By Lama Surya Das
414 pages; Doubleday

About five years ago, I was having a tough time making a big decision, and this stood out on the bookstore shelf. The author, now a Buddhist monk, had worked at a Fifth Avenue law firm during the summer of 1969. The following year, after Kent State, he no longer wanted to be an attorney. He writes, "I knew that I wanted to learn more, not earn more." That hit me like a truck, because we're conditioned to think anyone who walks away from money is crazy. It reminds you of the importance of contributing to the world instead of constantly taking from it.

— Julianna Marguiles