Recommended Reading
Check out our recommended reading list below. Each teaches valuable lessons on resilience.
by Ross Clifford and Ashley Kalym
While there are countless books on physical fitness, this one focuses on building physical resilience through body-weight exercises. These workouts can be done at home with no equipment, and can help you rehabilitate from injury, or build a more resilient body.
Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag,
by Creek Stewart
A step by step manual to help you build a bug out bag appropriate for your situation. This book discusses essential items to include in your bag, while keeping down the weight.
by Cody Lundin
A simple, easy to read manual on how to survive in nature. This book reminds you of the essentials, keeping your body temperature at 98.6 degrees. Survival expert Cody Lundin takes you through how you may find yourself in a survival situation, and what you can do to keep yourself alive.
by Ben Sherwood
This is a collection of stories of people who have survived experiences that normally would have killed others in that same situation. Why do some people survive, while others die? This book examines various characteristics that may determine who survives, and who does not.
by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
This book describes the psychological effects that people experience during battle or other traumatic experiences. Learning about the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of extreme stress can help prepare you to respond effectively during a high-stress scenario.
Principles of Personal Defense,
by John Dean "Jeff" Cooper
Jeff Cooper was a marine and a firearms instructor who noted that the most important tool for surviving a lethal confrontation is not the weapon, or even martial skills, but the combat mindset. He developed the Cooper Awareness Color Code Chart to determine one's awareness to potential threats. Learning how to identify threats before they become threats will greatly increase your chances of surviving a potential lethal confrontation.
by Witold Pilecki
Originally written by Pilecki to describe his experiences in Auschwitz to his superiors. Pilecki was a Polish resistance fighter who volunteered to be captured and sent to Auschwitz to collect intelligence, organize a resistance, and eventually overthrow the guards. This powerful book demonstrates the mindset required to not only survive, but to thrive amidst the horrors of life in Auschwitz.
by Richard Wiseman
Luck is not distributed evenly among the population. Some people really do have more luck than mere chance would indicate they should. This book demonstrates principles you can use to improve your chances of getting lucky.
by Nadia Murad
Nadia Murad was a young Yazidi girl captured by ISIS fighters in 2014, and taken from her home in Northern Iraq. Following her escape from captivity, Nadia Murad described her experiences and brought worldwide attention to the plight of the Yazidis. Her efforts led to her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
by Robert G. Allen
Most of us depend on a single stream of income, our job, to meet all our financial needs. This makes us vulnerable and dependent on our job for our survival. By creating revenue streams from other sources, whether it be a second job, investments, a business, real estate, or any other stream, we can become more resilient to disruptions of any one of our streams of income.
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The most significant shifts in human history were caused by highly improbable, but impactful events. Who would have expected in the fall of 2019 that the world would be gripped by a life-changing pandemic in early 2020? This book looks at the consequences of unpredictable outlier events, and why we are blind to them before they happen.
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Written by the same author as the Black Swan, this is the most important book in this list. Antifragile discusses how the unexpected randomness of life could actually make us stronger. Rather than being fragile to all the bumps in life, or robust, which is just a larger version of fragile, we could become antifragile, and grow stronger with volatility and adversity.
by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
Why are nations with great natural resources often the poorest in the world? Why have previously wealthy nations collapsed? How can we create a nation that thrives? The authors of this book asked these and other questions, and found that throughout history increases in individual freedom resulted in an increase in prosperity, while extractive governments lead to collapse.
by Friedrich Hayek
Written during World War II, Hayek dedicated this book to Socialists everywhere. Hayek argued that the Socialism in England at the time had the same roots as the Fascism that gripped Nazi Germany. In this book, Hayek shows how Socialism inevitably leads to servitude. In modern times people increasingly clamor for Socialism, not realizing it will cost them their freedom.
by Ludwig Von Mises
Ludwig von Mises was the mentor to Friedrich Hayek, and an influential leader in the Austrian School of Economics. Human Action looks at why people do the things they do, and advocates for individual human freedom. This book is not an easy read, so be prepared to chew on it for a while. This is a great book to read while in quarantine with nothing to interrupt you for a few weeks.
The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure,
by John Allison
Written by the former CEO of BB&T, this book examines the causes of the financial crisis of 2008. Allison shows how the crisis was not caused by the free market, as many politicians argue, instead, it was caused by politicians interfering with the free market. This book is a great warning as politicians today continue to try to interfere with the economy under the guise of fixing it.