6 thoughtful and inspiring books for children

Books that will sharpen the youthful mind.

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  • Allegories like Orwell's Animal Farm take complex ideas and turn them into an approachable tale.
  • Aesop's Fables ancient insight is still relevant for any human growing up today.
  • The Little Prince teaches children to view the world through a more wondrous lens of reality.
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Personal Growth

How storytelling gives life meaning

Since the advent of communication, humans have used stories to create meaningful lives.

Still from James Cameron's 1997 film, Titanic.
  • "An experience of being alive" is what mythologist Joseph Campbell said humans strive for.
  • Though we live in an age of distraction, short videos still tell big stories.
  • That said, losing a connection to the environment to stare at a screen has disastrous consequences.
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Culture & Religion

Behold, the '70s sci-fi book series that popularized the Illuminati conspiracy

Modern notions about the Illuminati are the result of a satirical cult-classic book.

Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
  • The historical Illuminati was a failed 18th century Bavarian secret society.
  • Current Illuminati conspiracies stem from a satirical '70s counterculture book.
  • Authors Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's intent was to sow chaotic disinformation just for the satire.
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Culture & Religion

10 novels that brilliantly capture the American experience

The distance between the American dream and reality is expressed best through literature.

American novelist, writer, playwright, poet, essayist and civil rights activist James Baldwin poses at his home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, southern France, on November 6, 1979. (Photo: Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images)
  • Literature expands our ability to feel empathy and inspires compassion.
  • These 10 novels tackle some facet of the American experience.
  • The list includes a fictional retelling of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard, and hiding out in inner-city Newark.
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Culture & Religion

Jordan Peterson's 10-step process for stronger writing

Though written for his students, the lessons can be applied by any essay writer.

Clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson poses during a photo shoot in Sydney, New South Wales. (Photo by Hollie Adams / Newspix / Getty Images)
  • The best way to improve your thinking is to learn how to write, says Jordan Peterson.
  • His 10-step process for writing an essay is time consuming, but the benefits are worth it.
  • From the granular to the macro, every facet of writing a solid essay is covered in his template.
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Personal Growth