Recommended Empathy Books

We are kind of tuned into this “empathy” thing if you haven’t guessed. We’re deeply invested in fostering empathy, and we wanted to share some of our favorite titles from the Jackson/Teton Valley area and beyond. Many of these empathy books can be found in your own beloved public library, local bookstores and book distributors.

Why Empathy Books Matter

Empathy books help build stronger, more connected communities. They encourage readers to embrace curiosity, explore real-life stories, practice self-reflection, and develop compassion for others.

Empathy books help support community connection

As part of our mission to cultivate community connection, our pilot project—the PSL Love Dropbox—is now available at two local libraries: Valley of the Tetons Library in the Victor Branch and now just recently present at the Teton County Library in the Jackson Branch. In celebration, owe wanted to share a list of recommended books alongside both boxes.

Alongside these dropboxes, we’ve curated a list of recommended empathy-focused books for readers of all ages.

How the Love Dropbox Works

The Love Dropbox serves as a reminder that no one has to navigate the human experience alone. Leave a heartfelt note for someone in need, and consider using the lessons from empathy books to foster a deeper sense of community. In order to do so, it takes curiosity, reading about real-life stories, empathizing with one another, self-exploration, and it also takes practice.

more on the dropbox

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Cultivating healthy relationships with empathy books

Much of the books you’ll find in the Juvenile/Easy Reader section of the library will aim to acquire traits like: kindness, anti-bullying, compassion, gratitude and empathy. These traits can help the young readers cultivate a healthy relationship with themselves and their peers.

*Valley of the Tetons Library (Victor/Driggs Branches)
^Teton County Library (Jackson Branch)

Here are a few of youth reader empathy book favorites:

1. I am Human: A Book of Empathy*^
   Susan Verde
2. The Thank You Letter*
   Jane Cabrera
3. Have You Filled a Bucket today?: A guide to Daily Happiness in Kids*^
   Carol McCloud
4. Something, Someday*^
   Amanda Gorman
5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: The Poetry of Mister Rogers*^
   Fred Rogers
6. Wonder*^
   R.J. Palacio

Many Adult books on empathy can present to the reader with an author’s own personal experience, poetry, science-based studies, religious or spiritual influence, and self-help formats. These books grant the reader with takeaways of hope and perhaps tools begin to cultivate a more connected community.

Here are a list of our empathy book favorites for adults:

1. Empathy for Change^
   Amy J. Wilson
2. The Gift of Forgiveness: Inspiring stories from those who have overcome the unforgivable^
   Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt
3. Dare to be Kind*^
   Lizzie Velasquez
4. The Light We Carry*^
   Michelle Obama
5. Channel Kindness: stories of kindness and community*
   Lady Gaga
6. Together: the healing power of human connection in a sometimes lonely world*
   Vivek Hallegere Murthy

We hope you share this list with your local librarian, friends, teachers and parents. For a healthier community, it takes recognition, it takes curiosity, and motivation to move ones community into a more unified state. Change takes only one.