Carlos Whittaker - How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us

Did politicians make us all forget how to human? Should we point the finger at social media? Is the economy to blame? Im not sure. But I am certain that Carlos has created an antidote to what ails us. Clear, hopeful, and full of truth, he has once again charted a path to a better world.

Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking

Wherever Carlos appears, whether on social media, in his books, or in person as a friend, he shows us how to be a good human. Now we have his stories and God-given heart for humanity in How to Human, and I couldnt be more excited. Carlos continually reminds me that while theres so much suffering in this life, theres so much goodness too. He helps us see the people around us, remembering that everyday moments are something sacred. Carlos lives like Jesus and reflects our Savior as He deals hope to a world that desperately needs it. This book is for anyone who wants that tooits a must-read!

Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries

Carlos lives it first, writes it second. This is one of his superpowers. He faces lifes challenges head-on and then invites us to do the same. How To Human is inspiring, challenging, inviting, and hopeful. This is the book we need right now.

Annie F. Downs, New York Times bestselling author of That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby

Carlos exemplifies how to see people, love people, and make people feel truly alive, with simplicity and pure kindness. If the media and your endless scrolling have you feeling weary, divided, and left with less hope in humanity, let Carlos show you these simple yet profound steps to strengthening your own soul so you can love others well and infuse your world with hope. How to Human will give you the tools you need to take the first small yet significant step into radical kindness and becoming who you were created to be.

Levi Lusko, author of The Marriage Devotional: 52 Days to Strengthen the Soul of Your Marriage

In a world full of chaos, division, confusion, pain, and suffering, Carlos has given us a gift of hope in How to Human. This book is down-to-earth, raw, vulnerable, hilarious, and timely. If we apply the wisdom contained in these pages, we will find the purpose, love, hope, joy, compassion, and peace we all long for.

Christine Caine, founder of A21 and Propel Women

Even before Carlos Whittaker and I were friends, I admired him. I remember perusing his Instagram account for the first time and thinking that this person was way out of my friend leaguesomeone as cool as him would never be friends with someone as pedestrian as me. He had almost a hundred thousand followers, people who obviously agreed with my conclusion: He is cool. I couldnt help comparing myself to him.

After all, Carlos wrote books. I did not.

Carlos flew all over the country speaking to people. I did not.

Carlos had followers. I did not.

Carlos was the kind of person who hugged strangers on the street. I avoided eye contact with people in public.

So, imagine my surprise in 2020 when Carlos mentioned my name to his followers. In our first interaction, I replied with, I am in tears. Thank you so much. I truly admire you and am so honored you would mention me. He wrote back, You are a gift, Sharon! 10,000 thank yous for everything you put out there.

And with that, a friendship was born. The next day, we were talking about Bigfoot. A few days later, it was whale barnacles and Black Lives Matter. Soon, it was crunchy peanut butter and Internet misinformation, theocracy, injured owls, Christmas inflatables, nesting birds, and January 6.

Turns out, now that Ive gotten to know him, Carlos isnt as good as I thought he was. Hes better. Who you see in front of the screen really is the person he is behind the screen. The man on the pages youre about to read isnt hiding behind a facade of relatability; its who he is. Flawed, sure, as we all are, but Carlos is one of the few people I know who would get on a plane within an hour if I needed him. His unique ability to encourage and uplift empowers him to look incredible adversity in the face and tell it to move aside, even though his eyes may be teary and his voice might crack.

In early 2022, Carlos took his family on a vacation to Hawaii, and they booked a whale-watching excursion. They motored out into the impossibly blue water, the boat full of people gazing hopefully at the horizon. When a humpback whale surfaced to breathe nearby, the boat, motor cut, floated near it. Passengers murmured with quiet excitement, Ooh, there it is! Shh.

At that moment, the whale hurled itself out of the water, more vertical than should be possible, and then landed with an enormous splash. In the video Carlos was taking, he is screaming with joy, awestruck. The humpback rewarded the passengers by leaping out of the water again and again, coming down with tremendous force, rocking the boat with waves.

All the while, Carlos yelled with delight. Eventually he turned the camera on himself. You can see his mouth hanging open, his eyebrows nearly reaching the top of his bald head, his stunned expression showing the most genuine reaction one could have to this majesty of nature.

Suddenly, he flipped the camera back around and he shouted, Sharon, this is for you! The whale came down again with a mighty slap on the blue surface, just feet away from the boat.

And my friends, that is Carlos. A man who thinks of others in a moment of delight and wants to share it with them. A man who dedicates a whale breach in your honor. A man whose giant eyes tear up on an airplane when he reads his DMs and who can make others tear up with his words on stage.