What I Read in 2017

This book was published quite a while ago and as such, I wasn’t sure it would be worth reading. In fact, it is a brutally honest, funny, and heartwarming account of a personal adoption journey told by Dan Savage, sex and relationship advice podcaster, columnist, and writer who I adore. Dan and Terry’s adoption story turns out to be timeless, both in the beauty of the creation story of this particular family, as well as due to the current political climate and continued threats to LGBT rights.

• Worth Reading

This is one of those books that changes you. Bryan Stevenson recounts finding his passion in representing the wrongly accused and condemned, and those victimized by the systemic flaws of our criminal justice system. The stories of the men and women he represents and the grave injustices perpetrated against them are unforgettable and heart wrenching. We all must be aware of these issues so we can advocate for meaningful change.

• Must Read

This book weaves thorough research of America’s housing crisis and poverty with personal experiences of the cycle of homelessness. Though most of us likely have assumptions related to these topics, this book was quite illuminating for me and I learned so much from it.

• Must Read

We all know and love Trevor Noah for his brilliantly cutting comedic commentary on The Daily Show. Born a Crime is the story of his childhood as a mixed race child growing up in apartheid South Africa, his very existence a crime. Despite the extreme poverty they experienced and the serious environmental tensions, he manages to maintain his unparalleled sense of humor and also highlights the beautiful bond he shares with his mother.

• Worth Reading

I’m convinced Amy Schumer and I could be and should be best friends. I had no doubt that I would love her book, and like most books I read written by comedians and public figures, I opted for the audio version. This book was wonderful and gave an illuminating glimpse into her background. It was more serious than I expected it to be, but I found this to be a good thing. It only reinforced my deep appreciation for Schumer as a pioneering feminist comedian, highlighting the intelligence behind her provocative routines.

• Worth Reading

I don’t exactly recall how this book landed on my to-read list, perhaps from other year end lists I read around the internet last year. Though I almost always enjoy books of short stories when I read them, I rarely do so. This collection of stories from Ken Liu is breathtakingly beautiful. Many of the stories have a sci-fi or surreal slant, and while that is normally not my cup of tea, these were delightful (with a few exceptions – I found the first story very strange and it did not engage me, but press on!) I find myself many months after reading this collection still recalling many of the stories within its pages. It’s a true work of art and a good escape.

• Worth Reading

I can’t believe I had never read this book before. It has been on my to-read list practically as long as I have had said list, but I always skipped over it in favor of something that seemed more relevant. Now more than ever with a government consisting largely of old white men who prefer to keep women as second class citizens meant for domestic pursuits and procreating, I decided to pick it up. I tore through this book, and every detail is seared into my brain. It is chilling how Atwood’s dystopian account written over 30 years ago seems so relevant today. I haven’t yet watched the Hulu adaptation but am hoping to do so soon. However, I’m a firm believer that the book is nearly always better, and I’m glad I read this first.

• Must Read

Gun violence to the degree that we experience it here in American is a public health problem unique to the U.S. in comparison with all other developed nations, thanks to a government bought and paid for by the gun lobby.  As the description states, “This is not a book about gun control, but about what happens in a country where it does not exist.” This book examines a single day of gun violence and the lives of those affected.

• Must Read

I heard such rave reviews of Hillbilly Elegy and I was really excited to read it. While Vance’s firsthand account of growing up in rural Appalachia provides a somewhat deeper understanding of the disenchantment and anger in working class people in areas where their former industries have dried up, I didn’t find it especially useful. It may give a personal voice to the bitterness of those who helped elect 45, but it doesn’t offer many suggestions for remedies or ways forward. All in all, it was a good read, but I felt like it was the first half of a longer book that needs to be written.

• Good, Worth Considering

The Hate U Give is a fictional story that unfortunately seems entirely plausible about an unjustified police killing of a young black teen. This story masterfully examines the many nuances of this charged topic, and I think it is a very important read for all people but especially for white people to gain perspective they might otherwise lack. Despite the heavy topics addressed overall, this is a very enjoyable and highly readable novel.

• Must Read

I fell hard for Coates after reading Between the World and Me, so I was eager to read this book. This is the story of his upbringing in Baltimore with a father highly active in the Black Panthers. Though the account is of times past, it sheds light on the experience of black boys becoming black men in our country. While overall this missed the mark somehow for me, the writing is still beautiful and I definitely gained useful perspective from a world quite different from my own.

• Good, Worth Considering

I find it impossible to describe David Sedaris’ work to others who are unfamiliar with him. He…writes dry humorist essays about everyday life in a way that is somehow completely relatable and highly eccentric. His books are always a joy, and always worth listening to the audio version. His delivery elevates the experience tenfold. This was another solid Sedaris collection for me. I simply adore him!

• Worth Reading

This book is SO fabulous. If I had six books on my top reads of the year list, this would be on there! This book was simultaneously illuminating, unsurprising, disheartening, and more than anything, a crystallization of the feminist resolve that has been taking place since the election. Even though it didn’t make my tip top list simply due to fierce competition, I still put this on my “required reading list for all of humanity.”

• Must Read

I feel certain that if I have an author soulmate, it’s Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her novels are irresistible to me and I feel utterly transported while reading them. They stay with me for long after the book is finished. I read this over the summer and just like her other books, I simply adored it.

• Worth Reading

Written in a series of vignettes, Sold is the story of a Nepalese girl sold into sex slavery. It is a short, searing, and heart wrenching read that shines a light on this very real occurrence that is still happening today to a horrifying number of girls.

• Must Read

This is another book that I’m not quite sure how it found its way onto my to-read list. This was possibly the most unique story I read this year, with an unusual structure, a relatively spare plot which still manages to have twists and suspense in the smallest details. Intriguingly, it was originally published in 1942 and recently rediscovered. This is a beautifully written work of art.

• Worth Reading

Every time I read an article or essay by Lindy West, I am blown away. To me, she is one of the greatest present day writers, period. I want to say that she is wickedly smart, funny, articulate, and deeply good, but even those words feel inadequate for describing her. Shrill was one of the very best things I read this year (full recap coming at the end of the year as usual). I normally prefer physical books but I highly recommend the audio version for this masterpiece.

• Must Read

Historical fiction, it seems, will never tire of World War II novels. There are endless stories to be told from so many perspectives. Salt to the Sea is another good one with multiple stories intertwined within.

• Worth Reading

This book is based on the account of a real Cambodian advocate, Arn Chorn-Pond. Captured by the Khmer Rouge as a young boy and placed in a labor camp, he survived amidst unimaginable atrocities which this book recounts in excruciating detail. This is a very heavy book, but also very important.

• Must Read

Disclaimer: if you are remotely stuffy, easily offended, or believe that profanity and sexual references instantly invalidate the wealth of knowledge being imparted simply because of their inclusion, this is not the book for you. However, if you recognize great comedic writing for what it is AND want to learn about wine in a totally engaging, not at all snotty book, READ THIS. I have tried to be interested in wine before, even taking a trip to wine country, but it all fell flat. Marissa is the one who truly sparked my interest. I first heard her on the Bon Appétit podcast and decided to check out this book. It is a book that needed to be written, and she did it so well. Just read it! You’ll see. Laughing out loud on most pages and starting to not feel like an idiot about wine feels pretty awesome.

• Worth Reading

This book and the next three in the slideshow are all part of  series known as the Neapolitan novels. Written by a formerly anonymous author who has sadly been outed, these four epic sagas are the lifelong tale of a friendship between two girls born in Naples as they grow into women, and all of the dramas that their lives encompass. I find it very hard to describe the experience of reading these books but I can stay that the stories and the characters will stay with me for a long, long time. That speaks to the true brilliance of Ms. Ferrante, as many books, even those I enjoy quite a bit, quickly fade from my mind. Normally when I read books that are part of a series, I don’t read them sequentially but take breaks in between. However, I couldn’t stop reading these. I tore through them one after the other until the whole story was revealed to me. As such, I won’t add additional commentary for the other books in the series beyond what I write here. If you want to enjoy true escape in the form of a series, I highly recommend these books.

• Worth Reading

Different from Sedaris’ other works, this book is not a collection of essays but a selection of his own diary entries throughout his life. I’m not sure this would appeal to someone who isn’t already a Sedaris fan, but I found it at times funny, depressing, hilarious, charming, and mostly an illuminating glimpse into the life of this writer I so adore.

• Worth Reading

This book had such potential but ultimately missed the mark for me. The title conjures up notions of women in STEM fields but throughout the book, the focus was much more on female entrepreneurs growing various technology related businesses. While that is an important topic, and this book was very well researched, I found it to be fairly disjointed and more of a chaotic jumble of power women kicking ass in their careers. I’m all for that! But a sense of cohesion was lacking and sadly I can’t recall specifics of many (any) of the women or businesses featured. I was also really disappointed that in this book meant to highlight these women trailblazing new companies and shaking up the status quo, there were a massive number of minute descriptions of each woman’s appearance, wardrobe, and general aesthetic. I obviously respect each woman’s choice to present herself as she sees fit, and I understand the need for professional women to look put together, but I was way more interested in what these women were accomplishing rather than what they were wearing while doing it.

• Worth Considering (mainly for practical info)

Like many people, when I first learned that this book was being released, I was skeptical and conflicted. I wasn’t sure I wanted or needed to read it. I am very glad that I decided to give it a chance because this too was one of the best things I read this year. Yes, it is heart breaking and painful to read, not just because it recaps the disastrous 2016 election and its ramifications, but also because it gives us a true look into this brilliant, caring, very real person who could have been our leader. It’s a travesty that this view of her wasn’t portrayed in the misguided coverage of the election cycle. As someone who wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what this book had to say, I really can’t recommend it highly enough.

• Must Read

This book is so interesting! For someone who is by and large a moron when it comes to history, the perfect way to engage me is to make it about food. Edge does this beautifully, starting out with descriptions of food sustaining those organizing the Montgomery boycotts during the civil rights movement. He chronicles the inception and evolution of fast food, documents changing perceptions of the South through the lens of the region’s cuisine, and examines the notion of what exactly “real” Southern food is and who claims it as their own. This book is insightful and very well researched, and I’m very glad to have read it.

• Worth Reading

I’m a bit torn on my opinion of this book. Overall, it is a powerful account from the perspective of a runaway slave during the times of the Underground Railroad. By and large, it is every bit as heart wrenching and agonizing as you might imagine, and I think it does a beautiful job of illustrating the narrator’s account. My one qualm with this imagining is that the author chose to incorporate a literal underground railroad used to transport the runaways. I didn’t exactly see the utility of this and it didn’t seem to add anything to the story. Despite this detail, I enjoyed the book overall.

• Worth Reading

The very notion of this book may rub some the wrong way, but it is probably the most thought provoking and intellectually brilliant book that I read this year. Perel is a therapist with decades of experience counseling couples related to many issues including infidelity. Given its widespread prevalence, she reexamines this transgression and its many facets while also analyzing historical and cultural shifts related to marriage as an institution. Perel did a marvelous job addressing this challenging subject. Audio is a must for this book, in my opinion.

• Must Read