neuroscientist at University College London, and The Optimism Bias is her account of a finding that surprised researchers: most humans systematically overestimate the likelihood of good things happening to them and underestimate the likelihood of bad ones.

Both dig into self-deception.