Best Character Books — 77 Honest Reviews
Every book below was read and judged on one question: will it change what you do on Monday morning? Each review tells you who should read it, who should skip it and the three ideas worth keeping.
No Excuses!
Brian Tracy · Character
Unglamorous and reliable; a drill sergeant you can keep on the shelf.
CLICK TO SEE
The Carpenter
Jon Gordon · Character
Pleasant, brief and forgettable in the details; the spirit sticks.
CLICK TO SEE
The Go-Getter
Peter B. Kyne · Character
A brisk classic about getting it done; short enough to read on a lunch break.
CLICK TO SEE
The Second Mountain
David Brooks · Character
A reflective book about the life after ambition; richer than most in the genre.
CLICK TO SEE
The Road to Character
David Brooks · Character
Elegant and a bit wistful; a worthwhile pause from the self-improvement treadmill.
CLICK TO SEE
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey · Character
The foundational text of the genre; dated in tone, undiminished in substance.
CLICK TO SEE
Leadership and Self-Deception
The Arbinger Institute · Character
A disarming little book about blame; it reads quickly and lingers.
CLICK TO SEE
How Will You Measure Your Life?
Clayton M. Christensen · Character
Short, grave and clear; a good book to read every few years.
CLICK TO SEE
12 Rules for Life
Jordan B. Peterson · Character
Dense, divisive and influential; useful rules, long sermons.
CLICK TO SEE
Principles
Ray Dalio · Character
Thorough and demanding; the first hundred pages carry most of the value.
CLICK TO SEE
Tuesdays with Morrie
Mitch Albom · Character
Simple and moving; a perspective reset in an evening.
CLICK TO SEE
Intentional Living
John C. Maxwell · Character
Warm and sincere; a book about giving back.
CLICK TO SEE
Integrity
Henry Cloud · Character
Thoughtful and a little dense; useful for leaders at a plateau.
CLICK TO SEE
Braving the Wilderness
Brené Brown · Character
Brief and timely; less practical, still worthwhile.
CLICK TO SEE
The Power of Meaning
Emily Esfahani Smith · Character
Thoughtful and well-written; a good book on the thing beneath happiness.
CLICK TO SEE
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell · Character
Ancient, brief and endlessly rereadable.
CLICK TO SEE
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X with Alex Haley · Character
A great American autobiography.
CLICK TO SEE
Benjamin Franklin: An Autobiography
Benjamin Franklin · Character
The original, still practical.
CLICK TO SEE
Autobiography of a Yogi
Paramahansa Yogananda · Character
Classic, miraculous, influential.
CLICK TO SEE
The Practicing Stoic
Ward Farnsworth · Character
Scholarly, clear and genuinely practical; the Stoicism book to own.
CLICK TO SEE
How to Be a Stoic
Massimo Pigliucci · Character
Thoughtful and accessible; a solid introduction to Stoic practice.
CLICK TO SEE
The Little Book of Stoicism
Jonas Salzgeber · Character
Compact and practical; a good first Stoic book.
CLICK TO SEE
The Earned Life
Marshall Goldsmith · Character
Reflective and wise; a late-career book worth reading early.
CLICK TO SEE
Change Your World
John C. Maxwell and Rob Hoskins · Character
Transformation starts at a table.
CLICK TO SEE
Being Mortal
Atul Gawande · Character
Humane and important; a book about the end that improves the middle.
CLICK TO SEE
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
Bronnie Ware · Character
Simple and affecting; the list is worth the book.
CLICK TO SEE
The Good Life Method
Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko · Character
Thoughtful and rigorous; philosophy as a practice.
CLICK TO SEE
As an Amazon Associate, WisdomDeck earns from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Click to see” go to Amazon. We are not paid for opinions, prices and availability are not shown here and change on Amazon, and we never see your purchase details. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.