What I Read in 2020

Lindy West is one of my favorite writers of all time, and for good reason. She deftly provides cultural and political critiques in a humorous yet cutting manner. Topics covered include the #MeToo movement, femininity as portrayed in pop culture, problematic favorites from the 90s including Adam Sandler, attending a Goop conference (absolutely hysterical), and climate change, to name a few. This is not an escape of a read by any means and may not be the right choice if you already feel on overload because of the state of the world.

This is a collection of short stories centered on Latinas of Indigenous ancestry set in the American west. The stories are beautifully written and many have a haunting, creepy vibe to them. It’s always a bit difficult to review a collection of short stories since they can each stand alone, but overall I enjoyed this read and still find myself thinking of these stories even though I read them a full year ago.

Here’s the thing. Know My Name is the best book I have read (rather, listened to) over the last year AND (I really don’t consider this an overstatement) the best book I have read, ever. Of all time.

I have listened to it three times already and expect to do so again soon. I think the audio version is necessary so you can hear the words directly from the author herself. This telling of Chanel Miller’s experience of her sexual assault, the subsequent legal proceedings, and her personal grappling with and healing from those events is incredible on its own. However, even more incredible is her exquisite writing and truly beautiful way of seeing the world and conveying those thoughts to the rest of us. I deeply wish every person would read this brilliant masterpiece. Chanel is a true gift to the world.

Last year I shared the book Catch and Kill in which Ronan Farrow details the harrowing experience of reporting one of the bombshell stories that laid bare the patterns of Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator for decades. She Said is a similar tale but coming from the two ace reports for the New York Times, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who were the first to publish a piece on the subject. Stories like this are so important because they make visible the immense amount of hard work, savvy, sensitivity, and unflagging pursuit of the truth required to break huge stories like this one. This narrative certainly hammers home the vital role of a free press and excellent journalism is making our world a better place. I listened to this as an audiobook, and would recommend it.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was quite anxious to read it considering how much Ms. Cline’s previous book Overdressed has changed my life. If Overdressed is the book that presents all of the problems with fast fashion, The Conscious Closet is meant to be a roadmap of sorts for dressing more ethically and sustainably, and taking yourself out of the fast fashion cycle. I think the book has a lot of good information but perhaps because I have already made a huge lifestyle shift in this regard, it felt a bit redundant to me. It might be more useful to someone who is wanting to shift to a more ethical wardrobe but isn’t sure how to get started.

This memoir details the story of Kwame Onwuachi, former Top Chef contestant. He grew up in the Bronx and Nigeria, hustling his way to stay afloat and achieve his dreams. His story is quite a wild ride and I greatly enjoyed listening to the audio version so I could hear him tell it himself. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

This is definitely not a happy or a feel good book but it covers a topic that isn’t talked about enough, and as the author mentions several times, isn’t really written about either – queer domestic abuse. While the subject matter is dark, Ms. Machado articulates her personal experience through an assortment of literary tropes. It is brilliant, and is also enlightening and devastatingly important. I very much recommend the audio version of this book. I have listened more than once and I know I will still listen again.

As a little side note, the town where this abusive relationship took place is actually my hometown. There were so many references to places I knew and I found myself thinking constantly about where exactly this had all occurred. With a bit of digging I figured it out and it made the chilling narrative feel even more real to me.

I visited New Orleans for my first time last January before the pandemic began, and I had such a wonderful time wandering the streets and exploring there. I was excited to start this book not long after as it is set there. This book tracks not the life of a single person, but rather a house in a neglected part of town as well as the many lives that resided there and passed through it. This thoughtful memoir touches on issues of race, class, and inequality, and lends so much valuable perspective on an area with complex issues both pre- and post-Katrina.

Is there anyone left who hasn’t read this book? It’s a little bit fluffy but still an enjoyable read. Even though the plot was a bit predictable, the portrayal of issues surrounding race, class, performative allyship and white feminism are shrewd. The entire depiction of the influencer/blogger character is hilarious to me because it is spot on as far as what I’ve seen during my time in the blogosphere (is that even a thing anymore?) Anyway, it’s a fun and entertaining read overall.

This is an anthology of short stories written by people of color, providing a diverse exploration of life from a range of personal experience. I am always amazed at how short stories can convey so much and pull you in so deeply in such a, well, short time. As with any collection of short stories some resonated more than others, but I liked most of these.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m not sure it’s for everyone but I think for those in a particular stage of life and family circumstance, it can feel quite poignant. The theme of the book is listening to our inner self and stop striving to meet external expectations projects onto us from various aspects of our world. It is a little bit repetitive at times, but there are many parts throughout the book that are highly relatable for me personally. I really loved hearing about how she met her wife as well…their story is so sweet.

This is a highly enjoyable coming of age story. The protagonist, Juliet, is a young queer Puerto Rican woman from the Bronx who comes out to her family and then moves to Portland to intern for a famous white feminist author. Juliet is lovable and incredibly earnest as she tries to navigate her way in the world. The plot is a bit predictable but I still enjoyed this read very much.

This is such a fascinating and important book about male sexuality, toxic masculinity, and how these things manifest in our teen boys and young adult men. It covers topics including hookup culture, love, porn consumption, consent, and more. While this read is most relevant to parents of boys, I think the information is widely applicable and important for just about anyone to understand.

What was this book? I’m still not exactly sure. It does contain some of the most beautiful writing I have ever read. However, I ultimately felt the actual story itself was lacking. What was the narrative arc, if there was one? This just didn’t do it for me.

I love when a book can pack so much sharply witty humor and cultural critique into a tiny volume. In her characteristic comedic style of hilarious simple yet effective illustrations paired with written passages, the author thoughtfully holds up a mirror to our society’s tendency to applaud mediocre men for doing the absolute least. It gave me belly laughs throughout and there are stories from it that I still recount and find myself giggling at on the regular.

This collection of essays is written in an extremely casual, conversational tone that makes you feel as though you are hanging on the couch with Ms. Robinson while she tells it like it is on a wide variety of topics. Personal narrative is interwoven with pop culture critique in this playful yet insightful read.

This is a brilliant book telling the interconnected stories of 12 women and highlighting many facets of the Black British experience. I loved the structure and the scope of this novel. It is just beautifully done.

I think I may need to revisit this book eventually to fully absorb it. I listened to the audio version which may not have been the best choice, because the book is actually a collection of essays from Black femme writers focusing on the importance of seeing themselves in literature. As an audiobook, my mind sometimes missed the breaks between chapters and then two or more essays seemed to blend together which was a bit confusing. Overall though, this is a beautiful collection highlighting, “the magnificence of literature; how it can provide us with a vision of ourselves, affirm our talents, and ultimately help us narrate our own stories.”

This book is the sort of thing that has an excellent premise but under-delivers. It is a compilation of brief essays from numerous established writers, each focused on a particular food and the significance it carries in their life. I love the idea but the brevity and unevenness left something to be desired.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of this book is searing. This gripping coming of age memoir tells the story of Jones’s life as a young Black gay man in the south, navigating complex family relationships and finding his way in the world. This book is on another level from most memoirs (and I love memoirs.) I highly recommend it.

This is a fun and unique short story collection. All of the stories center on women and most impart a nostalgic feeling for heady teenage summers. Love, secrets, obsession, and more. The stories all just felt so real, with a touch of magic to them. I also LOVED that we returned to some of the stories again later in the book. This doesn’t usually happen in short story collections but I was so pleased with this choice since short stories often leave me wanting more and in this book, you actually get the more you were craving.

This book absolutely blew me away. It is one of those gripping sorts of novels that I simply couldn’t put down. I think I read it in less than three days, which is unusual for me. Any lover of reading is likely to enjoy this book. I don’t want to say much at all about the plot. Just trust me and give this a try.

I had not yet read anything by Zora Neale Hurston but after hearing her repeatedly referenced by so many authors and activists that I admire, I knew I had to change that. This book is stunningly beautiful with a story that goes its own way in its own time.

This was a highly enjoyable summer read. The protagonist is a 15 year old girl from the Dominican Republic forced to marry an older man and move to New York where she doesn’t know anyone or speak the language. Over the book, she comes more into her own and works toward personal independence. This story is lovable and heart wrenching.

Oh my goodness, do we all need to read Hood Feminism, and then read it again, and really absorb the information. This book is a wealth of shrewd and articulate thought on numerous topics surrounding racial justice. Mikki Kendall has done a masterful job of examining systemic racism and white supremacy, and the many ways these effect Black communities. I read this once and then downloaded the audio so I could listen again and really sit with her words. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

This seemed to be the hot book of the summer and I can see why! Brit Bennett is an incredibly talented writer and in this book she weaves a gripping narrative of twin sisters whose lives take several unexpected turns and whose paths diverge and converge throughout the story. I absolutely loved it, highly recommend!

I’ve been a fan of Mike Birbiglia for a long time. We had tickets to see him in a live show back in April which of course ended up being canceled due to the pandemic. I eventually needed my fix, so I downloaded this book by him along with his wife who is a poet. This lovely collaboration describes their journey in deciding to become parents and what that reality has meant for them and their lives. While parents in particular will enjoy this read, I think almost anyone would enjoy this honest and humorous perspective on starting a family.

This is a gorgeous novel set partially in Chicago in the 1980’s during the AIDS epidemic. I don’t want to say much more about it, nor do I think I could do it justice. It is simply a beautiful, heart wrenching story that I just never wanted to end.

I really wanted to love this book but I had the hardest time staying connected to the story. This story reimagines the early years of Liberia through three main characters whose paths weave together and apart over the course of the book. I think my main hang up is the use of magical realism which is a style that doesn’t often appeal to me. The writing and story are beautiful overall, so if you are a fan of stories with a magical leaning, you might love this.

I absolutely loved this book. This memoir is an introspective and thoughtful story of personal evolution and transformation. While it centers on the complexities of sexuality and how it may not be as fixed as many of us imagine, the broader theme of change being a constant is also present. There was so so much that deeply resonated with me in this book and I am so glad that I read it.

This is a collection of humorous essays about Samantha Irby getting older, settling down and moving in with her wife in a small white midwestern town, home ownership, and the trials of selling her work to Hollywood. I expected to love this but instead I liked it medium, which is to say it was fine but not great. I did read the physical book so wonder if I would have found it funnier via the audio format.

This was such an enjoyable read! The book begins with a rebellious teen acting out after her own mother’s recent suicide. An unplanned pregnancy and a cover up set the stage for a series of events that play out over the following many years. I don’t want to say too much more to avoid any spoilers. If you enjoy a good novel, you’ll probably enjoy this book.

If there is one thing I could recommend as a remedy to the shit year we all experienced in 2020, it is this book: Shit, Actually by Lindy West. I must insist that you listen to the audio version – you will be so glad you did. Lindy West reviews numerous popular movies from the past few decades and I’m telling you, these reviews will give you life. She covers plenty of movies I have seen as well as many I haven’t but in every chapter, I found myself absolutely laughing out loud. My fiancé and I have relistened to chapters together multiple times because they are just so funny. A short list of my favorite chapters include those on The Fugitive, Top Gun (OMG SO FUNNY), Harry Potter, Face Off, Forrest Gump, and American Pie.

This book has a very creative and unique premise, as the protagonist presents the entire narrative as a production and himself as Generic Asian Man who hopes to one day be Kung Fu Guy. While the story examines themes of race, stereotypes, success, and life as an immigrant, I found the form ended up muddying the narrative for me. It is quite well reviewed so maybe this just wasn’t for me. I wanted to love it but in the end, I felt just…meh about it.

This slim volume is a life changing read, no doubt. It is structured around the forty questions asked of undocumented immigrant children facing deportation from the U.S. The book reframes the immigration crisis and incisively points out the role of America as an entity creating and sustaining many of the major issues within these countries leading their citizens to try to escape in the first place. No matter what you think you believe or understand about the immigration crisis, this is a must read.

This is a young adult novel written in verse, in a dual narrator format set in both the Dominican Republic and the Bronx. The plot was very predictable but I still really enjoyed this story and will probably read it with my kids when they are just a bit older.

When I ordered my copy of What Kind of Woman, I went ahead and ordered a whole stack of them for gifting to my friends and family. This slim volume from Kate Baer contains an unthinkable amount of truth. Some of the poems take my breath away from how deeply they connect with me and my own experience. I often forget, but books like this help me remember, the magic that can exist in poetry. How just a handful of well placed words can connect to your core. I will be savoring this gorgeous work for a long time while eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Baer brings us next.

I really don’t know how to summarize this book or if I would necessarily recommend it. It was a weird, disconcerting, and oftentimes ugly book. While the story itself was largely unappealing to me and left me scratching my head, the writer clearly has some talent and potential, and there are several important topics woven within the narrative. I will be interested to see what Ms. Leilani writes going forward.

I hadn’t planned to read this book but a friend lent it to me so I figured, why not. The story is about a gay couple living in Houston, a Japanese American chef and a Black daycare teacher, as their relationship comes to a crossroads. While I think the set up contains so much potential, this book fell flat for me. There were so many scenes I found deeply unsatisfying, as though they only just scratched the surface of so much substance underneath. I think this writer has a lot of potential and some of the writing is lovely, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book. Overall it was quick read but lacking.

This is another book every single person needs to hear, and again, I recommend audio to hear this information directly from the brilliant Stacey Abrams. I am blown away by her resolve, dedication to democracy, and passion for engaging individual citizens to help shape our collective future. I was certainly aware of voter suppression prior to this book, but my eyes have been yanked open by the information Ms. Abrams presents flawlessly here. Her ideas and plans for a way forward to a true democracy that actually works for all its citizens is extremely compelling and I hope this will be a roadmap for changes in state and federal government going forward.

Horror is not a genre I typically enjoy and in fact, one I tend to steer clear of. However, I kept seeing this book referenced and all the mentions of it along with the provocative cover intrigued me. From the moment I opened it, I was completely engrossed and ended up really loving this book. It is dark, creepy, at times sultry, and gripping. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this and I think I’ll be a bit more open to horror as a genre as a result.