5 Books That Will Change the Way You Think and Read

There are a lot of self-help books out there, some more effective and profound than others. However, the books that have been the most influential in my life and have changed how I read, think and behave were never and likely will never be marketed as self-help books. These books were transformative for me in my twenties, and I’ve yet to come across books in my thirties that have impacted me as much as these did. They transformed the way I understand the world around me, how I analyse concepts and understand my relationship with those around me and my mental health in times of extreme crises.

The Republic by Plato.

I distinctly remember the moment this book completely changed how I saw myself and the world around me. Having never read an ancient text before, nor having ever read philosophy for that matter, I was terrified of confronting this book. I didn’t believe I had the intelligence to understand such a monumental Western canonical text, but two things shocked me.

The first was how easy and accessible the text was to read. The second was realising how ignorant and uncurious I’d been about the world my entire life. Up until the age of nineteen, I had absorbed everything I’d ever been told without a second thought; I’d never once questioned what something truly meant, what was truth…