Graduation Gift Books

The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be by Joanna Gaines

This children's book, beautifully illustrated by Julianna Swaney, celebrates how creativity and acceptance can come together in a bright and beautiful adventure.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

We'd be remiss if we didn't include this classic! 

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

For more than thirty years, this Dr. Seuss classic has carried us through life's ups and downs - from fun times and triumphs, to lurches and slumps! Take an entertaining look at the adventures life has in store for all of us in this beloved classic. The perfect gift for every moment in life, from graduations, weddings and birthdays, to those when you just need a little lift.

Rules For a Knight: The Last Letter of Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke by Ethan Hawke

Hawke is a two-time Academy Award-nominated actor, good enough reason to call your attention to his new novel by giving it picks status, though his first two novels-The Hottest State and Ash Wednesday-did win respectable reviews. Begun as a letter Hawke wrote to his own children, this fantasist fable opens in 1483, as the Cornish knight Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke prepares for a particularly ominous battle by penning a missive to his four children citing 20 virtues that will help them lead a noble life.

The Moth Presents All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown edited by Catherine Burns. 

Carefully selected by the creative minds at The Moth, and adapted to the page to preserve the raw energy of live storytelling, All These Wonders features voices both familiar and new. Alongside Meg Wolitzer, John Turturro, Tig Notaro, and Hasan Minhaj, readers will encounter: an astronomer gazing at the surface of Pluto for the first time, an Afghan refugee learning how much her father sacrificed to save their family, a hip-hop star coming to terms with being a "one-hit wonder," a young female spy risking everything as part of Churchill's "secret army" during World War II, and more.

High-school student and neuroscientist alike, the storytellers share their ventures into uncharted territory--and how their lives were changed indelibly by what they discovered there. With passion, and humor, they encourage us all to be more open, vulnerable, and alive.

The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning by Scott Galloway

Scott Galloway teaches brand strategy at NYU's Stern School of Business, but his most popular lectures deal with life strategy, not business. In the classroom, on his blog, and in YouTube videos garnering millions of views, he regularly offers hard-hitting answers to the big questions: What's the formula for a life well lived? How can you have a meaningful career, not just a lucrative one? Is work/life balance possible? What are the elements of a successful relationship? 

The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning draws on Professor Galloway's mix of anecdotes and no-BS insight to share hard-won wisdom about life's challenges, along with poignant personal stories.

Brash, funny, and surprisingly moving, The Algebra of Happiness represents a refreshing perspective on our need for both professional success and personal fulfillment, and makes the perfect gift for any new graduate, or for anyone who feels adrift.

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!

Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end of each day. He wrote these original sayings, aphorisms, and poetry for himself as much as for others. But as Miranda's audience grew, these messages took on a life on their own. Now Miranda has gathered the best of his daily greetings into a beautiful collection illustrated by acclaimed artist (and fellow Twitter favorite) Jonny Sun. Full of comfort and motivation, Gmorning, Gnight! is a touchstone for anyone who needs a quick lift.

Courage is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave by Ryan Holiday

"Ryan Holiday’s bestselling trilogy — The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and Stillness Is the Key — captivated professional athletes, CEOs, politicians, and entrepreneurs and helped bring Stoicism to millions of readers. Now, in the first book of an exciting new series on the cardinal virtues of ancient philosophy, Holiday explores the most foundational virtue of all: Courage. For graduates who are taking that scary first step into the unknown, Holiday reminds readers that fear cannot rule you and that fortune favors the brave."

Dinner in One: 100 Exceptional and Easy One-Pan Meals by Melissa Clark

Melissa Clark brings her home cook's expertise and no-fuss approach to the world of one-pot/pan cooking. With nearly all of the recipes being made in under one hour, the streamlined steps ensure you are in and out of the kitchen without dirtying a multitude of pans or spending more time than you need to on dinner.

Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear by Carl Haissan

This commencement address will never be given, because graduation speakers are supposed to offer encouragement and inspiration. That's not what you need. You need a warning.

So begins Carl Hiaasen's attempt to prepare young men and women for their future. And who better to warn them about their precarious paths forward than Carl Hiaasen? The answer, after reading Assume the Worst, is: Nobody.

And who better to illustrate--and with those illustrations, expand upon and cement Hiaasen's cynical point of view--than Roz Chast, best-selling author/illustrator and National Book Award winner? The answer again is easy: Nobody.

The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations by Toni Morrison

Nobel Prize winner Morrison presents four decades' worth of acutely reasoned pieces on society and culture, divided into three sections. The first is prefaced by a prayer for those who died in 9/11, the second by reflections on Martin Luther King Jr., and the third by a celebration both heartwarming and heartbreaking of James Baldwin.