It was clear even before the pandemic started that this year would be a lighter reading year for me. I was only able to pull off nearly 50 books in 2019 because of unique circumstances. The stars really aligned here for me to read that many books. I was in a job that I was committed to leaving at the end of the year and was in a city I knew I would only call home for one more summer. This was a period of time for me when life felt certain. That feeling doesn’t come often. It’s a feeling that can only come with a significant degree of socioeconomic privilege. It’s a level of security most people in the world do not have.
What I saw (who knows may that year was a once in a lifetime thing) for myself was a lot of free time in my life that I decided to turn into reading… among other things. In 2019, I put my “career” on the back burner (i.e emphasized the life part of work-life balance). Without the pressure of needing to perform or exceed expectations I spent the year focusing inward through books.
This is a longer way of saying “this year’s post about books is going to be much shorter because I am giving more of myself to the world than last year” Anyways, here are some of my favorite things that I’ve read in 2020.
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The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
Read on January 5
Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram Kendi
Read on February 23
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Shoshana Zuboff
Read on April 26
President Carter: The White House Years, Stuart Eizenstat
Read on May 25
Pelosi, Molly Ball
Read on June 4
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, David Truer
Read on July 4
Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America, Conor Dougherty
Read on July 16
