September 8, 1900 marks an infamous day in Galveston, Texas. The day started off normally, but, just hours later the town was ruined. The culprit? A monstrous hurricane. More than six thousand people were killed in the storm. We are told the story of Isaac Cline, a man who faces great consequences a horrendous tragedy from the storm.

Erik Larson weaves together Isaac’s telegrams, letters, and reports, the statements of the storm’s survivors, and our most up to date understanding of hurricanes and the science behind them to tell the story of Isaac’s storm.

Unbroken tells the incredible, true story of Louis Zamperini’s struggle to survive. In May 1943, the plane Zamperini was bombardier of crashed into the ocean and thus began his fight to live. Unbroken shows us how resilient and gritty we can truly become when put to the test.

Adrift: Seventy-six Day Lost at Sea is the perfect addition to your adventure book collection. It recounts the story of Steven Callahan’s survival at sea, after capsizing only six days into his journey. He is the only man known to have made it alone for more than a month at sea and his book encapsulates true grit in the best way.

Amazon IS the everything store. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, started off his company selling books online, but, he wanted more. Amazon has truly evolved into the store you can buy anything you could ever need or want from. The Everything Store tells the story of Jeff Bezos and his company—one that has completely revolutionized how we shop.

This is the story of Mike May. He was blinded at age three, but that didn’t stop him from living an amazing life. He broke world records in downhill speed skiing, joined the CIA, and was an inventor, entrepreneur, and beloved father. He did all this without sight. But then, in 1999, he was given the chance to see again with a new surgery. This would allow him to read, to do all sorts of things he’d never imagined, and most importantly, to see his children. The surgery was dangerous, and came with many risks, however. Crashing Through tells us the tale of Mike May: filled with suspense, romance, and the passion to live life to the fullest.

Beautifully crafted, Lucette Lagnado writes of the majestic and glamourous Cairo in the time prior to Gamal Abdel Nasser’s rise to power. With Nasser’s nationalization of Egyptian industry, Lagnado’s father loses everything, and leaves with his family for a new, better life. The challenges they face in their voyage from Cairo to Paris to New York are wonderfully opposed against the luxury and beauty of the life they left in Cairo.

In October 1984, a plane with nine passengers on it crashed in the wilderness of northern Alberta. Six of the nine died. Four survived: the young pilot, a politician, a cop, and the criminal he was with. It was cold and icy outside, and Erik Vogel, the 24-year-old pilot, was under high pressure. Larry Shaben, Carol Shaben’s father was on his way home after a busy week at the Alberta Legislature. Scott Deschamps was escorting Paul Archambault, who was wanted on an outstanding warrant.

As they struggle to survive, power, wealth, and socioeconomic status disappear, and each individual must face the fact that we are all the same in situations like these.

Ernest Shackleton boarded the Endurance in August of 1914. It set sail for Antarctica, where he and his crew planned to explore the last uncharted continent. In January of 1915, after fighting its way through one thousand miles of pack ice, the ship became locked in a mass of ice. They were only a day out from their final destination, and so, with a heavy heart, Ernest Shackleton and his crew started their journey of 850 miles to the nearest station there was in hopes of finding civilization and help.

~ Janet Wallach

~ Laurence Gonzales

~ Jacqueline Novogratz

~ Angela Duckworth

~ Viktor E. Frankl

~ Cheryl Strayed

98% of the time, we know the paper version of our colleagues. Randy Kaufman and producer Dustin Lowman developed the podcast, "To Grit with Grace," to illuminate the hardship ― often near-fatal ― that underlies most highly successful individuals. In pared-down, curated episodes, "To Grit, with Grace" shares stories of adversity and perseverance ― grit and grace ― that have defined and shaped my guests' lives. Each episode serves as a jolt of inspiration for people negotiating this chaotic world. This beautifully designed book contains the transcripts of these moving podcasts.