Books
Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading
Author: Chris Anderson (TED Curator) Published: 2024, Random House
Key Concept: Shows how generosity “goes viral” in the digital age, with real examples of small acts creating global movements.
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
Author: Adam Grant, Ph.D. (Wharton Professor) Published: 2013, Penguin Books
Key Concept: Research proves that “givers” achieve the highest success by creating positive ripple effects in their communities
Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
Author: Dacher Keltner, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley) Published: 2009, W.W. Norton & Company
Key Concept: Proves scientifically that humans evolved positive emotions like compassion, gratitude, and awe specifically to promote cooperation and kindness – we are literally “born to be good”
The Compassionate Instinct: The Science of Human Goodness
Authors: Dacher Keltner, Jason Marsh & Jeremy Adam Smith Published: 2010, W.W. Norton & Company Key Concept: Collection of 35 essays from leading scientists proving compassion is hardwired into our brains and biology – includes research on how small acts of kindness create measurable positive changes
The Ripple Effects of Small Acts of Kindness KIDS/Teachers
Author: Bernadette Lewis Published: 2023, Independent Publisher
Key Concept: Children’s book with accompanying stories that illustrate how “pebbles cast into a pond create ripples that touch the lives of countless others” – perfect for sharing the HOPEmakers365 message with families
Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives
Authors: Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D. & James H. Fowler, Ph.D. Published: 2009, Little, Brown and Company
Key Concept: The “Three Degrees of Influence Rule” – proves scientifically that kindness spreads exactly three social connections away from the original person