I find self-esteem determines my motivation, my moods and thoughts.
Low self-esteem is difficult to deal with, and it must have been much harder before mental health professionals started researching it.
This first of a two part list on self-esteem books written by women for women. Read these books as one way you could raise your confidence in yourself. You will find that when you feel you’ve done that even a tiny bit, the feeling is so powerful you’ll never want to stop!
Table of Contents
#1 My Beautiful Detour: An Unthinkable Journey from Gutless to Grateful
 | Recommended by Amy Oestreicher from AmyOestreicher. Find out more about the book My Beautiful Detour: An Unthinkable Journey from Gutless to Grateful by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
I’m suggesting this because it’s a story not only of survival after sexual abuse and nearly 30 surgeries, but what happens when the life we know changes over night? This is my story of creating a roadmap where there was none, and really, how anyone can navigate any kind of detour in life. Creativity saved my life, and it’s a mindset we all need in order to find ourselves, no matter what the circumstances.
#2 Becoming Love by Nicola van Dyke
 | Recommended by Nicola van Dyke from NicolaVanDyke. Find out more about the book Becoming Love by Nicola van Dyke by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Becoming Love™, is a unique approach to addressing the issue of self-esteem. The concept is that to truly experience self-esteem, we must accept ourselves, accept others and feel a real sense of belonging in the world. Becoming Love™, is an inspirational book with an audio component of beautiful, guided meditations that leads the reader to a place of emotional peace; profound changes in their feelings of self-esteem will unlock the treasure that is complete self-love. Each chapter guides you through a thought process and a call to action, using original ideas and absorbing information.
As you complete the exercises you will address the negative feelings and beliefs you might have, which are causing you to doubt yourself. Listening to the 11 meditations will assist you in addressing these beliefs and feelings on a deep subconscious level. Becoming Love™ is your personal manual and as you read through and listen to the meditations, you will complete the exercises directly into the book so you can record your journey to empowerment and complete self-esteem.
#3 The Confidence Code by Katty Kay
 | Recommended by Kelsey Duran from BabySensei. Find out more about the book The Confidence Code by Katty Kay by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
In this book, broadcast journalists Katty Kay (BBC and NBC News) and Claire Shipman (ABC’s Good Morning America) draw practical advice from their own life experiences, as well as those of other prominent women in media, business and politics. They combine these ideas with research in genetics, behavior, cognition and gender to arrive at self-esteem advice for women of all ages. “The newest research shows that we can literally change our brains in ways that affect our thoughts and behavior at any age,” the authors write. “A substantial part of the confidence code is… our choice. With diligent effort, we can all choose to expand our confidence. But we will get there only if we stop trying to be perfect and start being prepared to fail.”
#4 Don’t Feed the Narcissists!
 | Recommended by Laurie Endicott Thomas from Not Trivial. Find out more about the book Don’t Feed the Narcissists! by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Self-esteem is a Goldilocks problem. Your self-esteem can be too low or too high. You want the amount that is just right. Self-esteem is really just the applause we get from the virtual audience in our own imagination. To correct problems with self-esteem, you need to learn better skills at interpreting the feedback you get from real people.
#5 MuZen of the Soul by Erika Laszlo
 | Recommended by Rosemary Wright from OnlineBookClub. Find out more about the book MuZen of the Soul by Erika Laszlo by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Most probably you have not read anything from a Hungarian writer so this is a great choice if you are looking for something unique and new in the topic of self-esteem and self-help.
Unlike many self-help books that consist of tips alone, this publication provides exercises and techniques for changing negative thoughts, improving self-esteem, and achieving forgiveness.
In an interesting manner, this nonfictional book shows that there’s a magical side to life, and it describes how someone can use the magical ability within themselves to produce desired results. It encourages gratitude and living in harmony with other people.
The narrative reveals ways to deal with criticism and how, without letting it get to you, you can use it to good advantage. Erika tells how you can change yourself and consequently, change your environment and the people around you. Furthermore, she explains why people shout when they are angry. I hope you read the book to find that out.
In addition, it shows ways to get rid of limiting beliefs and how to create supportive beliefs. Really, I enjoyed reading it, and I’ve learned a lot of things from it, such as how to banish negative thoughts. In case you don’t like books about cosmic energy and positive thinking, you can skip this one.
#6 Searching for God in the Garbage by Bracha Goetz
 | Recommended by Bracha Goetz from Bracha’s Books. Find out more about the book Searching for God in the Garbage by Bracha Goetz by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Experience what goes on inside the mind of a Harvard grad searching for self esteem and purpose of life in this raw, candid, and fascinating memoir about overcoming food addictions. Learn how to fill the inner emptiness by joyfully nourishing your uniquely beautiful soul.
#7 You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
 | Recommended by Jennifer Harder from Jennifer Harder Mortgage Brokers. Find out more about the book You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
This book is broken up into 27 small chapters so you can digest it a bit at a time. It is about self-help, self-acceptance and self-love, written in a very witty and sometimes sarcastic way. It will help you identify those self-sabotaging behaviours and move past them, take risks, set big goals and reach, and of course – love yourself.
Excerpt re: “small excuses we tell ourselves Sally always says She can’t find a good single man because there aren’t any left out there. Really Sally? All the good single men were hunted down and killed so no matter how many dates you go on or how many times you put on sexy high heels and hang around home depot, you’ll never bump into one? Was the awesome guy your friend Deb just met the lone survivor of the Good Guy Genocide?”
The author is big on tough love, but said in a way that makes you laugh and go ok, maybe you’re right!. Another excerpt:
“Hang out with people who are kicking ass and will make you feel like a giant loser if you’re not kicking ass, too. I (obviously) can’t stress this enough.”
#8 Your Next Bold Move for Women
 | Recommended by Wendy Capland from Vision Quest Consulting. Find out more about the book Your Next Bold Move for Women by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Do you sometimes feel like you are on the edge of something wonderful in your life that you can’t quite put your finger on? Do you sometimes feel a yearning for so much more, if you could just figure out what and how?There comes a time in every woman’s life where it is time to bring herself forth in ways that she has never dared before. So many of us recognize that we are at the edge of manifesting and expressing our full potential and power. We are standing on the edge of our own evolution, of our own transformation.
This book is a practical guide for women who want to turn their ideas and dreams into reality. This step-by-step process will help you quiet the little voice in your head that tells you that you are not enough. It will help you listen to your inner guidance, and give you some peace within yourself. It will help you move into action with joy and purpose. It takes one step at a time to create a life you fall in love with.
#9 WOWsdom! The Girl’s Guide to the Positive and the Possible
 | Recommended by Audrey Aviles from WOWsdom. Find out more about the book WOWsdom! The Girl’s Guide to the Positive and the Possible by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
WOWsdom! the girl’s guide to the Positive and the Possible is jam-packed with letters, activities, and no-nonsense advice that celebrates the connection of the WOW of girls and the WISDOM of women. In their letters to themselves, women, men, and girls from all walks of life – artists, athletes, actors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, students, doctors, scientists, and humanitarians – share their hard-earned wisdom for girls who are seeking guidance and inspiration as they begin their personal and professional journeys. Using the power of authentic storytelling of personal stories from influencers, WOWsdom! provides the type of support and uplifting advice that women and girls need right now.
#10 Beauty Redefined by Seline Shenoy
 | Recommended by Alisha Billmen from Austin Macauley Publishers. Find out more about the book Beauty Redefined by Seline Shenoy by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
In our beauty-obsessed culture, women have become accustomed to using the standards set by society and the media as a barometer to measure their own worth. They perpetually wonder where they stand on the attractiveness continuum and question everything about their outward appearances, from their skin colour to their waistline, to their fashion sense. They keep asking themselves, Am I good enough? Do I matter? Will others love and accept me for who I am? Beauty Redefined explores this critical issue by looking at beauty from a cultural, biological and historical perspective and provides solutions on what we can do on a collective and individual level to redefine what it means to be a beautiful woman.
By reading this book, you’ll be convinced that your voice matters and you’ll feel empowered to make your own unique mark in the world, no matter what your size, shape, colour or ethnic background is. You’ll learn how to love yourself (warts and all!) and embrace every unique aspect of your being and use it to make the world a better place.
#11 Where There is Life, There REALLY is Hope
 | Recommended by Alisha Billmen from Austin Macauley Publishers. Find out more about the book Where There is Life, There REALLY is Hope by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Have you just discovered that someone you know is a drug addict? Are you heartbroken? Do you feel overwhelmed? If so, you are not alone. That is what happened to me. I thought I would have to bury my daughter by Christmas 2014. Snippets of my and my daughter’s story aired on 60 Minutes and Seven Sharp in 2015 – current affairs programmes in New Zealand. Now, you can read the full account of my perspective of the traumas that led to my daughter’s addiction, the impact of them on me and what I learned along the way. My daughter shares her story in a companion book. Together, we have a miraculous story that has a happy ending. The great triumph after tragedy is that it is always possible to rebuild something with more beautiful results.
My daughter and I are now closer than ever and she is doing better than I could have ever imagined. Expect to feel encouraged, empowered and hopeful as you travel through the pages of this book. Where There Is Life, There REALLY Is Hope, the inside story of a mother of a P addict who survived the rigours and now wants to share the insights she learned along the way.
#12 Freaks Like Me by Georgina Peterson
 | Recommended by Alisha Billmen from Austin Macauley Publishers. Find out more about the book Freaks Like Me by Georgina Peterson by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
Georgie was just a typical teenager when it happened; she was studying hard for a place at her dream university and having fun with her friends on weekends. She always knew what was coming next. She had her entire life planned, until one night and one event turned her whole world upside down. In an instant, everything had changed, and it was never to be the same again. Freaks Like Me is a touching memoir about invisible illness, mental health and the prejudice that sadly comes alongside it. It’s the true story of how one girl and her loved ones finally learnt to accept the hand they had been dealt.
#13 Half the Size, but Twice the Life by Carli Jay
 | Recommended by Alisha Billmen from Austin Macauley Publishers. Find out more about the book Half the Size, but Twice the Life by Carli Jay by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
A biography depicting a real-life account of one woman’s incredible weight-loss story, sharing the struggles and successes throughout the journey of losing half her body weight all on her own, transforming not just herself, but her whole life–with an underlying message about going for your goals, no matter what they may be.
#14 What’s the Matter? by Esther Lawson
 | Recommended by Alisha Billmen from Austin Macauley Publishers. Find out more about the book What’s the Matter? by Esther Lawson by reading the description below or clicking on the button. |
What’s the Matter? by Esther Lawson is a compelling tale of a small mixed-race girl, growing up in post-war Britain, and her experiences of racism in all its forms from all quarters of society. A sad story, but one with a real moral at its heart, no reader will fail to be moved by the author’s account of her life as a young child and developing teenager. What’s the Matter? is recounted through the eyes of a child, allowing the reader to feel keenly the bewilderment and confusion of someone persecuted for the way they look.
The early narrative throws the naive optimism of a young child into sharp contrast with the abject misery she is subjected to. We are born into the Human Race, however there are no guarantees that you will be accepted; to obtain acceptance is a fight against an automatic classification of colour, rendering you as second class to our counterparts. No law in nature demanded any difference, we are all one.
