The best 16 Nature vs. Nurture books

1
Scattered Minds

Scattered Minds

Gabor Maté
The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder
4.5 (301 ratings)

What's Scattered Minds about?

Scattered Minds (1999) takes aim at a well-established myth: that attention deficit disorder, or ADD for short, is an inherited illness. It doesn’t deny the biological foundations of the disorder – genes also play a role. But it urges us to widen our perspective and pay closer attention to psychological and social factors that may be contributing to the symptoms. ADD often develops within specific familial and societal contexts. Recognizing this isn’t just about correcting the scientific record – it offers a key to effective treatment.

Who should read Scattered Minds?

  • Science aficionados
  • People who have attention deficit disorder
  • Anyone interested in the connection between society and psychology

2
Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

William Golding
A Dystopian Classic on the Dark Side of Human Nature and Survival
4.6 (53 ratings)

What's Lord of the Flies about?

Lord of the Flies (1954) is the allegorical story of a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island and left to fend for themselves and create a society. As the boys struggle with the complexities of leadership, cooperation, and survival, they are forced to face some fundamental questions about human nature and the fragility of civilization.

Who should read Lord of the Flies?

  • Readers looking for fresh eyes on an old classic
  • Literature lovers who somehow never got around to this important book
  • Anyone looking for insight into the nature of society and the humans who build it

3
Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Mary Shelley
The Modern Prometheus
4.7 (165 ratings)

What's Frankenstein about?

Frankenstein (1818) is a Gothic horror classic that tells the tale of ambitious young scientist Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with the idea of creating life, Frankenstein assembles a freakish human-like monster. But when he animates it, he’s shocked at the horror he’s created. Although the monster seeks affection at first, it’s continually rejected and eventually seeks revenge on humankind.

Who should read Frankenstein?

  • Anyone who knows the name Frankenstein but has never read the book
  • Fans of a good horror story that makes you squirm
  • Lovers of classic literature

4
The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger
A Coming-Of-Age Classic on Belonging and Teenage Alienation
4.4 (66 ratings)

What's The Catcher in the Rye about?

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) is J. D. Salinger’s classic coming-of-age novel, telling the story of the troubled young Holden Caulfield. Holden has just been expelled from school, and spends several days traversing New York City, sharing his opinions of the world around him.

Who should read The Catcher in the Rye?

  • Lovers of coming-of-age stories
  • Classic literature fans
  • People who dislike phonies

5
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

Stephen R. Covey
Creating Powerful & Positive Relationships Within the Family
4.6 (361 ratings)

What's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families about?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families (1997) was written by Stephen R. Covey with, as he says, “such a passion . . . because family is what I care about most.” It’s a very personal book that talks about how the author, his wife, and nine children apply each of the habits in their family life. It can also be your guide to solving the problems you face in your family as you strive, individually and together, to become more effective.

Who should read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families?

  • Self-improvement seekers who want to understand how effective families work
  • Couples who want to raise their family in a nurturing environment
  • Fans of The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People

6
Hold on to Your Kids

Hold on to Your Kids

Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Maté
Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
4.3 (23 ratings)

What's Hold on to Your Kids about?

Hold on to Your Kids (2008) is an important warning to parents on the danger of allowing peer influence to dominate children’s upbringings. Backed by research, it offers parents a path to rebuilding attachment with their seemingly lost children.

Who should read Hold on to Your Kids?

  • Parents (and people considering becoming parents)
  • Children’s family members
  • Teachers and social workers

7
Why Love Matters

Why Love Matters

Sue Gerhardt
How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain
4.5 (100 ratings)

What's Why Love Matters about?

Why Love Matters (2004) is a study of how our early years shape who we become later in life. But this isn’t about rehashing the old nature-versus-nurture debate. As we’ll see in these blinks, the weight of scientific evidence points to a much more fascinating conclusion: that we’re “co-produced” by genetics and social experience during babyhood. This means that many of the social and psychological problems that affect us as adults can be traced back to these formative years.

Who should read Why Love Matters?

  • Mental health professionals
  • Parents with babies or toddlers
  • Would-be mothers and fathers

8
The Female Brain

The Female Brain

Louann Brizendine
A Comprehensive New Look at What Makes Us Women
4.5 (305 ratings)

What's The Female Brain about?

The Female Brain (2006) is a classic of popular neuroscience which argues that hormone-driven neural development shapes many of women’s drives and behaviors. Just a few hormones chart a course through the cycle of changes that mark life with a female brain.

Who should read The Female Brain?

  • Anyone with a female brain wondering how it all works
  • Biology buffs curious about the intersections of nature and behavior
  • Those who interact with female brains looking for insight

9
The Male Brain

The Male Brain

Louann Brizendine
A Breakthrough Understanding of How Men and Boys Think
4.5 (362 ratings)

What's The Male Brain about?

The Male Brain (2010) is a neuroscientist’s account of the interplay between hormones and brain development that shapes the formation and growth of male brains and behavior. Based on decades of research, it argues that the roots of many masculine stereotypes can be seen in neurobiology, and that hormones shape the male brain and outlook for a lifetime.

Who should read The Male Brain?

  • Anyone with a male brain wondering about how it works
  • Minds curious about biology’s effect on culture
  • Those who interact with male brains looking for insights

10
The Epigenetics Revolution

The Epigenetics Revolution

Nessa Carey
How Modern Biology is Rewriting Our Understanding of Genetics, Disease, and Inheritance
4.6 (310 ratings)

What's The Epigenetics Revolution about?

The Epigenetics Revolution (2011) is an overview of the cutting-edge field of epigenetics – looking at the various factors that interact with your genes and modify the way they behave in order to make you, you. From mental health to obesity, it examines the fascinating and often unexpected ways that epigenetics can influence our lives and health.

Who should read The Epigenetics Revolution?

  • Science enthusiasts interested in biology’s new frontiers
  • Dinner-party sages looking to wow friends with fascinating scientific wisdom
  • Amateur psychologists open to an epigenetic interpretation of trauma

11
Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens
A Coming-Of-Age Murder Mystery About Love, Nature & Abandonment
4.8 (72 ratings)

What's Where the Crawdads Sing about?

Where the Crawdads Sing (2018) is a coming-of-age story that seamlessly blends into a murder mystery and an ode to nature. A reminder that we are forever shaped by our childhoods, it recounts the early life of a remarkable girl, Kya, and her transformation into an equally remarkable young woman.

Who should read Where the Crawdads Sing?

  • Nature lovers
  • Poets and scientists
  • Anyone who loves gripping stories

12
The Nurture Assumption

The Nurture Assumption

Judith Rich Harris
Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do
3.6 (58 ratings)

What's The Nurture Assumption about?

The Nurture Assumption (1998) addresses the long-standing debate about the role of nature and nurture. These blinks explain the different factors influencing a child’s development and debunk the prevailing stance that children are a product of their upbringing.

Who should read The Nurture Assumption?

  • Psychologists and counselors
  • Parents
  • Readers who wonder why they turned out as they did

13
How Children Succeed

How Children Succeed

Paul Tough
Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
4.5 (102 ratings)

What's How Children Succeed about?

These blinks explore the reasons why some people struggle in school and later on in life, and why others thrive and prosper. Using scientific studies and data from real schools, the blinks dive into the hidden factors that affect the success of children.

Who should read How Children Succeed?

  • Anyone who is or is going to become a parent, grandparent or godparent
  • Anyone who works with children, especially teachers and coaches
  • Anyone who wants to develop oft-neglected skills that are just as important as cognitive skills to their future success

14
Why Does He Do That?

Why Does He Do That?

Lundy Bancroft
Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
4.5 (196 ratings)

What's Why Does He Do That? about?

Why Does He Do That? (2003) reveals the psychology behind abusive men. Drawing on his experience as a counselor to male abusers, author Lundy Bancroft explains the nature of abusive thinking, the early warning signs of abuse, and the steps women can take to free themselves from an abusive relationship.

Who should read Why Does He Do That??

  • Anyone who feels trapped in an abusive relationship
  • Mothers considering leaving their abusive partner
  • People who suspect a friend or family member is being abused

15
The Human Instinct

The Human Instinct

Kenneth R. Miller
How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will
4.0 (227 ratings)

What's The Human Instinct about?

The Human Instinct (2018) is a celebration of humanity’s development of reason, consciousness, and free will through the process of evolution. It shows that our remarkable capacities are all the more unique for having arising from natural origins.

Who should read The Human Instinct?

  • Theologians, philosophers, scientists, and anyone else interested in the condition of our peculiar species
  • Anyone curious about evolution and what it means for humanity
  • Humans who enjoy contemplating our place in creation

16
What is Life?

What is Life?

Erwin Schrödinger
With Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches
4.4 (279 ratings)

What's What is Life? about?

What is Life? (1944) is a classic scientific text based on a series of lectures given at Trinity College, Dublin, by famous physicist Erwin Schrödinger. Though Schrödinger was a physicist, these lectures addressed issues in biology and genetics –⁠ primarily the fundamental question of how physics and chemistry can account for the processes that occur within living organisms. The concepts he explored went on to spark a revolution in genetics, inspiring, among others, the biologists James D. Watson and Francis Crick, who together proposed the double helix structure of DNA.

Who should read What is Life??

  • Science geeks
  • Big-picture thinkers, ponderers, and questioners
  • Anyone who loves getting to the bottom of how the universe works

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