Whenever I send my mom or dad a card celebrating the Hallmark holidays, one of the top things I thank them for is instilling a love of reading within me. They did this through example.
At any given time, as a child and an adult, I can walk through my mother's bedroom and find the entire left side of her room covered in literature. I'll see piles of books stacked on the floor - almost like a trail of cairns leading the way to her pillow. The design of her duvet is entirely covered by different titles, and the bookshelf to the right of her bed struggles to hold the weight of all the publications resting there.
My father is a champion for white-knuckling his way through the densest of autobiographies and historical accounts. I believe he's read a book on every president, their cabinets and all of the op-eds that destroyed whatever positive notions the original book he read had put in place.
I was also lucky enough to be in a thriving book club for years in my twenty's. Led by a group of really dynamic women - some single, some coupled, some married, but all extremely independent and autonomous. Looking back at that time, I was broke, my health was at an all-time low, I had yet to understand that perhaps drinking more than two drinks on any given occasion was a bad idea, and yet it was one of the best eras my life.
I attribute it to the book club. The community in this club was so substantial and solid. As a group we met monthly, but we also hiked and skied together and went to karaoke night that was hosted in what felt like a poorly attached back shed of the local house of pizza, and we would meet up to hold each other accountable to these ridiculous dance exercise Youtube videos. My life was in shambles and in the process of being re-built, but it was also the best time of my life.
The last thing I will say about books and reading; is that second to travel books break down prejudice. They expand ideas, help me develop new opinions; they educate me, they entertain me, and they comfort me. I know not everyone loves to read, and that's a valid opinion as well, but for me, I am just so thankful my parents instilled that love within me. And with that, here are ten books of note that I have read over the last six years that have really stood out to me. I thank my local public library and the app Bookclubs for always helping me find my next read!
Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Following two characters born in Nigeria and in love with one another; they depart Nigeria due to political conflict and upheaval. One lands in the US as a student, and another sets out on a path as an undocumented immigrant in London. Their moves force each one to confront the concept of “being black” and the racism that accompanies it, as the concept never existed back in Nigeria. This book felt much more based on observation than a high-pitch climax of conflict or love, and yet it absorbed all of my attention. I love when a book is so well-written that I spend my weekend afternoons reading. A book that makes me abandon responsibility in order to read “just one more chapter” is such a treat. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book.
Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts: This book was one of the longest books I have read and truly felt accomplished when I finished it. 900 pages and the author managed to keep me captivated for each and every one of them. I never once hit a rut with this massive literary accomplishment.
Part auto-biography and part stretch of the imagination, this book follows the main character, Lin, to India after he escapes a maximum security prison in Australia. His escape to India takes him on a journey that involves the mafia, murder, betrayel, prison torture, and love. Beyond the accomplishment in word count, the descriptions the author uses to detail his experiences and chronicle his adventures is truly one-of-a-kind.
The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver: This novel spans Congo’s history starting with the end of Colonialism, the quick eruption of its Independence and the CIA coup that upended all of it. An American, Baptist Minister - Nathan Price - and his family plant themselves in the middle of it all, hoping to lead the people of the Congo to salvation. What happens instead is the unraveling of a family. In hoping to save the Congolese, he loses his family.
Each chapter is told from a different perspective between the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, and spans fifty years. The book takes a look at each stage of their time in the Congo - beginning, middle and end. It sheds light on how economic and political decisions made by world leaders have created an uneven playing field for the developing nations of Africa.
Educated, Tara Westover: I can only describe this book as excellent. This book was flawless. How many things in life can we say are truly excellent? I love that I can count Educated as one of those treasures.
This memoir chronicles Tara’s experience growing up in a survivalist and evangelical Mormon family. Distrustful of the government and organized society, her parents try their hardest to keep her and her seven siblings off the grid. Never having attended school, she teaches herself to pass the ACT and applies to Brigham-Young University. From there she earns a fellowship to Cambridge University and goes on to earn a Masters from Harvard. Her success in going from an uneducated child to a highly educated adult runs parallel to her family’s disapproval in her attending school and immersing herself in modern society. This book makes you question loyalty, independence, identity and the importance of family.
Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng: I read this book in four days, it was so good. It’s a small book and fast read, but its concept seeps into your membranes slowly and stays with you. This is a story of two different families whose characters are all inter-connected. I ABSOLUTELY love when stories are able to make each character relevant to one another. Kind of like the 2004 movie, Crash. Such a good movie, and a great example of how every character is connected.
I digress. Little Fires Everywhere forces the question of what it means to be a mother and when does someone become a mother? Those questions bring up deep secrets, divide a small town and fragment, yet, at the same time, bring together families.
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson: Set in the 1930’s in the Kentucky Hills, this fictional book follows actual historical events during the Depression Era. Book Women were part of President Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” where Pack-Horse Librarians were employed to bring books deep into the Kentucky hills to schools and families who otherwise would not have access to books. These women would travel long and dangerous routes to provide a window to the outside world and extend education’s reach.
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek follows Cussy Mae, one Pack-Horse Librarian in particular, who also struggles with a rare medical condition that separates her from most people. What I enjoyed most about this book is the insight it gave me into the nuances of the USA working its way out of the Great Depression. Of course I learned about the devastating crash of the 1920’s and the government’s response to it in school, but I did not know the thin-sliced details of what it took to generate the economic engine, which included a Pack-Horse Librarian program.
A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles: The majority of this book takes place in a hotel. Set in the 1920’s during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, a respected nobleman who opposes the Proletarian movement is banished to the Metropol Hotel, right outside of the Kremlin. Going from a life of luxury and riches, the Gentleman is now forced to spend the rest of his life within the four walls of said hotel.
The characters he meets during his time there, the lessons he learns and the wisdom he imparts, are all worth the read. But what makes this read so compelling is how the author is able to keep you captivated without a change in scenery. Almost 462 pages of this book are set in the same place, the Metropol Hotel, and that is an accomplishment that makes this book a true masterpiece.
The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles: While we’re on the topic of Amor Towles - his latest book, The Lincoln Highway, was a great read. I hated the ending, but every chapter leading up to it made that disappointment worth it. How often is disappointment actually worth it in life? In the case of this book, I believe it is. Set in the 1950’s, each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, with four main characters, and other guest appearances along the way. It chronicles the harrowing adventure of four young boys who are making their way cross-country via the Lincoln Highway. Two of the boys are brothers, and three of the four boys were wards of the state at a juvenile prison, and two of those three have escaped. The historical references, and the philosophical musings make this book worth it to the very end.
The Power, Naomi Alderman: This book runs in the same vein as the Handmaid’s Tale. Part sci-fi, part post-apocalyptic tale, part satirical take on current social issues, this book focuses on an epidemic where women, and women only, are able to harness a power that can torture and sometimes kill men. Alliances form, a public crisis is determined and world powers are turned upside down.
One particular aspect of this book that I enjoyed were the artifact and evidence pages the author created that anthropologists in the future, unearthed. Grouped together, this part of the book added an element that made the possibility of something like this happening seem feasible, as it felt as though we were looking back through a history book.
All The Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr: This book held a steadfast spot on the New York Times Bestselling for two and half years. And for good reason. “All The Light We Cannot See,” is a story between a young, female French refugee and an adolescent German soldier during World War II. Each chapter flips perspective between both characters, giving unique insight into the axis and allied sides of the war. I couldn’t put it down and it was such a unique view into World War II.