Student life is full of competition, aspirations and occasional moments of depression. After you finish your school, the life is never the same again. College life is a whole new chapter. And the age at which you get there, the adolescence is itself a very tricky phase. You get easily affected by slightest of the changes. Your career is taking the shape. You go through all the emotional roller-coaster rides. In short, you need something to keep your spirits high every time. Thankfully we have some of the best authors who know how to boost someone’s morale with words. So, grab a copy of these best books and keep yourself motivated.
Why should You read Books?
“Books are our best friends”, an old and famous saying. Most of us remember it in our school days and then, most book-loving students are called bookworms. But the fact is, books open a new world to you. You can see movies, documentaries and go for tours, but the world that books offer is still unbeatable. When you read books, you get to know the different perspective on the same topic. There are several books on the same political topic by different authors. Give your time in reading each one of them. You will realize, how convincingly each author puts forward his/her point of view.
Ten Best Motivational Books to read for Students in Life
- The Final Diagnosis: First published in 1959 and authored by Arthur Hailey, this novel basically revolves around Burlington’s three counties hospital. Grappling with the constant financial strains and the changing medical world, the book beautifully captures the complexities and challenges of the doctors beyond the operation theatre. The book revolves around the chief pathologist Joe Pearson who used to be a brilliant doctor. But he ceased to update his knowledge. As a result, when the hospital brought in a new assistant pathologist with a better grasp of the new technology, Joe gets insecure. The fear of losing job loomed over him. His situation worsened when he refuses to learn that a newer technology for Rh sensitivity has been developed. His stubbornness leads to the medical complications of the mother.
What made this book to scale at the top position is the basic essence. If you don’t keep your skills renewed and willingly learn new things, you will be undesirable. A must-read for students to realize how challenging life could be in the absence of current skill-sets.
- Life of Pi: This novel by Yann Martel is now a well-known Oscar-winning movie and most of you must have seen it. But do read the book too. It gives a detailed account of a boy who manages to survive in the never-ending ocean. His only companion is a royal Bengal tiger! Pi, the protagonist loses his whole family while moving to a new country in a ship-wreck. Now, all trapped with the tiger, he finds ways to survive. His struggles are real and at times creatively genius.
The tiger in the novel symbolizes the fear. The whole book may seem like a journey description, but it is actually one’s war with own fear. Like Pi, you have to keep yourself motivated, alert and creative to overcome your fears. Then only you can conquer the world. Like Pi did, look into the eyes of the fear and tame it!
- A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini’s second book in the backdrop of war and Taliban rode Afghanistan portrays two female characters. Mariam and Laila belong to two different worlds. Mariam had a turbulent childhood where she was outcasted because she was illegitimate. She was married off to a man too old for her by her father. Laila lives an independent and enriched life with her father being a professor. Their worlds collide when Afghanistan gets into the war. Laila could not meet her boyfriend because of the tense situations. She was pregnant then. After she loses her family in a rocket attack, she finds shelter in Mariam's house. Over time and changing situation, Laila gets married to Mariam's husband.
The latter part of the story reveals how strongly both women fight their cruel husband. They find solace in each other’s company.
The war trodden Afghanistan, her transition from being a modern to a conservationist nation and the pathetic situation of women under Taliban are worth reading. Not only will you get to know about the many facets of human personality but also the never-ending struggle of common women in patriarchal society. Not to mention the grits and guts of these women who fight with social evils every day to keep themselves dignified. We do know of Malala Yousoufzai, an Afghan, who got shot just because she wanted girls to have an equal education! You can imagine the situation then.
- The Monk who sold His Ferrari: As students, the primary dream is always to get rich. You got to admit it! Most f us dream of having a big villa, beautiful cars and a glamorous lifestyle. There are people who do have it. But they lose out on a major part of their life to fulfil these dreams. Robin Sharma's this classic novel will take you through the journey of a highly acclaimed lawyer who gets time to introspect after he gets heart-attack. His trip to India then makes him realize how much he has missed in his life. His spiritual awakening and vow to embrace simplicity is the USP of the book.
As a student, you will get a life lesson early. Always balance your personal and professional life. Learn to live in simplicity and be peaceful with mind and soul.
- Around the World in 80 Days: This is the book which I think most of you must have read in your school days. What starts as a bet turns into a challenging journey. Jules Verne actually uses the intelligent plot to keep the readers engaged. Phileas Fogg is a kind of mathematical maniac. He believes in doing everything in exact mathematical precision. He gets into an argument with his fellow clubmates at the reform club over a newspaper article. A challenge is given to him to complete the journey around the world in just 80 days using a fixed amount of money.
The whole book is the journey description. But you will get the local flavours of every country that he crosses. And, also the never give up the attitude of Fogg and his companion. They undertake several risks to reach their destination and complete the challenge.
The book tells you never to give up, take risks and be optimistic. The end of the novel surely makes you smile as Fogg actually gave up for arriving a few hours late. But he forgot to take the time zone difference into consideration. So, never lose hope. Your win is just around the corner.
- 1984: A futuristic novel by George Orwell digs through the modern society in 1984. Everyone is now machine controlled with minimum human emotions. We will not go into the novel details here. but isn’t that a truth already. We are all too much dependent upon the machines. Even after being surrounded by real friends, we prefer talking to our facebook buddies. It might seem a bit exaggerated, but machines already do kind of regulate our lives. The novel may be dystopian but it is a real eye-opener how craze for power can lead to mechanization of even human lives.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Those from the biology background must have heard about HeLa cells. How many of you ever bothered to find out what that stands for? Very few! This was the truth when Rebecca Skloot was herself a student. When she expressed her curiosity for knowing more about the cell-line, she could not get a satisfactory answer. Everyone had a different name for that person whose cells revolutionized the medical field. So, she went out to discover more about this lady. This is the book that throws light on Henrietta lacks who got admitted into the John Hopkins hospital suffering from cervical cancer. Her cells were collected, researched and even multiplied without her consent. Consent from patients might be the norm today but in those days, her being a black meant she had no such rights. Her family was kept in dark about the research for several years.
The book throws light on the sensitive issues of ethics in the medical field. It pays equal attention to racism, discrimination and also the compensation for such cases. The simple language allows even the non-technical people to understand the complexities involved in medical litigations. It took lacks' children several years of digging, court cases, and unwanted publicity to get justice for their mother.
- Wings of Fire: APJ Abdul Kalam is the master of the words. We all know how much he wanted to make India a superpower. And, he believed that motivated youth is the key to achieving that. With the help of Arun Tiwari, he wrote his autobiography. He gives a candid account of his childhood, hardships, his journey to MIT, Chennai and ultimately ISRO. The missile man of India never gave up on his dreams. An inspiring book which will surely make you determined to give your dreams the wings they need!
- Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian author. When Nigeria became a European colony, she faced several cultural conflicts. Christianity was propagated by the colonials. But Nigerians are mainly tribal people with their own customs and rituals. The constant tussle led to tensions in the village. Some tribals embrace Christianity and they destroy the local tribal temples. This results in the demolition of the church. The whole novel will take you to the conflicts of two worlds. The book gives a glimpse into the lives of the African tribals who were faced with identity crisis under the colonial rule. Their own culture was challenged and mocked upon.
The book will give you a strong message. Never hurt the sentiments of other people. Learn to co-exist. You cannot impose your idea upon someone else.
- The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank does not need an introduction. What this teenager girl achieved cannot be done by most of us. A cheerful girl, Anne Frank gets into the Nazi concentration camp. Before that, she was hiding in her father’s friend’s place in a bunker. She managed to keep her spirits high in such depressing condition by maintaining a diary. The book is her memoir. You will come across her longing to lead a normal life, to breathe in fresh air and soak in the golden sun. you will realize how much people suffered during the Nazi oppression. And, will definitely salute Anne's spirit who managed to cheer herself up. You will really wonder how much she would have contributed to the society had she lived long enough!
Books always ignite your thoughts. Don’t forget to read at least one book every month. Not only will you learn about the world but will also get to know how to excel even in difficult situations. Other than the above-mentioned books, you should also read the autobiographies of famous personalities. You will appreciate their struggle and determination to succeed.
