Books like The Problem of Pain

01

Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis · Philosophy

Mere Christianity began as a series of BBC radio broadcasts Lewis gave during World War II, and the book retains that quality of direct, informal address.

Shares faith and human nature with The Problem of Pain.

02

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

C. S. Lewis · Memoir

Surprised by Joy is Lewis's account of his intellectual and spiritual development from childhood through his conversion to Christianity at Oxford in the early 1930s.

Both dig into faith.

03

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.

Both dig into suffering.

04

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 philosophy read.

05

The Perennial Philosophy

Aldous Huxley · Religion & Spirituality

The Perennial Philosophy is Aldous Huxley's anthology and commentary on the mystical traditions of the world, arguing that behind the diversity of religious forms lies a single metaphysical core: the divine ground or ultimate reality is one; the human soul contains a spark of this reality; the purpose of human existence is to realize this identity; and the path to that realization requires ego-transcendence through contemplation, virtue, and love.

A kindred philosophy read.

06

The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis · Religion & Spirituality

The Screwtape Letters is C.

Shares faith and human nature with The Problem of Pain.

07

Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living

Krista Tippett · Philosophy

Becoming Wise draws on Krista Tippett's decades of conversation with scientists, poets, theologians, activists, and philosophers through her radio program On Being.

Both dig into faith.

08

Essays and Aphorisms

Arthur Schopenhauer · Philosophy

Essays and Aphorisms is R.

Both dig into suffering.

09

Existentialism Is a Humanism

Jean-Paul Sartre · Philosophy

Existentialism Is a Humanism began as a 1945 lecture Sartre gave to a packed Paris hall in response to critics who called existentialism pessimistic, quietist, and dangerous.

Both dig into human nature.

10

Fear and Trembling

Søren Kierkegaard · Philosophy

Fear and Trembling was published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, and it is Kierkegaard's most sustained meditation on the nature of faith through the lens of the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Both dig into faith.

11

Letters and Papers from Prison

Dietrich Bonhoeffer · Philosophy

Letters and Papers from Prison is a posthumous collection of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's correspondence written during his imprisonment at Tegel military prison in Berlin between April 1943 and October 1944, along with some earlier papers and the poem "Who Am I?" written near the end.

Both dig into suffering.

12

Leviathan

Thomas Hobbes · Philosophy

Leviathan, published in 1651 in the aftermath of the English Civil War, is one of the founding texts of modern political philosophy.

Both dig into human nature.