At its heart, the SAT is a critical thinking test. One proven way to improve critical thinking skills is to make time to read books that explore society, human interaction and universal themes that become focal points throughout history. To help improve a student’s critical thinking skills over the long term, we recommend reading the following books:
Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers
a critical and popular success. Gladwell helps us understand the remarkable parallels that exist among the world’s most outstanding performers from academia to professional athletics. It is both inspiring and insightful.
Chris Voss’s Never Split the Difference
A fascinating look at how the FBI’s top crisis negotiator mastered his trade and learned how to apply his skills to everyday life with inspiring success. Explores how to connect with anyone in meaningful ways and find agreement in even the most unagreeable of circumstances.
J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy
A coming of age tale set in Appalachia that contains both gut wrenchingly tragic episodes and side-splittingly hilarious moments. Vance shows how place can define our identities and how he overcame the constraints of a hard upbringing to become one of the most insightful voices of his generation.
Ryan Holiday’s Ego is the Enemy
Holiday explores how too often we allow expectations of others to drive our actions. When this happens, disappointment usually follows. Through historical accounts, literary themes and personal experience, Holiday suggests an alternative pathway to success that is both gratifying and rewarding.