A Grief Observed By CS Lewis
I am a paperback book kind of girl. I love to underline and mark up each page, filling the ledgers with notes and questions to circle back to. If you were to go through my entire library, you would find A Grief Observed would be the most blemished of them all. It is as if CS Lewis copied and pasted my thoughts and heart onto the pages of this book. I found that grief made me question my sanity each and every day, but this book allowed me to feel validation in my emotions. Whether you are wrestling through a divorce, career change, or loss of a loved one, I would recommend this to anyone walking through a season of adversity in grief.
Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko
Author Levi Lusko and his wife tragically and suddenly lost their 5-year-old daughter to an asthma attack. This faith-based book encouraged my heart to face the greatest tragedy in my life with authenticity, grace, and well…with the eyes and heart of a lion. One of my biggest takeaway from this book was Lusko’s concept of “running towards the roar,” as he coined it. This idea is wrapped up in dealing with tragedy and trauma head on, embracing the process and every ounce of pain that it entails. This book incited a sense of positive recklessness and fearlessness in me. It encouraged me to overcome the days that made me tremble. It empowered me when I wanted to cower in fear. This was a key book of healing in my path to where I am today.
Lean In By Sheryl Sandberg
You’ll notice Sandberg has two slots in this book recommendation list- clearly a woman crush going on here. Sandberg’s passion for igniting the crucial conversation of women leaning into leadership helped shift my perspective on my role in this world. For too long, society has cultivated a culture of repression of the strength and power that women offer every board room and household. This book isn’t a feminist’s cry, it is a celebration of what has been lost and is needed- the voice of women. Everyone needs to read this book in order to see how, as a society, we can maximize our strengths and be better as a human race.
Option B by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
As a self-proclaimed control freak, I panic a little inside every time things don’t go as planned. And by “a little” I mean I go through a full-fledged “WHAT IS MY LIFE??” meltdown. (I’m only being a little dramatic.) All of that to say, embracing and accepting an option B isn’t easy for me, but it’s been a challenge I’ve been faced with multiple times in life and I would venture to guess that many of you have, too. Sandberg and Grant do an incredible job of articulating the struggle but importance of building resilience in the face of adversity. This book is a must read for every single person, in my opinion. We will all face hardship at some point in life. This book embraces walking through such afflictions with an irrepressible spirit and hunger to find joy again.
