8 Books That Have Changed My Life Over The Past 8 Years

Over the years, I have often been asked how did I become the man I am today? This is both from people who knew me from my former life in the streets as well as those who know me now as an author and historian. And I often reply back to them both with “books”.

When I was in my early twenties, I had read my first two books since probably middle school; and those books changed my entire outlook on life. They answered questions I had on how to improve my life, put a mirror up to my weaknesses, and opened my mind up to possibilities I didn’t know existed. And most importantly, they ignited a fire in me to learn more. Since then I have read hundreds of books, applied much of what I have learned to my life, coupled with my own philosophies — and as a result I am the man you see before you today.

Now, I’m not perfect, nor do I know everything, nor am I rich or even close to it. But what I am is a socially conscious black man that knows my purpose for being here and who loves my people the same as myself. And I am proud of that because these are two traits that seem to be lacking in the black community today; which is, of course, due to the fact that we’ve been socialized to think like Europeans rather than Africans.

This is why I recommend so many books, to help bring us back to our ancestral consciousness. And today is no different. But today, I wanted to share with you the books that have impacted me the most over the last 8 years since I began taking reading seriously. There are many, but if I had to narrow it down to just one per year, this is what they would be:

1. How to Get Out of Your Own Way (2012) — This book inspired me to go after my dreams and to cut people and things off that prevented me from achieving them.
2. As A Man Thinketh (2013) — This book helped me realize the power of my mind and revolutionized the way I thought about life. I have read this book every single year since.
3. From The Browder File: Vol 2 (2014) — This book opened my eyes to the plight that we find ourselves in today as black people and what we could do to overcome it.
4. The Gospel of The Holy 12 (2015) — This book, along with The Essene Gospel of Peace, showed me that the original diet of the biblical characters that i believed in at the time, was plant-based and that there were many other gospels written that predated the ones chosen to be in the bible.
5. The Autobiography of Malcolm X (2016) — This book revolutionized my life even more than I thought it was at the time. It confirmed my beliefs that what really keeps us from progressing are the coons and sell outs that we allow to be our leaders. And it inspired me to become the best man I could possibly be and to remain unwavering in my commitment to raising the consciousness of our people. This is the best book i have ever read in my life.
6. Brainwashed: Challenging The Myth of Black Inferiority (2017) — this book confirmed my theories on the roots of the negropean mindset that many of us have by showing me how the mainstream media uses negative propaganda to install inferior complexes in our sub-conscious. It also provided me with solutions for what we could do to combat it, which empowered me to take action rather than complain.
7. The Africans Who Wrote The Bible (2018) — This book answered many questions I had about the origins of the biblical narrative that I was losing faith in at the time, and provided me with research that proved it to be nothing more than a plagiarized version of the oral and written histories of the Akan people of Ghana; who are descendants of the ancient Egyptians; and other African tribes.
8. The Alchemist — This book inspired me to go after my dreams with full force and showed me how even a fictional novel has the power to uplift and transform someone’s life. As a result, I began writing my first novel, The Perceptionist.

These are the top 8 books that have had the most impact on my life over the last 8 years. Each of them represents a message that caused a shift in my thinking which transformed me for the better. And as I reminisce about my last 8 years, I realize I have come a long way from who I used to be. But that is what life is about — growth.

So if you’re looking for some new books to learn and grow from, I highly recommend you check out at least one of the above. And if you have children like me, these could also be great reads for them; elevating their consciousness at a very early age. Even if you have a relative or friend who is locked up, you could send one to them too. As Malcolm X said:

I knew right there in prison, that reading had forever changed the course of my life. As it see it today, reading awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.

I agree, as reading has done the same for me. So go ahead and get your read on. Peace & Love!