7 Paradigm-Shifting Nonfiction Books to Read this Year
The Premonition by Michael Lewis I picked up this book when I recently visited Ryan Holiday’s new bookstore The Painted Porch in Bastrop, Texas. The Premonition is a fast-paced deep dive into the informal but highly qualified group of experts (Lewis accurately positions them as heroes) who knew how dangerous Covid 19 was before anyone else and knew what to do about it. As you can all guess by now, their advice and warnings went largely unheeded. This book fills in the gaps regarding what went wrong and why. As we grapple with both processing the last 18 months and the delta variant, this book is as timely as ever and should be bumped to the top of your to-read queue. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin Only about 100 pages total, the two letters by Baldwin contained in this book make for quick reading. It provides important context on race relations in 1963, and Baldwin’s perspective is direct and powerful. I read the book in about an hour, and yet several of the points he made will stick with me forever. I then watched I Am Not Your Negro, which I would probably recommend doing in reverse order (watching the documentary first).
Still Writing by Dani Shapiro This collection of essays on the writing process could just as easily be applied to anything in life that is difficult and ongoing: a work project, learning a language, parenting, etc. The lessons transcend the topic of writing. I also appreciate the essay format as it’s accessible to pick up and read just a few pages at a time. Wasted by Byron Reese and Scott Hoffman I generally have a high level of attentiveness to all things waste; I’ve been known to obsessively conserve water, pack a vacation’s worth of recyclables home in our car, and generally stress about my impact on the earth. I’ve found it difficult to sort through the conflicting guidance on how to be a responsible citizen and have often been frustrated by the focus on individual responsibility when clearly a single hotel or restaurant chain can reduce waste at a level thousands of times greater than one person. This book really gave me the information I needed to know how to navigate these contradictions, as well as appreciate the complexities of each problem (plastics, water, energy, etc). This should be required reading for anyone in a position of corporate or government power and helpful reading for the rest of us.
What is a Girl Worth by Rachael Denhollander The Olympics this summer prompted me to watch the documentary, Athlete A, about the gymnasts and reporters who held Larry Nassar accountable for his abuse. That film led me to Rachael Denhollander’s memoir, which along with Know My Name by Chanel Miller, is a damning indictment of our culture’s inability to believe victims and hold abusers accountable. Her story should be widely read as a case study on how power and reputation can shield a person from justice.
Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi This is the YA (young adult) version of Ibram X. Kendi’s book Stamped from the Beginning. Jason Reynolds is an incredibly talented writer who “remixed” the original book to make it shorter and more interesting for a young audience. The book goes through the history of racism in the US. I listened to the Audible version, which Reynolds narrates in a really engaging way. Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport “We didn’t sign up for the digital lives we now lead. They were instead, to a large extent, crafted in board rooms to serve the interests of a select group of technology investors.” To be honest, I read this book for validation and support after had already left Instagram rather than as a prescriptive guide. I found what I was looking for and Newport’s philosophy and reasoning really encouraged me to continue living life off of social media.
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