6 Inspirational Books to Add to Your Winter Reading List

Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts for the avid reader in your life or searching for a few great books to read for yourself, there are a ton of incredibly inspiring books out there. Below are a few popular reads. 

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I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory by legendary Baltimore Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis

Lewis provides a deep and thought-provoking look into his troubled childhood. From his rise to athletic greatness, the storm that threatened to ruin his NFL career, and the devastating injury that nearly cost him a final moment of glory.

“A lot of folks, they know my game, but they don’t know my deal. This book right here, it tells the story of my seventeen-year NFL career. It tells of my two Super Bowls, the mark I was blessed to be able to make on the game, on the city of Baltimore. But it also tells the story of how I grew up–abandoned by my no-account father, raised with my siblings by our God-fearing, hardworking single mother. It tells how I sometimes struggled off the field. It tells of the anguish and controversy that found me away from the game. Mostly, it tells how heartbreak can sometimes lift you to greatness and glory–if you find a way to put your focus in faith, and faith in your focus.”

Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life by legendary former New York Giant defensive end, Michael Strahan

With a legendary football career, two morning TV shows–The Live! with Kelly co -host and Good Morning America contributor, Michael Strahan is America’s new “It” guy. In his new book Wake Up Happy, Strahan “shares personal stories about how he gets and stays motivated and how readers can do the same

in their quest to attain their life goals. The book offers a combination of stories and motivational advice to inspire the reader to turn up the heat and go from good to great in pursuit of their personal ambitions.”

“Year of Yes,” by Shonda Rhimes, Television Producer, Showrunner, and Writer

An incredibly candid look into the life of Shonda Rhimes, the uber-talented creator of Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, and Grey’s Anatomy. “This memoir explores her life before her Year of Yes–from her nerdy, book-loving childhood creating imaginary friends to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her (like Cristina Yang, whose ultimate goal wasn’t marriage, and Cyrus Beene, who is a Republican and gay). And it chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun–when Rhimes forced herself out of the house and onto the stage, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and giving the Dartmouth commencement speech; when she learned to say yes to her health, yes to play and she stepped out of the shadows and into the sun; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self.”

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae, Writer, and Actress

Issa Rae is the creator of the YouTube workplace comedy series Awkward Black Girl as well as Ratchet Piece Theater, The “F” Word, and The Choir. Rae’s shows have garnered more than 20 million views and more than 180,000 subscribers on YouTube. And earlier this year, she landed her own HBO Comedy series entitled Insecure. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is “a reflection on Rae’s own unique experiences as a cyber-pioneer.

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“My name is “J” and I’m awkward–and black. Someone once told me those were the two worst things anyone could be. That someone was right. Where do I start?” In this debut collection of essays written in her witty and self-deprecating voice, Rae covers everything from cybersexing in the early days of the Internet to deflecting unsolicited comments on weight gain, from navigating the perils of eating out alone and public displays of affection to learning to accept yourself–natural hair and all.”

The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness by La La Anthony

As the star of VH1’s La La’s Full Court Life, actress, entrepreneur, and wife of New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, La La Anthony provides insight and advice around everything from balancing a growing career, a high-profile marriage, and motherhood, bad dates, tumultuous relationships, and backstabbing friends.

A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties by Ben Carson. M.D., a retired American neurosurgeon and 2016 candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

“I wrote this book to encourage every citizen to read and think about the Constitution, and to help defend it from those who misinterpret and undermine it. In our age of political correctness, it’s especially important to defend the Bill of Rights, which guarantees our freedom to speak, bear arms, practice our religion, and much more.”

“The Constitution isn’t history–it’s about your life in America today. And defending it is about what kind of country our children and grandchildren will inherit.”