In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we’ve compiled a list of books that inspire – just as he did. This is only a handful of the many inspiring books out there, so please let us know what your favorite book that inspires you is in the comments below!
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
How It Inspires: Coelho’s beautiful novel follows Santiago as he searches for his destiny. Destiny is a theme that runs throughout the novel—and one that inspires readers to achieve their own goals and dreams.
Black Boy by Richard Wright
How It Inspires: The coming-of-age story recounts the author’s journey as he deals with racism, religion, and politics. By the end of the book, Wright resolves to use writing as way to start a “revolution”—stating that everyone needs to be just as fulfilled.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
How It Inspires: The popular book (now a movie) tells the story of Olympic athlete-turned World War II pilot that survives the Pacific Ocean and a Japanese POW camp after his plane crashes.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
How It Inspires: After her mother’s death and the end of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed hiked the over 1,000-mile Pacific Crest Trail alone—discovering herself and healing along the way.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
How It Inspires: Mother-daughter relationships as well as the psychological impact of slavery play major themes throughout this Nobel Prize-winning novel. Although horrific events take place, the main character Sethe is eventually able to overcome them—letting her daughter’s spirit go.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
How It Inspires: The book deals with bullying and race, while focusing on the dreams of Arnold—a boy living on an Indian reservation who decides to attend an outside high school. Although Arnold was born with an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in his brain, leaving him with physical problems, he does not let this stop him from achieving his dream for a better life.
Push by Sapphire
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How It Inspires: The novel follows Precious—a 16-year-old who encounters many issues growing up, including rape, pregnancy, and illiteracy. Through all of this, Precious is inspired by her teacher to express her feelings through writing and confront her problems.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
How It Inspires: In a world of “Sameness,” Jonas and the Giver decide to give the community their memories back—making his plan to make the world a better place an inspiring one.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
How It Inspires: Life of Pi tells the story of a shipwreck in which a young boy named Pi survives for 227 days on a lifeboat with a tiger. The relativity of truth plays a large part in this inspiring tale that is very reflective.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
How It Inspires: The famous tale about a man who forfeits his own life for the husband of the woman he loves inspires all of us to be brave and noble.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
How It Inspires: Maya Angelou’s heartbreaking work inspires us to love ourselves as she did, and be “free” through kindness and our own strong spirit.
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited by Clayborne Carson
How It Inspires: While there are many books about Martin Luther King, Jr., we’ve chosen this inspiring autobiography that includes unpublished writings and interviews that are truly reflective of his amazing life.
Featured image courtesy of https://bit.ly/1ZHXAHw.