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2020 in review: books

  • Writer: modernglitch
    modernglitch
  • Dec 29, 2020
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 4, 2021

Here's a list of books I read in 2020. Links to the notes for some of the books (mainly history/economics) is listed alongside the title where available.



Books I read in 2020



Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? - Beverly Daniel Tatum



Solid 4/5. Explores the concept of race and belonging from a psychological and sociological point of view. US-centric but there are key takeaways for minorities in any situation/context.


Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah



5/5. I actually listened to the audiobook version of it and I highly recommend it due to Trevor Noah's penchant for accents and impressions.



On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong



5/5. Beautifully written book. Everything I feel about this book is encapsulated in this New Yorker review by Jia Tolentino.



Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami




3.5/5. Not his best short story collection, I prefer Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman but this was a good read.


What's So Amazing About Grace? - Philip Yancey



3/5.


Permanent Record - Edward Snowden



4.5/5. I highly recommend this book.


Fathers and Sons - Ivan Turgenev



3/5.


Becoming - Michelle Obama



3.5/5.


Dreams From my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance - Barack Obama



5/5. Loved this book. Obama explores race, identity, family, diaspora, roots and the parent-child relationship.


Catch and Kill : Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators - Ronan Farrow



3.5/5. Interesting read but it got draggy at the end.


A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini




4/5. Mariam's last paragraph pre-execution is still embedded in my mind. I prefer The Kite Runner's plot-wise, but this set the scene of pre- and post- Soviet invasion of Kabul and life under the Taliban regime more extensively.


A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas - Ian Talbot



4/5. Notes available here.


Afghanistan: A Social and Political History - Thomas Barfield



5/5. The first few chapters delving into the social and cultural history of Afghanistan were pertinent in understanding the nature of conflict and war in the later chapters.


Notes available soon.

Between the World and Me : Ta - Nehisi Coates


5/5.


Debunking Utopia: Exposing the Myth of Nordic Socialism - Nima Sanandaji



3.5/5. Wanted to read a book to counter the "Scandinavian-exceptionalism" narrative in the recent years. Notes available soon.

Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone - Astra Taylor



5/5. Highly recommend watching the documentary this book is based on, "What is Democracy?", as well. Notes available here.

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie



5/5. Gave an insight into the nuances of African and African-American identity as well as black womanhood in general.

Here I Am - Jonathan Safran Foer


5/5. I have always loved Foer's prose and his ability to put almost any emotion into words and this book did just that. Explored the Jewish identity and Jewish diaspora identity more as compared to his other books.

We Should All Be Feminists- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


5/5. Watched the Tedtalk (link) and then read this incredibly short book.

Girl, Woman, Other - Bernardine Evaristo



3.5/5.


People's History of Malaysia: With Emphasis on the Development of Nationalism - Syed Husin Ali


source: Gerakbudaya


4/5. Notes available here.


A Brief History of Slavery - Jeremy Black



3.5/5. Focuses on the Atlantic trade, a tad bit on slavery in the Islamic world and not much else. Notes available here.


How to Read the Air - Dinaw Mengestu


5/5.


Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury


4/5.


Exit West - Mohsin Hamid


5/5.


Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe



4/5.


Capital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty



4/5. Notes available here.


Che Guevara : A Revolutionary Life - Jon Lee Anderson



4/5. The book showed various aspects of Che as a person and his life. The chapters preceding Che going to Bolivia were extremely draggy but other than that it was an interesting read.


Class, Race and Colonialism in West Malaysia: A Political History of Malaysian Indians - Michael Stenson

source: Tintabudi


4/5. Notes available soon.







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