The Contemplative Poets value reading as a contemplative practice…
Reading for pleasure in America is declining significantly, with a major 2025 study showing a 40% drop over two decades (2003-2023), driven by digital distractions like social media, shorter attention spans, and less time for deep engagement, impacting all ages.
Ray Bradbury, author of the chilling novel Fahrenheit 451, in which firemen sought out books to burn them to prop up a dystopian reality, famously said:
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” And he also said: “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.”
Contemplative Poets refuse to go quietly into that dark night.
Here is our most current list of transformative books that we believe everyone should read… and enjoy…