Gift guide · 8 books

Gifts for a graduate who wants to do good

On choosing work that helps, from economists, philosophers and a doctor who went home to build a clinic.

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Doing Good Better (opens Bookshop.org)

How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others, Do Work That Matters, and Make Smarter Choices About Giving Back

William MacAskill · 2015

Oxford philosopher William MacAskill uses evidence on charities and careers to argue for choosing where to give and work by how much good each option does.
The Life You Can Save (opens Bookshop.org)

How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty

Peter Singer · 2009

Philosopher Peter Singer argues that people in rich countries can save children's lives by giving, and reviews which aid organizations have the strongest evidence.
Strength in What Remains (opens Bookshop.org)

A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness

Tracy Kidder · 2009

Tracy Kidder follows Deogratias, who fled the Burundi genocide, lived homeless in New York, became a physician and returned to build a clinic in his home country.
Range (opens Bookshop.org)

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein · 2019

Science journalist David Epstein reports on athletes, scientists and inventors who sampled widely before settling, and argues that late specialization often helps careers.
Designing Your Life (opens Bookshop.org)

How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans · 2016

Two Stanford design instructors turn their popular course into exercises for testing career options with small, cheap experiments before committing to one.
Poor Economics (opens Bookshop.org)

A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty

Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo · 2011

Nobel economists Banerjee and Duflo report on randomized trials with poor families in a dozen countries, testing what helps with health, schooling and savings.
Half the Sky (opens Bookshop.org)

Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn · 2009

Journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn report on women in Asia and Africa and on the education and health programs that have changed their prospects.
Pale Blue Dot (opens Bookshop.org)

A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Carl Sagan · 1994

Carl Sagan takes the 1990 Voyager photograph of Earth as a tiny speck and reflects on humility, exploration and the responsibility to look after the planet.