5 Books for 20-Somethings to Read in 2021
By: Juliana Keefler-Johnson
Tags: Books, Twenty Something, 2021, Self Help, Millennials

5 Books for 20-Somethings to Read in 2021

2020 has been one heck of a year. I had big plans to travel to New Zealand to celebrate graduating from university. Instead, I was stuck at home looking for ways to pass the time. I decided to channel my energy into finding my first big kid job. During that process, I dove into the world of self-help/development podcasts and books. I wanted to present my best self to employers and thought it was important to understand myself better. Here are five books that opened my eyes and gave me tools that I can apply to work and life in my 20s.

1. The Defining Decade by Meg Jay

“Why Your Twenties Matter–and How To Make The Most Of Them Now”

If you are anything like me, then thinking about the future is utterly terrifying and seemingly impossible. I can maybe plan my life for up to six months in advance! The Defining Decade helped me put into perspective how the choices I make in my 20s will have an impact on the rest of my life. Meg Jay discusses the importance of expanding friendship circles to include people that push you to become better; choosing an ideal life partner; planning for kids, and why it’s important to make a choice when you are paralyzed by fear.

Her delivery of the hard-hitting facts is gentle enough to not cause a quarter-life crisis and allows the reader to critically analyze their life. Having just graduated from university and feeling unsure of everything, Meg Jay helped me choose my career path and avoid a crisis….for the time being.

$23.00 CAD at Chapters Indigo

2. Range by David Epstein

“Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”

Is it too dramatic to say that this book changed my life? Well, it did. This book made me feel seen and valued and allowed me to celebrate my range of skills and interests. This book is almost a direct response to Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, where the 10,000-hour rule is king. Epstein puts the spotlight on generalists with multiple skills and experiences that can be adapted to different challenges in life, otherwise known as range. He covers stories ranging from chess heroes to supreme violinists and failed videogame engineers.

“Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can’t see.”

My favourite story is about Frances Hesselbein, who is currently 104 years old and became the CEO of the Girl Scouts after being a volunteer for years. She told Epstein, “I did not intend to become a leader, I just learned by doing what was needed at the time.”

$37.00 CAD at Chapters Indigo

3. The Multi-Hyphen Life by Emma Gannon

“Work Less, Create More, and Design a Life That Works for You”

This book was recommended in Tim Ferriss’ “5-Bullet Friday” newsletter. Gannon describes the life that I want for myself: filled with passion, flexibility, achievement and value. The days of having one job title or specific skill are over. Millennials should be multi-hyphenates who transition from job to job with a variety of skills they have learned along the way. Her book contains a few exercises that are really helpful and help the reader put the content into context and practice. My favourite was creating a pie chart of what success looks like to me.

This book will probably be more helpful for those with a few years of work experience under their belt. Nonetheless, it helped me plant seeds for ideas of different side projects and hustles for the future.

$22.99 at Chapters Indigo

4. Superlife by Darin Olien

“The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome”

I got into this book after watching Down to Earth with Zac Efron on Netflix. Darin is Zac’s co-host and a superfood hunter with a background in exercise physiology and psychology. His passion for health and nutrition was inspiring and I wanted to learn more about how I could implement better habits into my life. He believes that the five tenants of health are: nutrition, hydration, oxygenation, alkalinization and detoxification. Each chapter is packed with information and cites various reputable scientific papers. The book also comes with a two-week meal plan with a list of foods and their nutritional benefits.

It’s definitely not the best-written book, but the content is easy to understand and there are many practical examples. I would read some of the chapters with a grain of salt (specifically the one about not wearing sunscreen), but overall the book allowed me to look at my diet and see how I can make some easy lifestyle changes.

Darin also has a podcast called The Darin Olien Show, which I would recommend.

$21.99 CAD Chapters Indigo

5. Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

“Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time”

I often come back to this book to see if I am still implementing Scott’s practices as much as I can. She discusses the reasons why people fear having hard conversations at work and home and outlines methods that we can use to be fierce. Scott shares that the purpose of these conversations is so that we can interrogate reality, provoke learning, tackle tough challenges and enrich relationships. This book contains practical advice that can be applied to our work and daily lives. There are always problems we are pretending to not see that need to be fiercely discussed.

I imagine that other young professionals are like me and feel slightly insecure entering the workforce. Susan Scott’s methods have given me concrete steps to voice my opinions, share my solutions and build meaningful relationships.

$23.00 CAD at Chapters Indigo