Everything I've Read in 2020

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel

At first I was really into this fictional medieval world that Mantel creates, but toward the end it became a slog.

Plus: this period of time + England’s break with the Catholic Church + Henry’s spousal drama lends itself to be great historical fiction.
Minus: It’s one of those books where a table of characters is necessary and you often become confused re: who is currently speaking.

There There – Tommy Orange

A wonderful work of fiction, a quick and captivating read (especially if you’ve even visited Alcatraz).

Not That Kind of Girl – Lena Dunham

I found this one in a give-away pile on a stoop in Clinton Hill. I wanted to read it in 2014 when it came out, but it was a sold out at the time. At the time of its release, I thought that Girls was groundbreaking and it really spoke to me. In a world that lacks female art direction and voice, Dunham’s shone. Now I realize that her position and her work was inadequate in addressing racial and social issues that Dunham herself could not relate to—but that notwithstanding, I think her work is still important. This book, however, read like a whiney therapy session that I did not want to be on the receiving end of.

The Fire Next Time – James Baldwin

This could have been written in contemporary times and it would have felt just as poignant. The discussion of race in America is as relevant today as it was when this essay was written in 1963. The darkest take home is that nothing much has changed and the Overton Window has shifted minimally.

Normal People – Sally Rooney

Found this book on the sidewalk in front of the Herbert Von King park. Another captivating quick read, although it feels a bit indulgent and reads a little like steamy YA fiction. The TV show is pretty decent.

Superior: The Return to Race Science – Angela Saini

Recommended by a geologist friend of mind for a book club on race discussion. The book club never happened, but the natural sciences are an interesting lens through which to dissect the current moment vis-à-vis racial tensions.

The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead

A heartbreaking story based on the Dozier School—a reform school in Florida that operated for 111 years. It’s graphic and some scenes are hard to stomach, but it’s an eye-opening read into the disturbing events that occurred under the guise of reform and eduction in the U.S. in the Jim Crow era.

Stamped From the Beginning – Ibram x. Kendi

An excellent chronology of the 400+ years of slavery in the U.S. through the stories of four historical figures with various ties to the institution: Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, scholar W.E.B. Du Bois & legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis.

Pachinko – Min Jin Lee

The best work of fiction I have read in recent memory. A wonderful Korean epic in a similar vein to Gabriel García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude. It follows one family through their struggles from Korean to their migration to Japan during the pre and post war periods.