Here’s a quick list of some of the books we love, have been inspired by and highly recommend:

Unschooling

How Children Learn, by John Holt

“This enduring classic of educational thought offers teachers and par-ents deep, original insight into the nature of early learning. John Holt was the first to make clear that, for small children, ‘learning is as natural as breathing.’ In this delightful yet profound book, he looks at how we learn to talk, to read, to count, and to reason, and how we can nurture and en-courage these natural abilities in our children.” (Amazon.com)

The Unschooling Handbook, by Mary Griffith

“Did you know that a growing percentage of home schoolers are be-coming unschoolers? The unschooling movement is founded on the prin-ciple that children learn best when they pursue their own natural curios-ities and interests. Without bells, schedules, and rules about what to do and when, the knowledge they gain through mindful living and exploration is absorbed more easily and enthusiastically. Learning is a natural, inborn impulse, and the world is rich with lessons to be learned and puzzles to be solved. Successful unschooling parents know how to stimulate and direct their children’s learning impulse. Once you read this book, so will you!” (Amazon.com)

Life Learning, edited by Wendy Priesnitz

“Academics, parents and young people describe why non-compulsory, non-coercive, active, respectful, interest-led, family- and community-based learning from life is growing in popularity and will displace prescribed cur-riculum, standardized testing and the other regurgitation-based relics of our outmoded school system. This innovative way of learning through liv-ing not only fosters intellectual development and academic achievement, it allows children and young people to develop an understanding of them-selves and their place in modern society so they can create a better world.” (NaturalLifeBooks.com)

Weapons of Mass Instruction, by John Taylor Gatto

“John Taylor Gatto’s Weapons of Mass Instruction focuses on mechan-isms of traditional education that cripple imagination, discourage critical thinking, and create a false view of learning as a byproduct of rote-memor-ization drills. Gatto demonstrates that the harm school inflicts is rational and deliberate. The real function of pedagogy, he argues, is to render the common population manageable. To that end, young people must be con-ditioned to rely upon experts, to remain divided from natural alliances, and to accept disconnections from their own lived experiences. They must at all costs be discouraged from developing self-reliance and independence. Es-caping this trap requires strategy that Gatto calls ‘open source learning’ which imposes no artificial divisions between learning and life. Through this alternative approach, our children can avoid being indoctrinated – only then that can they achieve self-knowledge, judgment, and courage.” (Amazon.com)

Education: Free & Compulsory, by Murray Rothbard

“In this radical and scholarly monograph, Murray N. Rothbard identifies the crucial feature of our educational system that dooms it to fail: at every level, from financing to attendance, the system relies on com-pulsion instead of voluntary consent. Certain consequences follow. The curriculum is politicized to reflect the ideological priorities of the regime in power. Standards are continually dumbed down to accommodate the least common denominator. The brightest children are not permitted to achieve their potential, the special-needs of individual children are neglected, and the mid-level learners become little more than cogs in a machine. The teachers themselves are hamstrung by a political apparatus that watches their every move. Rothbard explores the history of compulsory schooling to show that none of this is by accident. The state has long used compulsory schooling, backed by egalitarian ideology, as a means of citizen control. An interesting feature of this book is its promotion of individual, or home, schooling, long before the current popularity of the practice.” (Amazon.com)

Parenting a Free Child, by Rue Kream

“How do the principles of unschooling apply to television viewing, toothbrushing, and chores? How can we develop respectful relationships with our children? How do unschooled children learn to read? Parenting A Free Child addresses these issues and more in an easily accessible question and answer format.” (Amazon.com)

Parenting

Unconditional Parenting, by Alfie Kohn

“One basic need all children have, Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments (including ‘time-outs’), rewards (including positive reinforcement), and other forms of control teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn cites a body of powerful, and largely unknown, research detailing the damage caused by leading children to believe they must earn our approval. That’s precisely the message children derive from common discipline techniques, even though it’s not the message most parents intend to send.” (Amazon.com)

Playful Parenting, by Lawrence J. Cohen

“From eliciting a giggle during baby’s first game of peekaboo to cracking jokes with a teenager while hanging out at the mall, Playful Parenting is a complete guide to using play to raise confident children. Written with love and humor, brimming with good advice and revealing anecdotes, and grounded in the latest research, this book will make you laugh even as it makes you wise in the ways of being an effective, enthusiastic parent.” (Amazon.com)

Connection Parenting, by Pam Leo

This book is “based on the parenting series Pam Leo has taught for nearly 20 years. Pam’s premise is that every child’s greatest emotional need is to have a strong emotional bond with at least one adult. When we have a bond with a child we have influence with a child. Pam teaches us that when we strengthen our parent-child bond we meet the child’s need for connection and our need for influence.” (Amazon.com)

The Natural Child, by Jan Hunt

“In this insightful guide, parenting specialist Jan Hunt links together attachment parenting principles with child advocacy and homeschooling philosophies, offering a consistent approach to raising a loving, trusting, and confident child. The Natural Child dispels the myths of ‘tough love,’ building baby’s self-reliance by ignoring its cries, and the necessity of spanking to enforce discipline. Instead, the book explains the value of extended breast-feeding, family co-sleeping, and minimal child-parent separation.” (Amazon.com)

Parenting for a Peaceful World, by Robin Grille

This “is a fascinating look at how child-rearing customs have shaped societies and major world events. It reveals how children adapt to and are influenced by different parenting styles and how safeguarding their emotional development is the key to creating a more peaceful, harmonious, and sustainable world.” (Amazon.com)

Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall B. Rosenberg

“In this internationally acclaimed text, Marshall Rosenberg offers insightful stories, anecdotes, practical exercises and role-plays that will dramatically change your approach to communication for the better. Discover how the language you use can strengthen your relationships, build trust, prevent conflicts and heal pain.” (Amazon.com)

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman

“In The Five Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman talks about how different people express love in different ways. Some people are verbal, expressing their love in words. Others may never speak their affection, yet they show it by the things they do. Sadly, many couples look to receive love the same way they give it, misunderstanding their spouses. This can lead to quarrels, hurt feelings, and even divorce. However, if you understand each other’s love languages, you can learn to give and receive love more effectively.” (Amazon.com)

Life Style Design

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferris

Living with Less: The Upside of Downsizing Your Life by Mark Tabb

Memoirs

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World by Rita Golden Gelman

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The Spirit & Healing

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief by Gregg Braden

The Spontaneous Healing of Belief: Shattering the Paradigm of False Limits by Gregg Braden

Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age by Gregg Braden

The Isaiah Effect: Decoding the Lost Science of Prayer and Prophecy by Gregg Braden

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie and Stephen Mitchell

The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life – Paperback by Deepak Chopra

The Path to Love: Spiritual Strategies for Healing by Deepak Chopra

Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Wayne W. Dyer

Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact with God Through Meditation by Wayne W. Dyer

Novels

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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