SELF-MASTERY & WISER LEADERSHIP

Resources for Growing Wisdom

Literature and videos as wisdom-growing experiences

This isn’t like my usual articles. I plan on adding to this one over time but in my commitment to not publishing anything clickbait or frivolous, you will see I have started with a fair few resources I have collected that, at least for me, have helped me become a little bit wiser.

My cautionary tale is that the best way to become wiser is to live a life full of love and courage, to pay attention to what is happening to and around you, and reflect on the meaning of both big and everyday experiences.

Having said all of that the literary and artistic world, as is available to us through the phenomenon that is the internet can also give us experiences as part of our exploration of the world and shouldn’t be dismissed immediately for their literal and metaphorical 2-dimensionality.

Literature

My sister is a very clever person. Far smarter than me. So you know I’m joking when, as part of the bet, I agreed to dedicate my first literary work to ‘My sister, that mediocre piece of shit’. Why is a much longer story.

Moving on, she also happens to be a graduate of Oxford in English Literature and a Literary Fiction Blogger. So I wrote to her to ask her what books she would recommend for ‘expanding horizons’ and subsequently ‘personal growth journeys’. The lists are below. I haven't included links because they are all easy to find and maybe, just maybe, it will encourage you to check this on your phone and buy from a book shop, a niche site or a second-hand shop rather than an online marketplace.

With the books below the first line is typically my sister's commentary. I’ll add to it after I have tackled the book myself.

Also, you may want to check my article on Wisdom from the Four Quartets if you haven’t already.

Books that present diverse viewpoints

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi — Graphic novel about a young girl growing up in Iran after the revolution. It’s so weird that just before writing this article and resisting my sister's list I saw someone recommend this on Twitter along with Maus.

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinso — Novel by a first nations woman of the Haisla people, about growing up on a Haisla reserve.

Sour Sweet by Timothy Mo — British East Asian immigrant experience.

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera — From the point of view of an illegal Mexican immigrant.

A Chinese English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo — Cleverly written to reflect the experience of a first-year learning English.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche — Set in the Nigerian Civil war.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe — An absolute classic, a hugely important novel about Okonkwo, an Igbo leader and the impact of colonialism.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston — Another classic, part of the Harlem Renaissance, about an African-American woman’s experience in the early 20th Century

Trumpet by Jackie Kay — Novel inspired by real-life transgender jazz musician.

Small Island by Andrea Levy — Novel about the racism faced by the Windrush generation.

Beloved by Toni Morrison — Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a woman who escapes slavery.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee — Obviously. The whole story is about walking in someone else’s shoes. I think a lot of us covered this at school but it bears re-reading as an adult. If nothing else for a trip down memory lane. It’s a sophisticated story, simply told.

Books that exemplify personal growth journeys

Disobedience by Naomi Aldermann — orthodox Judaism hitting the modern world)

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter — Academic falling for a woman supposedly born from an egg.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides — Intersex person raised as a girl realises they are happier with ostensibly male rendering.

Fruit of the Lemon by Andrea Levy — Young black British woman travels to Jamaica and learns more about her family history.

Oranges are not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson — A young woman has to leave her Christian upbringing behind when she realises she is attracted to women. There is also a TV adaptation of this if there are just too many books on this list for you.

The Friendly Young Ladies by Mary Renault — Young girl runs away and lives with her sister, who it slowly dawns on her is a lesbian.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — Pip has to accept it was a criminal who financed his expectations.

Emma by Jane Austen — Emma thinks she knows what is best for people and of course realises she doesn’t.

Non-fiction

This section is all me.

An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan — I remember reading this as a teenager and it really blew my mind. This academic almost becomes a poet in adversity and the story is both harrowing and uplifting

The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso — Whilst the psychometric properties of the Enneagram are up for debate is as high profile supporters such as Ken Wilber. Personally, I found it gave me insight into my development that other personality tools hadn’t — beyond self-awareness it almost give you a prescription for the healthier manifestation of your true self. The unique value of this book is hard to beat.

Videos

So these are all me. I may not be a literature expert but I am a ‘browsing-things-on-YouTube-and-going-down-various-rabbit-holes’ expert.

Bucky Vs Werner

This video is a day-long conversation between Buckminster Fuller (engineer, genius and renaissance man) and Werner Erhard (psychologist, development guru). I think even the intro made me a bit smarter.

Why Worry?

I almost didn’t include this video. It’s too short, it’s so simple it's almost a platitude, I wondered if it was really about wisdom or just wise; but it really stuck with me and I like the fact that it shows that wisdom need not be humourless.

I’m happy to take recommendations in the comments for more resources to add. I suspect I will be coming back to this for many years to come.