The time for me to host my first ever Nonfiction November prompt is finally here!
This week, I’m asking you to share the book or books that have changed the way you see the world.
One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without it. There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the profound. What nonfiction book (or books) has impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way? Do you think there is one book that everyone needs to read for a better understanding of the world we live in?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commission on any books you purchase at the Bookshop links provided. While this is appreciated, I always encourage you to shop for books at your local indie bookstore first and foremost.
I decided on Worldview Changers for my topic because for a while I’ve wanted to make a post about all the books that I simply think everyone ought to read. So not only do I get to share some of my favorites with you but I get to see everyone else’s great recommendations, too! I find that a great deal of my books find their way to the “everyone needs to read this” pile, because I’m always specifically searching for these foundational books. I’ve listed a few below which stand up to the testimonials’ praise of “must-read,” “the answer,” and “the path to . . . survival.”
I chose a diverse selection of books to show that a worldview changer can be from a wide range of genres. Here are the worldviews that these books might challenge.
Social Justice worldview changers
Men Who Hate Women by Laura Bates will open your eyes to the insidious “manosphere” and highlight the undeniable connection between violent online misogyny and real life acts of deadly violence by incels and others.
Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts and Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall will change the way you view feminism and reproductive rights as a white-centric, abortion-focused fight, introducing you instead to intersectional feminism and full-fledged reproductive justice.
Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi are essential for understanding America’s racist past and present, and what it means for us all going into the future.
Religion worldview changers
The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart shatters any notion you had that church and state are actually being kept separate in America.
How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman explains just who Jesus actually was and puts into perspective the way the Gospels portray him. If you’ve ever heard the C.S. Lewis trichotomy that Jesus must have been “the Lord, a liar, or a lunatic,” then this is a must-read.
God’s Philosophers by James Hannam flips on their head commonly held beliefs that the Middle Ages were a backward, religious time in which the Church halted all scientific progress for 1,000 years.
Science worldview changers
The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein debunks the idea that science is a neutral, forward-looking beacon of progress that benefits all of humanity.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan and For Small Creatures Such as We by Sasha Sagan make a great pair. The first (save for its factual errors) puts into perspective just how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and the second explains why and how we can and should celebrate that. Together, they helped me to integrate meaningfulness into my atheist worldview in a way that I never had without them.
Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes will poetically show you that Neanderthals were nothing like the stupid, hunched troglodytes you’ve always seen them as.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab is a fast read that will inevitably help anyone to manage the relationships in their life.
These have been my own entries for this challenge that I’m so excited to introduce to you! Don’t forget to link up your blog post for this week below, and/or share a picture of your worldview changers on Instagram on the 23rd using #nonfictionbookparty and tagging Jaymi!
I have a bookshelf on Goodreads called “Level up” which is just this kind of book. I just checked and I have ten books on it so far, They include “Godel Escher Bach”, “Thinking Fast and Slow” and “Factfulness”.
Congratulations on hosting your first week! I liked doing this one and I could have added Hood Feminism easily to my recommendations, though they’re social justice focused anyway. Hope it’s a great week for you; I can’t wait to read all the other posts!
A wide selection of world changer books here. I think I might struggle with this challenge.
The men who hate women books, your summary is helpful. I actually couldn’t read such a book. Books stay with me and sometimes I find it gard to let go of their profoundness be positive or negative.
The Disordered Cosmos looks especially amazing! I’d not heard of that one before so thanks for putting it on my list.
It was really interesting! It really stressed me out at times but was nothing if not a worldview changer 😉
This is a wonderful collection of books! I have added a few to my TBR but I am not going to resist picking up For Small Creatures Such as We for very long. Thank you for hosting this week!
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Some great books there. I had a similar theme last year, so I love how many new books I discovered here.
My Worldview Changers
Thanks for these recommendations. I have read Men Who Hate Women which was eye opening. Thanks for hosting this week
Loved reading your list and everyone else’s! Thanks for hosting such a great prompt!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I have recently become interested in adding more rituals to my life, so I am going to check out Sasha Sagan’s book.
wow, that’s quite a list! Impressive, and also a bit overwhelming
Great job with your list of books! So much to consider and think about….
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I love this topic! How to Be An Antiracist was certainly a worldview changer for me too. God’s Philosophers and Kindred look really interesting. Thanks!
Sasha Sagan’s book is excellent. So glad you highlighted it here. I recommend it often.
I forgot to link earlier this week when I posted. Thanks for a great job on this week. You have listed some excellent books. I guess my main contribution was/is a Social Justice worldview changer – to so with domestic abuse.
I’m so glad you chose this topic of Worldview Changers. And this is such a powerful collection of books here. I’ve read a few of them but like to read more. Thanks for sharing your list, and for hosting us this week.
You’re so welcome!
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