Alyson Stoner is a multi-disciplinary entertainer and has graced our movie and television screens since they were six. Throughout their career, they have appeared in iconic and nostalgic shows, music videos, and movies. They are also the founder and CEO of the mental health company Movement Genius, and the host of the award-winning Dear Hollywood podcast.
This month, they’re releasing Semi-Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything, which will become one of your new favorite non-fiction books. Thoughtful, heartfelt, and hopeful, the memoir exposes the need for industry reform, champions mental health advocacy and inspires strength and resilience despite a tumultuous and traumatic childhood in Hollywood. With such a strong memoir debut, it makes sense that Alyson has a background reading engrossing and informative non-fiction books, and that when asked to share their favorite books, they picked such interesting titles.
So, what are Alyson Stoner’s three favorite non-fiction books?
At the risk of exposing myself as a restless overthinker, I must admit that I’ve never been satisfied by knowing the what of a situation—I must know the why behind it. I want to know what’s underneath the stories we believe, the systems that quietly shape our days, and the histories we carry in our cells. For me, reading non-fiction isn’t just about learning facts; it’s about peeling back the layers of experience to meet reality head-on.
Yes, this means I’m constantly on a journey of reckoning, but it also inspires new possibilities. Once you understand the structures around you, you can start imagining how to bend, break, or rebuild them.
Here are three books that have been essential companions on my path of unlearning and reimagining. I hope they’ll open new doors for you, too.
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari unpacks how vast information networks are reshaping the very fabric of our societies, economies, and identities. He explores the power—and the risks—of hyperconnected systems that blur the lines between humans, machines, and data. This book helped me understand how the flow of information shapes everything from our personal freedom to the global power structures governing our lives.
The Deepest Well by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris
The Deepest Well transformed the way I understood health and childhood. Dr. Nadine Burke Harris reveals how stress and adversity in our early years can shape everything from our immune system to our life expectancy. It’s science that reads like a detective story, and it gives every reader the tools to better understand themselves, their loved ones, and the invisible forces that shape whole communities.
The Bible Says So by Dan McClellan
The Bible Says So is a clear-eyed guide to how biblical texts have been used—and misused—in modern social conversations and political debates. MacClellan isn’t aiming to discredit faith, but to untangle Scripture from harmful misinterpretations. Whether you grew up religious, left it behind, are still figuring it out, or are disturbed by its tendrils in government, this book helps you think critically about how these ideas shape our culture, policies, and even personal identities (sometimes subconsciously).
Semi-Well Adjusted Despite Literally Everything is available on August 12, 2025 . Order here.
Alyson Stoner’s photo credit MK Sadler.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
