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70 Books to Make You Feel Hopeful: A Special Reading List

Need a dose of literary oomph and inspiration? Here's a selection of uplifting reads — all suggested by TED speakers — for your enjoyment.
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from ideas.ted.com · made by Izzy
avg. score: 2 of 70 (4%)
required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
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A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
A Man Called Ove
1
Fredrik Backman
Mooncop (Tom Gauld)
Mooncop
2
Tom Gauld
B & Me (J.C. Hallman)
B & Me
3
J.C. Hallman
Reckless: My Life as a Pretender (Chrissie Hynde)
Reckless: My Life as a Pretender
4
Chrissie Hynde
Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan)
Crazy Rich Asians
5
Kevin Kwan
The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
The Alchemist
6
Paulo Coelho
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
7
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Independent People
Independent People
8
Unbowed (Wangari Maathai)
Unbowed
9
Wangari Maathai
The Forty Rules of Love (Elif Shafak)
The Forty Rules of Love
10
Elif Shafak
What I Know for Sure (Oprah Winfrey)
What I Know for Sure
11
Oprah Winfrey
The Wave: In Pursuit of the Oceans' Greatest Furies (Susan Casey)
The Wave: In Pursuit of the Oceans' Greatest Furies
12
Susan Casey
Cleverlands (Lucy Crehan)
Cleverlands
13
Lucy Crehan
Dancing in Cambodia and Other Essays (Amitav Ghosh)
Dancing in Cambodia and Other Essays
14
Amitav Ghosh
Rolling Blackouts: Dispatches From Turkey, Syria, and Iraq (Sarah Glidden)
Rolling Blackouts: Dispatches From Turkey, Syria, and Iraq
15
Sarah Glidden
A Complicated Kindness
A Complicated Kindness
16
Earth in Human Hands (Grinspoon, David)
Earth in Human Hands
17
Grinspoon, David
For the Benefit of Those Who See: Dispatches From the World of the Blind (Rosemary Mahoney)
For the Benefit of Those Who See: Dispatches From the World of the Blind
18
Rosemary Mahoney
The Inland Whale (Theodora Kroeber)
The Inland Whale
19
Theodora Kroeber
A Burglar's Guide to the City (Geoff Manaugh)
A Burglar's Guide to the City
20
Geoff Manaugh
Hold Still: A Memoir With Photographs (Sally Mann) (Sally Mann)
Hold Still: A Memoir With Photographs (Sally Mann)
21
Sally Mann
Who Cooked the Last Supper (Rosalind Miles)
Who Cooked the Last Supper
22
Rosalind Miles
The Blue Sweater (Jacqueline Novogratz)
The Blue Sweater
23
Jacqueline Novogratz
Jugaad Innovation (Jaideep Prabhu, Navi Radjou and Simone Ahuja)
Jugaad Innovation
24
Jaideep Prabhu, Navi Radjou and Simone Ahuja
The Last Hunger Season (Roger Thurow)
The Last Hunger Season
25
Roger Thurow
The Locust and the Bird (Hanan Al-Shaykh)
The Locust and the Bird
26
Hanan Al-Shaykh
The Dinner Party (Judy Chicago)
The Dinner Party
27
Judy Chicago
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Homegoing
28
Yaa Gyasi
Go Set a Watchman (Harper Lee)
Go Set a Watchman
29
Harper Lee
Always Coming Home (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Always Coming Home
30
Ursula K. Le Guin
Industries of the Future (Ross)
Industries of the Future
31
Ross
The Mandibles (Lionel Shriver)
The Mandibles
32
Lionel Shriver
Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Madeleine Thien)
Do Not Say We Have Nothing
33
Madeleine Thien
The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson)
The Warmth of Other Suns
34
Isabel Wilkerson
Take This Stallion (Anais Duplan)
Take This Stallion
35
Anais Duplan
Chanting in the Hillsides (Jeaneane and Merv Fowler)
Chanting in the Hillsides
36
Jeaneane and Merv Fowler
Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet (Todd MacLean)
Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet
37
Todd MacLean
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
38
Haruki Murakami
Odes to Common Things (Pablo Neruda)
Odes to Common Things
39
Pablo Neruda
Tenth of December (George Saunders)
Tenth of December
40
George Saunders
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