Nonfiction Books I Read This Year
My reading list for 2020 was heavy on nonfiction. In fact, I didn't read any fiction at all, a rare year for me. I plan to incorporate at least some fiction into 2021, but we'll see. Right now I have so much nonfiction I want to read and research I need to do that fiction feels like a luxury. I'm sure I'll get back to it soon though. This list is my longest list year, by far.
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance - One of my two least favorite books I read in 2020, and perhaps in my life. I found this book to be reductive and stereotypical. He offered no new insights, and as a hillbilly found it quite insulting. Read more about my Hillbilly Roots (also available on my blog, Write with TLC. (I disliked this book so much, I'm not providing a link to it.)
Brave by Rose McGowan - This book is an intense look at the damage human beings can inflict on one other. McGowan's writing is blunt, bold, and raw. She shares her pain, her triumph, her anger, and her determination without hesitation or apology. There is much to like about this book but it is an intense read not for the faint of heart. This is a look inside the heart and mind of a victim/survivor that demonstrates one cannot be a survivor without being a victim.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit - This book is short and definitely not sweet but gets straight to the point. As a woman, if you've ever had a man explain what you just said to you, you'll definitely get it. If you're a man, you'll probably start trying to explain to her and all of us how you know better than we do what we're saying... Sighs!
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder - If you've ever wondered just how tyrants make countries authoritarian, read this book. It's short, doesn't mince words, and makes the process of creating tyranny very clear. You might not like it if it butts up against your political beliefs, but at least you can't say no one told you.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari - The history of human beings and their evolution made entertaining and accessible. This book was fascinating, interesting, and heavy on scientific fact! Well worth the read.
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey - This is the interesting story of Kantor and Twohey trying to chase and break the story of Harvey Weinstein for the New York Times. It's an interesting story that explains much of why these stories so often get buried and lost leaving victims to deal with their pain while their aggressor keeps on aggressing. I enjoyed the book but often found the look into the way journalism can be used and abused disconcerting.
Race Matters, 25th Anniversary: With a New Introduction by Cornel West - An interesting book that demonstrates how far we've come and how far we need to go when it comes to matters related to race. This book should've felt completely irrelevant by now... Instead it felt all too relative.
Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow - I read this book but felt like I heard Maddow's voice as I did so. She weaves a story around the facts of the oil industry, Russia, and the United States that I found very disconcerting. It's a story of how corporate greed has infiltrated our government and our democracy itself. It's a well-written, fascinating book about world politics that makes the entire debacle much more accessible and understandable by connecting the dots that many wish to keep unconnected.
Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou - Once again, Maya Angelou takes us into her family and shows the world the good and the bad this time by examining her relationship with her mom. It's a heartbreaking yet inspiring book.
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo - Okay, I'll confess, I started this book wanting to be defensive and ended up being wowed. Oluo talks about her conversations about race with an openness that I found engaging and inspiring. She doesn't hold back yet she also doesn't look to alienate. She uses her words to bridge gaps that perhaps we as human beings have failed to see. She also breaks down some of the more touchy subjects surrounding race into easy to understand stories that illustrate the point and I believe have the potential to lead to better understanding and better relationships. There were times I had to stop and think about something she was saying, but that's a good thing. Anything that provokes thought and emotion on the way to greater compassion and understanding has the potential to create better connections.
Catch & Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow - Farrow writes this book with the skill of a storyteller. He paints the picture, draws the reader in, and exposes the truth hiding in plain sight. He shows how the rich and powerful use their power and money to get away with predatory behavior. He tracks his story of exposing Harvey Weinstein from beginning to end. He shows great compassion and respect for the victims/survivors and a determination to get to the truth. He demonstrates the potential downfalls of standing up to those in power. He writes in a way that had me reminding myself at times this was a true story that I already knew the ending to! His examination of the news media as part of this story really shines a light on how manipulated and manipulative the media can be. It's an interesting and fascinating look at our society as a whole, especially the powerful versus those without power.
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi - I started this book with some hesitation. I'd seen a few interviews with Kendi and wasn't sure the book would be much more than his interviews. Boy, was I surprised! How To Be An Antiracist is is essentially a memoir that examines Kendi's own past dealing with his racist ideas and working to become antiracist. He doesn't shy away from the moments in his life where he failed and uses them as teaching moments. It was an insightful, thought provoking book with the potential to change hearts and minds, perhaps even enough to get people to look more closely as systemic racism.
ACLU Know Your Rights - This little pocket handbook for people to understand their rights is informative. It serves it's purpose without being superfluous.
The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture by Darrel Ray - The God Virus is an intriguing examination of how religion affects everything in our lives. I found it disturbing to see just how widespread the effects of religion are on everything we do in life. And, when we think about religion, we always think about the one most associated with our upbringing or the belief system we've adopted. Ray examines how belief begins to supersede fact whenever its brought into play. The God Virus made me stop and examine my reactions, my thoughts, my emotions, my opinions in a new way looking to see if I was depending on what I'd been told or looking for the facts before making a decision. It was quite an interesting book that I think anyone could learn something from provided their willing to accept that belief doesn't equal truth.
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo - This is my other least favorite book I read in 2020. I cannot decide if I dislike this one or Hillbilly Elegy more. White Fragility is white fragility in action. DiAngelo shares numerous thoughts on white fragility with little to back up her claims. She touts her workshops as exposing white fragility but provides nothing to show that her techniques work unless her goal is to shame people. She seems to take great pride in shaming white people. I kept wanting to ask her how often she has to go back to the same companies to present the same material and what metrics she uses to determine if her techniques are successful. She also says numerous times that anyone who dares to question anything she says is just showing their white fragility without using any science or research to back up her claims. It seems to me she is using racism to cash in at the expense of Black people, especially with the way she infantilizes Black people over and over throughout the book. If you want to read books on racism and racial equality, there are far better books, particularly those written by Black people. (I disliked this book so much, I'm not providing a link to it.)
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown - Daring Greatly continues Brown's examination into vulnerability and shame. She builds on her previous books pushing for a greater acceptance of using vulnerability to build connection and avoiding using shame to create change. She talks extensively about the role of vulnerability in creating the lives and relationships we want to leave, particularly how it takes courage to be vulnerable, especially in places where vulnerability has been frowned upon in the past. As someone who sees a strong connection between strength and vulnerability, this book, like her others, resonated with me; however, I could do without the nod to religion/spirituality in her books. (You can read some of my thoughts on strength and vulnerability in my books of poetry, Strength in Silhouette: Poems and Vulnerability in Silhouette: Poems or in several posts on my blog, Write with TLC.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein - This well-written book is infuriating because the history it examines has so often been intentionally distorted, so it wouldn't be looked at too closely. Rothstein bases much of the book on legislation and court cases clearly demonstrating how both have been used to manipulate people into believing progress on racial segregation issues have been resolved when they've really just been redesigned to accomplish the same racist goals as before even if ever so slightly improved. It's a little like putting icing on a burned cake and saying that'll make it palatable. It looks good on the outside, but the minute you look beneath the surface you see the truth. Rothstein not only examines the laws and regulations but their effects on communities and society as a whole. People need to know this history and truly understand it.
The New Jim Crow (Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - 10th Anniversary Edition) by Michelle Alexander - The New Jim Crow is a well researched book presented in a manner that is thought provoking and at times heartwrenching yet somehow still manages to be hopeful that we can change the system. I'm not sure how Alexander managed that, but I know I came away from it feeling more hopeful than I felt when I started reading it. Definitely a worthwhile read that lays bare some of the misconceptions we, particularly white people, hold about slavery, slavery's end, and the treatment of Black people since slavery.
Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi - What a book! Kendi explores the part of American History, at least one part, that often gets overlooked in history classes. Kendi washes off the white-washing of American history and shows the raw reality of Black people in America from its inception. He doesn't pretty up the facts or the reality of slavery the way American history often does. This book will provide a greater understanding of the true history of the United States and the reason racism is so prevalent even today. It's not always an easy read because Kendi is often graphic, but he presents well researched facts that explain how the past affects the present.
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden - Promise Me, Dad explores Joe Biden's decision about running for President in 2016 while dealing with his son's cancer and being Vice-President. Written in a way that sounds like Joe Biden talking to you, Promise Me, Dad feels very intimate and engaging. While sometimes cryptic regarding foreign affairs, Promise Me, Dad provides a glimpse into the responsibilities of the Vice-Presidency, the relationship between Biden and President Obama, and Biden's love of his family. Promise Me, Dad is a moving and loving book that is at times extremely sad but always hopeful.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson - Caste is an intense book that will make many people uncomfortable. Wilkerson's research and ability to weave the facts into a story make the ideas in the book approachable and more tangible. She gives vivid examples of real events to illustrate her points and makes the argument that we need to re-examine the history we so readily accept. It's definitely a book more people need to read in order to better understand the world we live in.
Wolfpack: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach - I loved this little book far more than I expected to! In fact I enjoyed it so much, I forced myself to only read a chapter a day! It's inspiring and honest! It's thought provoking and challenging to the status quo. I hope it helps us to change the game for women and for all of humanity!
Bullets in My Bed: Surviving a Law Enforcement Marriage by Jan Egge - This book had been in my to-be-read stack for a very long time. I kept putting off reading it. I met the author several years ago at an event and bought the book then. I wanted to like it, in part because I liked her. I finally decided to read it to try to understand the mentality of cops and their families. I found it little more than a fluff piece that basically made law enforcement sound like they can do no wrong and that they need to be babied at every turn because the jobs they CHOSE to do are so much harder than other people's jobs while at the same time glamorizing the adrenalin rush so many of these cops really seem to enjoy. I found little about this book helpful or insightful or enlightening though I'm sure those in the law enforcement community would disagree with me. (I disliked this book so much, I'm not providing a link to it.)
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin - I decided to read this book after seeing it on President Barack Obama's list of books he read in 2020 as a book he re-read. It sounded interesting. I found it very sad that it was still so relevant to what is happening in the world today. I wondered is the the fire next time or was that fire ever actually extinguished? How do we change the world we live in if all these incremental steps keep leaving us feeling like nothing has actually changed? Baldwin, as usual, is thought provoking, relevant, emotion provoking, and eloquent.
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