No AI on Songbird, and it was hardly used in the research process. Earlier this month, Shooter Jennings, son of the famed country outlaw icon, Waylon Jennings, released an album called Songbird. The tracklist featured a ton of archival songs that he recently discovered, which were all recorded in the prime of Waylon’s career. It’s the first of a three-part project, and, of course, Shooter produced it at Sunset Sound Studio 3, which Jennings renamed “Snake Mountain,” where he’s currently producing all the music he’s working on. When he initially announced the album, Shooter said they actually didn’t need too much work, but he added some background vocals and other instrumentation to polish it up and make it ready to be put on a professional album in the modern world of 2025. When Shooter Jennings announced Songbird, a number of acts were utilizing artificial intelligence to bring back the voices of other famed icons, like Randy Travis for example, and there was some speculation that Shooter was using AI to make the record. However, that was far from the case. During an appearance on The Drifting Cowboy podcast, Shooter put those rumors to bed, saying he actually went out of his way to do it all as old school as possible and did not use AI for any aspect of the project, including marketing or artwork: “Oh, the AI thing? It’s so amazing that like like right when AI happens, we get a new Waylon record. I mean, I would probably be the guy saying that, you know, cause I’m cynical… that’s why we took so many painstaking steps to ensure that… of course, it’s not AI. Like, I don’t even know how to use AI to make music right, and I’d rather think it would be able to do that. But also just as far as everything involved with it, like making sure there’s nothing AI related, or there’s no steps even in the art or in anything. Because I can’t pollute the material. Because the Waylon thing, man, what’s so cool about it is like, if we mixed it, I mixed it on a 1976 custom API in the Sunset Sound using only outboard gear. We didn’t use any kind of digital processing.” He explained how much he went through to ensure the state of the tapes stayed at the highest level of integrity: “I used ProTools to prepare the tracks in the sense where, when they were open, they were exactly as they were put. They were digitized, but they were exactly as they were on those those tapes. So they were like 24-track sessions; the older stuff was 16-track, but most of it was all 24-track. What I didn’t wanna do is do anything that would degrade that, the state of it. So what I did, some of them had like five vocal takes or six vocal takes, so I used ProTools to comp the way I would comp Charley’s records or Turnpikes. In the sense that out of those five vocals, I’ll go through and make a vocal track of the best vocal, which was really cool to do on my Dad, right? Just to hear all the different takes and go through it.” Shooter also explained how the whole process worked, mixing the previous vocals and instruments, each with multiple takes per song, and there were over 100 songs. Respect. During a recent sit-down on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast, Shooter Jennings again discusses AI and its role in the making of Songbird. Starting this portion of the conversation, Shooter talks about how many of the songs on Songbird are, in theory, covers, since Waylon is not the songwriter on most of the tracks. While some of the songs may never have been released or were shared by small, obscure artists, they somehow caught Jennings’ attention, leading him to record them himself. But Shooter once again reiterates that no AI was used to make the music: “AI is so ridiculous, like I hate it. People ask me all the time, or make comments about how… ‘Oh, the new Waylon comes out right when AI happens.’ You know? I’m like, ‘Dude, if y’all knew like I’m a computer nerd, but I have no idea how to do that.’ Like, make an AI Waylon track? It just makes no sense.” However, he did attempt to use it while researching these unearthed songs, hoping it would help speed up the identification of songwriters on some of these tracks. However, Shooter said he quickly shut the door on using AI because it could not comprehend Shooter’s request to identify lyrics and didn’t provide accurate information: “But what one of the early times I realized how we’re being gaslit about how powerful AI is, is that I would ask it… because I’m trying to find these songs and I can’t find it in a traditional Google. So I would ask it about this song, and it would say, ‘Oh, that’s a song by Crystal Gayle.’ And I’m just making that up because there is a song that Crystal Gayle did on that record. But it would be someone else, and I’d be like, ‘Oh my god! Okay.’ I’d go, ‘What are the lyrics to that?’ And it would repeat back what I asked it. But then it’s not really, at all. I don’t know what it was doing. It was just so confused by me asking for lyrics that I immediately shut the door on that, man.” Joseph Hudak chuckles at Shooter’s story and suggests that Skynet is what he should be using. Shooter jokes that the AI platform he was using had half the brainpower of Skynet, and he doubles down on his little faith in AI’s future. “Well, Skynet was mentally impaired. I have no faith in it, honestly, it’s all bullsh**.” Amen to that. While I don’t blame Shooter for asking AI to help him speed up the research process, this is a prime example of how AI is not all that it’s cracked up to be. I mean, anyone who spends five minutes Googling something should realize that their AI Overviews are downright wrong sometimes… all you kids out there using it to do your homework… I’d really be double checking that information if I was you. I think it’s safe to say that AI won’t be used at all in any of Shooter’s upcoming projects or research phases. Check out the entire interview while you’re here. The post Shooter Jennings Found AI To Be Wildly Inaccurate During The Research Process Of ‘Songbird’ – “I Have No Faith In It” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Trying to share his love for the outdoors with friends went horribly wrong. It’s no secret that the outlaw legend, Hank Williams Jr., is an avid outdoorsman outside of his music career. From a young age, Hank Jr. has been in the woods, and his love for the outdoors —hunting, fishing, and respect for the land — has not faded one bit as he’s aged. Back in 1992, Bocephus sat down and talked about his love for the outdoors. He shared some stories about the wildlife he’d interacted with over the years. “My life and the outdoors, be it hunting and fishing, was passed down to me from my great grandfather, grandfather, and father. They were all hunters and fishermen; Daddy loved hunting and fishing.”  He talks about how even though Sr. passed when he was three, his grandfather, who lived in South Alabama, would spend time with him in the woods—this time with his grandfather really solidified his love for the outdoors. As Hank Jr. got older, he loved to share his passion for the outdoors with his friends, bringing them along on hunts and allowing cameras to capture him in a tree stand. One of his friends, Joe Nichols, recently sat down with Dillon Weldon on the Drifting Cowboy podcast and shared that he had the honor of hunting one time with Hank Williams Jr., but his white lie of how experienced a hunter he was came back to bite him in the butt big time. “I went to Hank Jr.’s house. First time I’ve spent time with Hank Jr. He wanted to go hunting, he wanted to take me turkey hunting. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, absolutely, let’s go hunting.’ He’s like, ‘Ever been hunting before?’  I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah!’ Lie. I’d been hunting before, but I’d never took it serious. I never had a rifle, so I never really got to hunt that much. I was more into fishing. He was like, ‘Yeah, bring your 12-gauge and we’ll go do this and this.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll go do that.’ I had to go get a 12-gauge…” Joe Nichols was entirely under the impression that he was going to join Hank Jr. for some light hunting and maybe target practice, but that the two men would spend more time writing music, drinking whiskey, and shooting the s*** with each other. “I’m thinking I’m going to go down to hang out with Hank Jr. for a couple of days, and we’re gonna get hammered, and we’re going to play ‘The Blues Man’ and ‘Family Tradition,’ and we’re just going to sit around a campfire and play music. That’s what I thought was going to happen.” Well, that impression of the weekend was far from what truly unfolded: Well, Hank Jr. really meant hunting. CMT came and brought a camera crew down there; they were going to do this show with Hank Jr. called ‘Hank’s Wildlife Adventures,’ or something like that. This was going to be one of the first episodes of this show; he was going to take me hunting for turkeys. He thought I’d been hunting, and it was a trainwreck. It was a disaster! I showed up and I got this gun I’ve never fired before and I’ve got a half gallon of whiskey and I’ve got a guitar, and I’m like ‘Alright, it’s going to be a good time.’ He handed me this turkey call — and it’s a drum. It’s a little drum thing and striker, which I didn’t know what the hell it was. He goes, ‘Here, work on that, we’ll get your gobble whatever right.’ Although Nichols was very surprised to see the camera crew and had to come to the realization that he needed to buckle up, not to make himself look like a fool, all those efforts were right out the window when Hank Jr. handed him a pot call, which is a two-handed friction-based turkey call that can create a wide variety of turkey sounds. Although this kind of call is usually considered easy to use, the odds were not in Nichols’ favor, quickly revealing that he was not the seasoned hunter Hank Jr. thought he had invited to his cabin. “He turns that way, the camera is on me, and I’m like (makes an inaudible noise). At this age right now, I can look back and go, my god, that had to be the dumbest thing anybody has ever done on camera. He turns around and sees me and goes, ‘What the hell is wrong with you? What are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘Uh, I don’t know how this works. I don’t know what I’m doing.’ I think at that moment he’s like, ‘Oh no. Oh god. Okay. He’s never been hunting before.'” Nichols says that the event was just one thing after another, and he was still drinking at the time, which led to total disaster. Of course, all of this was captured on camera for CMT, and it all came to a head when they got into the stand the next morning. Hank Jr kept having to wake up Nichols to take shots, and they finally got one, but Nichols still stands by the whole thing being a disaster. A few months ago, Nichols bumped into Hank Jr. and learned that the country music legend had created a little joke out of the disastrous event. “A couple of months ago, I did a show with him in South Carolina, and we caught up. He started talking about the Joe Nichols blind, and I’m like, ‘The what?’ He said, ‘I never told you I named that blind after you.’ I’m like, ‘You did what?’  He goes, ‘That was such a traumatic, funny, awesome story.’ Because he had way more story about it. He goes, ‘I had named that blind after you. After the disaster that was…'” Nichols laughed it off, saying that having Hank Williams Jr. name a blind after him was an honor yet so embarrassing. Hey, you win some, lose most… What a story. Check out the whole interview while you’re here. The post Joe Nichols Once Went Hunting With Hank Williams Jr. Not Knowing It Would Be Filmed For A TV Show: “It Was Trainwreck” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

It’s being reported that President Trump is considering the release and repatriation of the two survivors of the strike on the narcoterrorist submarine. CNN suggest it’s because of the dubious legal authority . . .

I will admit that I hardly ever watch the news on television, especially not for the weather. It's just so much easier to pick up my phone and check Google or The Weather Channel. I just want to know how warm it's going to be or how likely it is to rain. These days, I can find that out in about 10 seconds and go about my day.But when there's potential danger—hurricanes, storms that might knock out the power of topple over trees, tornado warnings, or threats of ice and snow—my trusty local meteorologist or weatherman is always there. All of that said, I've never once considered that I might not be able to get my weather forecast from either source, at least not accurately. It's 2025—our weather modeling should be better than ever, state of the art, right?John Morales, a meteorologist and hurricane specialist with NBC6 in South Florida, was reporting on an upcoming storm when he suddenly shifted gears, right in the middle of the broadcast. Meteorologists play an important role in our communities. Giphy Morales explains that in his 34 years of presenting the weather, he's always been able to confidently tell his viewers when a hurricane might hit, or when it might turn away. He's always been able to stand behind his data, modeling, and forecast in order to help protect the people of South Florida."I am here to tell you that I am not sure I can do that this year."Why? "Because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general."Morales then pulled up a graphic instead of his usual weather map. It laid out some stark realities about severe understaffing of the National Weather Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between brutal layoffs, employees accepting the recent DOGE buyout, and straight-up resignations, the agencies responsible for collecting weather data have lost hundreds and hundreds of valuable experts. A weather forecaster is only as good as their data. Photo by Stephen Scarboro on Unsplash He also explained that due to federal government budget cuts, there's been a sizable decrease in weather balloon launches across the country. Weather balloons are instruments that take crucial measurements of the upper atmosphere and send data that helps with forecasting. With less data available, and lower quality data, Morales say that "the quality of forecasts is becoming degraded."That's a pretty scary thought, especially in a place like South Florida. What do you do when your local meteorologist can't predict what a powerful hurricane will do next?"This is a multi-generational impact on science in this country," Morales warns.Watch his passionate plea here: — (@) Almost nine million people viewed the powerful clip on X. It was reshared over 26,000 times. Morales' message is definitely getting the attention it deserves.It's not just the National Weather Service that's bleeding. In the name of efficiency, The White House has slashed budgets at the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and more. Trimming the federal budget sounds well and good until you realize that we won't be making any major cancer breakthroughs any time soon without funding the research. And we won't be able to protect people from hurricanes and tornadoes without complete weather data.(And yes, even the Weather app on your iPhone needs a database to pull from.)Meanwhile, we're spending $1 trillion—yes, trillion— per year on our military. This is the anti-science, anti-expert sentiment Morales is talking about. It's been building for years and is just now coming to a head in the worst way.We still need meteorologists and weather experts like Morales. We still need scientists.The impact of these cuts is already being felt as hurricane and flooding season hits. John Morales continues to advocate for a science-based approach to weather and public safety. And he's not alone. — (@) ChatGPT can pull weather data from Google and tell you if there's going to be a thunderstorm, but can it tell you when the data behind that forecast is incomplete or unreliable? That's the reality we're facing right now, and we might not know the forecast isn't reliable until it's too late in some cases.TV weathermen who live in our communities and can put crucial context behind the weather and help keep us safe still matter. Not only that, but they are ambassadors for science, and they still have a big platform in many communities around the country. Morales is making sure he makes the most of his.This article originally appeared in June. It has been updated.

When you're in the throes of parenting a newborn, there's not much room for glamour. You spend your days exhausted and looking like a haphazardly thrown together preschool art project because your nights are filled with feedings and diaper changes. Being able to take a shower feels like a spa day, especially if you have other small children who need your attention. A California dad of four knows this dance of exhaustion all too well, but he never expected that looking like a tired parent would result in having the police called on him.That's right, someone called the police on him for looking as if he rolled out of bed and grabbed the closest clothes he could find. Chapman Hamborg was taking his newborn for a walk when one of his neighbors called the police on him reporting that he was a homeless man that had stolen a baby. The dad recorded the unbelievable interaction with the police who thought they had a kidnapping situation on their hands only to find out it was all a misunderstanding. See on Instagram Hamborg uploaded the video to his social media platform where it has been viewed over 50 million times. In the video, you see the exhausted dad trying to laugh off the situation as he explains to his wife, "Someone called the cops on me thinking that I was homeless with a baby, so the cop needs to see my ID." His wife, who can be heard in the background, is in disbelief.The caption of the video explains what happened in greater detail, reading, "I take our newborn daughter for walks around our neighborhood while wearing her in the baby carrier multiple times a day. I am surprised all of my neighbors haven’t seen me and recognize me by now. Well this lady thought I was homeless and had a (stollen?!) baby and she was concerned enough to call the police, and get in her car and follow me home. Apparently I need to work on my appearance—I guess being an artist or a tired dad isn’t a valid excuse." - YouTube www.youtube.com Since it was clearly a mistake, the police seem to apologize and leave Hamborg to continue caring for his newborn. People who viewed his video could relate to his exhausted look while others were confused on how the woman followed him to his home but still thought he was homeless."Honestly we all look homeless with a newborn, it’s called exhaustion." one person writes."She clearly doesn’t understand homelessness if she followed you home," another says."Since when is being homeless with a baby a crime? Homeless people have children," someone else points out. On The Streets Home GIF by INTO ACTION Giphy Instead of getting upset or letting the incident go as an innocent mistake, the artist is using it as a teachable moment for others. The art studio owner already had a picture he painted of him wearing one of his other children when they were an infant. That sparked the idea to use the painting titled Unseen Path to help the homeless. See on Instagram Hamborg contacted the United Way of Orange County and is working with them to sell prints of his painting with 20 percent of the proceeds going to helping the homeless. They both hope to address the misconception of who experiences homelessness. The United Way pointed out to NBCLA that 371 families contacted them due to either already experiencing homelessness or being imminently at risk of being homeless. The dad wants to teach his children how to be compassionate towards homeless people and one day hopes to meet the neighbor who called the police to thank her for being vigilant.This article originally appeared in June.

Generation Jones, people born from 1954-1964, is considered a 'micro-generation' between Boomers and Generation X. Though typically lumped in with Boomers, there are some pretty distinct differences between them.In an online community of Generation Jones-ers, a member named @WalkingHorse, prompted those in Generation Jones to discuss how their upbringing differed from Boomers in a post titled "What is and who are Generation Jones. Step inside..."."We're often described as pragmatic idealists—raised on big dreams but tempered by economic recessions and a sense of lowered expectations compared to the Boomers’ post-war prosperity," they wrote. "Think of us a generation that got the tail end of the party but had to clean up the mess."How Generation Jones differs from BoomersIt inspired many Generation Jones members to share their thoughts and opinions. These are some of the major cultural differences those in Generation Jones have with Boomers:"We were too young to fully participate in the counterculture of the '60s but old enough to feel its aftershocks." —@WalkingHorseGen Jones men also signed up for the selective service, but were not drafted as the Vietnam war had ended." —@tedshreddon"Boomers had Elvis and The Beatles. We had Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd." —@Scr33ble View this post on Instagram A post shared by ✦ᴊᴏɴᴇsɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏsᴘᴇʀɪᴛʏ™✦? (@genjones1964)"First teenage generation to experience the Space Shuttle launch. First teen generation to watch music videos in between movies on cable TV then the birth of MTV. We laughed when hearing that golf obsessed President Gerald Ford would routinely slice or hook a ball into a crowd of spectators. Then laugh at Chevy Chase for mimicking our clumsy commander in Chief. We watched our parents go through the fuel rationing days where you could only buy gas for you car if the last digit on the plate was an odd or even number. We counted days along with the media on how long the Iran hostages were being held. We lost John Lennon while not in that sweet spot age to have experienced the musical British Invasion of the 60’s. Instead, MTV opened to floodgates to the Brit-pop invasion of Duran Duran followed closely by big hair, neon clothing and wondering why saying ‘too hip’ was all that and a bag of chips. Best part was that college tuition was sorta affordable." —@contrivancedeviceThere for the start of major social change"Not mentioned yet, but we were present for the rise of gay rights. Went to my first gay bar at 19. Music, especially Disco, was infused with pride and acceptance and coming out. 'We are Family', 'I’m Coming Out'. Queen and the Village People, etc. The rise of 'women’s music' like Holly Near and Chris Williamson. Activists like Harvey Milk and later ACT UP. We were young adults when AIDS hit and the fight for treatment led to a huge wave of coming out. We lost a whole generation of gay men to that plague. ?" —@BldrJanet"Boomers remember where they were when President Kennedy died. We remember where we were when John Lennon died." —@KJPratt RHCP on cassette is peak Generation Jones.Photo credit: Canva"Musically speaking, I think we were blessed. Our musical heyday had everything. Our moms played Elvis the king on the radio, and we had Elvis Costello. The Stones and The Who transverse generations. We are old enough to remember Joan Baez and Bob Dylan pre-Chalamet, not to mention Freddie and Elton before their bio-pics. And Johnny Cash too. And shout out to the poster girl of the 80’s Cyndi Lauper (I got special love for her as a race tracker cause she walked hots at Belmont Park.)" —@Binky-Answer896"We gave a hoot, and didn’t pollute!" —@Awkwardimplemet698"We are the generation that got to see the war every evening at dinner 'live via satellite'. —@blurtlebaby"Think: 45s—albums—-8 tracks—cassettes—-CDs—-Streaming! I’ve had the Rolling Stones on all!" —@NOLALauraA generation marked by change and chaos Gen Jones was there for the launch of the tech revolution. Photo credit: Canva"I always said that I experienced it all...born in 1957. I listened to my older siblings music. I stole my sisters Woodstock album when she went off to college. I still have it. I recall all the assassinations from JFK and MLK.I saw RFK being killed on live tv.(at least I think I did), I remember the chaos of the Vietnam war, the Chicago riots, the Nixon mess. I recall the beginning of the environmental fight, Sesame Street and the moon launch. Computers, and floppy discs, cell phones that came in small cases that would plug into the car. So much good stuff. So much chaos." —@mammaV55"There’s a sure way to know if you’re Gen J. Were you deadly afraid of quicksand?!" —@NOLALauraThis article originally appeared earlier this year.

In his (often misquoted) 1889 essay "The Decay of Lying: An Observation," Oscar Wilde boldly declares that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” While this question has sparked countless philosophical debates, there remains an undeniable kernel of truth: in a beautiful moment of kismet, for some indescribable reason, a piece of art resonates with you. For Reddit user @_rahmatullah, that happened when they read a specific book. On the Subreddit “r/productivity” they wrote: “A few months ago, I stumbled upon a book (I won’t name it here to avoid biasing responses), and it triggered something I can’t fully explain. It didn’t just change how I think—it changed what I notice, how I react, and how I show up in life. Since then, I’ve made it a habit to collect these transformation stories—not summaries, not reviews—but real-life shifts triggered by reading a book. It’s incredible how the right book, read at the right moment, acts like a psychological lever.”Then, they posed the following question: “I’m asking this out of pure curiosity (and maybe low-key research): Have you ever read a book that changed your internal wiring in any way—your mindset, habits, or how you see the world? … Sometimes, the best books aren’t bestsellers—they’re just the right words hitting us at the right time.” So many book recommendations, so little time. Photo credit: CanvaThe comments were flooded with wonderful, life-changing book recommendations, from nonfiction epics about breaking through creative barriers to children’s books that remain on their mind. We’ve collected 14 of the most intriguing, below:The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (2002)One user describes the book: “It’s not super long, and it’s written in this really straightforward, almost no-nonsense way. But it hit hard. The whole idea is about Resistance, that sneaky little force that stops us from doing the stuff we actually care about. It made me realize how often I make excuses without even knowing it. And Pressfield’s take is simple but powerful, just show up, do the work and don’t wait for some magical moment.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Others were quick to follow, with one person commenting, “The War of Art is the only book I have ever read more than once. Well worth the read” and another said, “Do The Work is a solid follow up to it. It’s short and to the point. Can easily listen to the audiobook in one sitting when you need a boost to GSD (get sh*t done). It’s 90 min.”The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (1989)One of the great self-help books from the late 1980s was recommended by multiple people. One commented, “If I wanted to suggest the ONE book anyone to read in their lifetime, it is it. The idea is simple—be proactive, live by your values, and focus on what’s in your control. It will change the way you think and approach life.”Another agreed, writing, “7 Habits also changed my life years ago by making my interpersonal relationships better, even though it doesn’t talk much about it. The book just motivated me to be my authentic self, increase my self-worth, and hence improved my relationship with others as a side effect. I had also read how to win friends and influence people at that similar period, but that book didn’t add any value as much as 7 Habits did.”If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith (2002)The first children’s book to grace the chat is a best-selling thought experiment that imagines the world’s 6.8 billion population as a village of just 100 people. One person describes it as a “short picture book, but [one that] completely changed how I see the life, world.” - YouTube www.youtube.com They continue, “I was shocked how fortunate I was compared to all other people who do not even have basic food and water, and at the time, I was so ashamed that I took it for granted. Since then, I’ve traveled around the world, trying to interact with local people, and I try to learn about the history and the reality of these locations. (And I learned English to communicate.) I would not be who I am today without that book.”The Anatomy of Anxiety by Ellen Vora (2022)Acclaimed psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora’s nonfiction book helps readers understand how anxiety manifests itself in the body and mind as a fear mechanism—and walks them through steps they can take to overcome it. “Before reading this book, I’d been focusing lopsidedly on the spiritual side and suffering from years of anxiety problems and panic attacks,” writes one Reddit user. “This book is a turning point for me, enabling me to view the mechanism of anxiety in the body more objectively.”Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1966)First published as a short story in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (which won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story the following year), Flowers for Algernon is a powerful novel about the treatment of people who are mentally challenged. It explores the complicated relationship between intellect, emotion, and happiness. One person commented that the novel “really made me think about how we all judge and treat other people, especially how we as humans look down on other people in different, subtle ways. It actually made me sick in a way I’ll never forget” and “completely changed my view on how we treat ‘stupid’ people. It’s so profound, because it’s such a short text, but it just hits you like a bullet train. I never cried so much after reading a book before.”Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig (1947)Pirsig narrates a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, which slowly morphs into a man’s search for meaning. “I can’t fully describe the feeling. Part of my love was his concept of ‘quality’ and it almost becomes religion-like,” commented one person. “It’s been probably 25 years since I read it. I should read it again.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Ishmael by David Quinn (1992)“The metaphor about society being a faulty plane that is falling off a cliff but thinks it’s flying simply because it hasn’t hit the ground yet has always stuck with me,” wrote one Reddit user of the philosophical novel. Framed as a Socratic conversation between two characters, author David Quinn explores the ways modern human supremacy causes irreparable damage to the environment.Another user echoed their praise, writing: “I read a ton of self-help, and all the ones mentioned in this thread I have rolled my eyes at because they reiterate common thought trends with an occasional light bulb moment. Not to say they aren’t helpful, just not necessarily 'change my life' kind of books. Ishmael made me THINK and put life in perspective. It was the book that changed my conservative thinking to a very much empathy based way of living with intention.”Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (161-180)The Roman Emperor’s series of personal writings resounded with readers, with one who commented, “Some of the best thoughts on how to live and grow, and how to deal with adversity, mortality, and impermanence. Dude was pretty in touch with the universal human condition for an Emperor.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Another person replied, “I think I really need to give a copy of this to my brother… It really helped me out, and I think I see him struggling with things that could be easier for him with some tools he could gain from this.”Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach (2004)Reddit users are not the only ones who loved this book about embracing life through the heart of a Buddha; beloved Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “Radical Acceptance offers us an invitation to embrace ourselves with all our pain, fear, and anxieties, and to step lightly yet firmly on the path of understanding and compassion.”Similarly, people on the thread sung its praises, writing, “Her RAIN method has literally saved my life and changed my perspective on how I interact with the world and how I treat myself. Thanks to her, I’m heading into a new chapter where trauma doesn’t rule my life,” and “This book helped me tremendously while navigating hard personal situations, including terminal disease in my family.”The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy (1963)One person found this book, which posits our subconscious dictates life events, to be tremendously powerful. “I’m a pragmatic person and would question this book would it be introduced to me now instead of when my mind was more open,” they begin. “Maybe it works because it makes you believe that all it takes is a wish and some work… I read it when I was about 15 and have had many things I wished for happen.”Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (1922)Hesse’s ninth novel follows the spiritual journey of a man during the time of the Gautama Buddha. Originally published in 1922, it was later published in the United States in 1951. One user writes, “We sometimes find ourselves most lost when we stop believing other people are going to be able to give us the mentorship we need. Often, literature can teach what straightforward non-fiction texts can’t.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant (2020)For a user on the thread, Ravikant’s inspirational self-healing book “brought home how essential self-love is, and that it isn’t indulgent or narcissistic. It’s the foundation that makes everything else possible.”The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1943)One of the best-selling books of all time, The Little Prince comments on life, adults, and human nature. In particular, one part of the novel stood out for this Redditor: “The part in The Little Prince where the adult looks at his drawing and thinks it’s a top hat and the kid says ‘no, it’s a picture of a snake that just ate an elephant’ really helped little kid me understand how people can see the same things so differently. It seems small now, but as a little kid it’s hard to understand why adults ‘don’t get it’ when it seems obvious to kids. That helped me have patience for my parents/adults, and I think I carried it with me as a beginner builder of compassion for people in general.”Get It Done by Aylet Fishbach (2022)The final book recommendation came from a user’s friend. For them, psychologist and behavioral scientist Aylet Fishbach’s book “changed the way I think about how I manage my time and myself. I rarely think of ‘recovery’ and ‘productivity’ in the same sentence, and generally think in terms of opportunity costs or how to best use my time.”This article originally appeared in June.

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