You don’t need manuals to know yourself, to have confidence in your own qualities, in your own person. Something else is needed. It is important to live, to meet people who can upset your soul and make you rediscover ancient energies, lost along the way. All this is framed by reading: a fundamental tool for being aware of oneself and the surrounding world. Here are five books that could help you in what is the long path of life. The goldfinch – Donna Tartt
Pulitzer Prize 2014. Theo Decker traces its history in more than 800 pages. An attempt to observe from another point of view the events that led him to become aware of himself and of existence. From the tragedy of the loss of a parent, after an attack, to the annulment of the self, in search of a balance that is constantly broken. The child, in the first part of the novel, struggles to form his own person. Good and bad, right and wrong, the classic “it could have been different if…”. Everything connected. All, probably, useful for personal training. And art, the painting of “The Goldfinch”, becomes a symbol of man’s ancient effort to exorcise death and the transience of life. The alchemist – Paulo Coelho
It is the story of a little shepherd boy who, driven by a dream he has had twice, embarks on a journey to discover the world. What he will discover will go far beyond the “great treasures of the world”. Fear, suffering, strength, etc. A potpourri of encounters, emotions, setbacks and resumptions. Leave to go home! Finding oneself, trusting oneself, getting to know each other also knowing the world and then returning. My Africa – Karen Blixen
Perhaps a bit risky suggestion. But you can also have confidence in your own person by learning about the strength of others. Blixen, in this autobiographical book, tells of the colonial era and her stay in Africa. A historical period full of preconceptions towards the African territory. In the author there is none of this. Indeed, for her the “other” civilization is the European and non-African one: “purer and closer to what God had prepared for men”. It is the story of a woman who, “in unsuspecting times”, finds the strength to give life to a demanding and risky work activity, assisted by the locals, with whom she establishes a relationship, visceral, of mutual trust. Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
The book tells the story of a young Indian, Siddhartha. Restless boy, dissatisfied that he decides to leave his father’s house and set out on a journey. His long wandering turns out to be a path of individual maturation towards the search for wisdom. Immersing himself in the cyclicality of life, of nature, in the complementarity of opposites, the protagonist reaches his goal. Knowing each other, having self-esteem, living above the illusions only thanks to the knowledge of one’s own interiority. The Prophet – Kahlil Gibran
A book that offers multiple reflections. More or less broad themes, dealt with at times explicitly and in depth (a chapter for each of them), at others covertly. Everything has been created so that every reader can grasp the best elements, from the narration, to understand not only the universe, but also his own interiority. The Prophet Almustafa is about to leave the land on which he lived for a long time. Before his departure he decides to offer the people, grateful for his warmth, a gift: the fruit of all his reflections. Thus begins the narration on what life is, or should be.
