My Top 10 Books of All Time

10. A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume, philosophy/psychology 9. Anathem by Neal Stephenson, sci-fi and metaphysics 8. The Confessions by St. Augustine, autobiography 7. The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges, self-help for intellectuals (efficacy v. efficiency) 6. After Virtue, by Alasdair MacIntyre, moral theory 5. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass 4. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, violent Western novel 3. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin, sci-fi - scientist struggles with exploitation 2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, novel 1. The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, moral theory

The Dispossessed, Anathem and Blood Meridian are on my reading list for this year, largely from listening to you talk about them in past videos. Read Octavia Butler’s Dawn on your recommendation a few months back and I enjoyed it very much. Currently in the middle of Snow Crash and finished The Road last month, which is the most emotionally devastating book I’ve ever read. Being a new father it hit me pretty hard. The end left me weeping. 10/10 I look forward to trying some of the philosophy you mentioned, I’ve always been interested in philosophy but have never actually sit down and a read a philosophy text outside of Camus and a few papers on ethics.

I so appreciate how you discuss books concisely while providing enough information for us to have something to go on. Thank you.

Thank you for this list Jared. I have sort of been using your guide on reading stoicism. So far I have read Letters From a Stoic, the Meditations, and now I’m reading the Epictetus collection from the Chicago press. These books have sparked such a love for reading and knowledge. I’m going to add all of these books you recommended to my list, if they aren’t already there. They all seem fantastic. A book that has been a yearly reread for me is How to Win Friends and Influence people. The title can seem a little devious and the business context may be slightly outdated, but I really appreciate the message this book tells. It is unlike the other “business” books out there. It goes beyond benefiting yourself, but also improving everyone else’s lives too. It is so genuine and is the ultimate communication book, which in my opinion is humanity’s greatest weakness. It is about understanding those around you and truly listening. I know it’s already super popular, but I could not recommend it enough. Thanks again for the great content.

Of these I've only read The Confessions, and Crime and Punishment (many years ago). I appreciate your thoughtful approach and analysis. I need to read Blood Meridian, I've read several other of McCarthy's books and each one was terrific. One of my favorite "westerns" is The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark. It strikes me as a book you might enjoy.

Was surprised to see the Nicomachean Ethics at #1 but I'm really happy. I took a seminar on Aristotle last year and that book has set a philosophical baseline that I think anyone interested in the subject should have. Aristotle's influence on thought, I think, is unparalleled. For instance, when I took a seminar on Kant, it was shocking to see how much of it seemed to be in response, if indirectly, to Aristotle. And to think that the Nicomachean Ethics are just lecture notes, it's amazing. Imagine the day we find lost works of his. Great video.

Great list, I want to thank you as you've successfully gotten me into Ursula K. Le Guin. I loved The Left Hand of Darkness and now have the Dispossessed on the shelf ready to be read!

Wow, thank you thank you! You are helping reinspire my love of learning. Your videos are so thoughtful and well crafted, your ideas are eloquent yet approachable. I’m so excited to begin diving deeper into my self-education. ❤

My condolences to Cormac McCarthy's family and friends. He's one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. May his legacy continue to live on.

As a person who lives modestly and thinks a lot about "selling out" and "getting a real job" the themes in Orwell´s little known novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997 film A Merry Way) have stuck with me since reading it. It´s the eternal battle of "following your bliss" versus being practical and working for a living at a job that you might not be passionate about. It´s very short and I would recommend the book over the movie because of the internal dialogue of the main character, his idealism vs. harsh reality, which you don´t get as much of in the film.

Thanks for the list Jared. Ive read 4 out of these 10 and also hold each in high regard. I trust your opinion so thank you for the suggestions and brief overview of each.

I was happily surprised to see how much philosophical literature is on your list. This was the first video of yours that I have seen great job

Fantastic video, Nichomachean ethics is also one of my favorite books and I just happened to read it because a teacher in Law school made us read it. I ended up loving it. It makes so much sense to me.

Amazing video! Thanks for sharing! Cheers from Brazil!

Was glad to see the confessions on your list ! One of my favorites as well!

Great list mr. Henderson! I have only read crime and punishment which i finished last week. I loved it. Underrated channel

What an amazing channel to stumble upon! Amazing reviews ! Got two books already!

Hey Jared, is it possible we could have a convo about how you made the switch from the humanities to tech? I’m a recent grad and I’m interested in changing careers

Thank you for sharing your list ❤

Great list! Can I ask, if I read Alasdair MacIntyre's "Dependent Rational Animals", should I still read "After Virtue"? I got the impression that he was updating and even revising some AV in DRA, but my current project is trying to make sense of moral claims, and I don't want to miss out on any important insights from MacIntyre.....