In a 1954 New Yorker essay “Howtoism,” writer and critic Dwight Macdonald states that authors of how-to books are to other authors as frogs are to mammals, and encourages people to read other genres.

Some classic novels offer sharper insight into living than modern advice manuals. Through ordinary lives, quiet failures, and moral compromise, they reveal how meaning forms without instruction.

Author James Clear presents his book, "Atomic Habits" during Workplace Summit, Pennsylvania Conference For Women 2019. "Habits" is one of the best self-help books. Self-help books provide the guidance ...