In 2020, I read a lot of fiction and a lot of non-fiction. I came out with 10 non-fiction/biography books that stood out and several honorable mentions. To prevent the post from getting too long, I will divide this into two posts: one for non-fiction/biographies and one for fiction.
While 2019 was the year of deeply personal reads, 2020, in part, was the year of “If I could get people to read one book on a topic, it would be this book” books, powerful memoirs, thought leaders, and exposes.
Following 2019, I will list these out in the order I read them.
The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad
The topic of the book is heavy, but the writing style is surprisingly not as heavy as one would think. However, I can’t claim it’s not a heavy read when it deals with genocide, sex slavery, and ISIS.
I learned a ton reading this book, and it is still one of my all-time favorites. I left this book feeling inspired by Nadia Murad and eager to learn more, which I think is the hallmark of a good book. I listened to this one on audio (yay library!)
I think some may be turned away from this book due to the heavy subject matter, but I would recommend it to anybody. I think it’s extremely powerful and well done. I’m glad to have read this one, and it is one I recommend frequently.
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
This remains one of my favorite books tackling anti-racism, and one of the ones that I believe is the most accessible to people who are newer to this topic/area of study.
I really liked how Austin approached this topic, her writing style, and the way she presented this. Her Christian background was similar to mine, which made it easier.
I had a friend read it who was less than enthused about it, but I still really love it. I think it is an important and timely read. I listened to this book, and then I bought a hard copy of it.
The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
If I could make one suggestion, read the 10th-anniversary edition, it has a phenomenal and very thoughtful forward that helps show how the tactics discussed in this book have evolved/will evolve and how they relate to mass deportation.
I imagine some may find this book to be overly academic or hard to get through. Since I read these types of books often and love them, I may not be the best judge there. However, I thought it was accessible.
People tend to recommend this book first to people wanting to dive into antiracism or race; I’d recommend it third. I’d recommend Just Mercy (see 2019 list) and Slavery by Another Name first (see below), but there is a reason this tops the list for many— it’s powerful and well-researched and critical for understanding criminal justice and incarceration. This is one of my favorite areas to read about, and this book is well worth the read.
For those who would prefer to stick with documentaries/docu-series: You can watch 13th on Netflix or semi-relatedly When They See Us.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
There are few things I love more than Rebecca Solnit’s writings on feminism. See also The Mother of All Questions. (Did not love a Paradise Built in Hell, but that’s not a piece of hers on feminism. I love how she writes, her writing style, and her approach.
I was late in discovering her, but after discovering her, I devoured nearly all her essays and writings on feminism. If a book is too much for you and/or you want to get a feel for her writing without diving into her full books, look at any of her shorter published essays/articles. Though this is fairly short, it’s only 140 pages.
I find Rebecca to be an intriguing thought leader and an important feminist thinker of our age. I think this is a good one in any format.
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique W. Morris
This book has heavy language and heavy themes. Suitable for adults. Having said that, this is an important read. It is insightful and thorough in explaining how we are pushing Black girls out of schools and into criminal justice.
I think this is a must-read for anybody who works with youth in any capacity.
Every now and then, people will ask me which book changed me the most, and this book makes that list. Very powerful. I can’t recommend it enough.
She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
I followed this story closely as sexual harassment is an interest area of mine. (I can’t speak to film FYI.) I read a lot about this as the story was developing, and I still learned a ton reading the book. The book tells the story of the journalists who broke the story, how they broke the story, and what happened during, behind the scenes, and after the story broke.
I thought it was extremely well-written and an important piece. It also tied this story into other stories they helped break related to the Weinstein story.
I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anybody.
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
The hype around this one was warranted and well-deserved. I wouldn’t say I read a ton in this genre, still don’t. She and Brene Brown are about it. Though this should not be compared to Brene Brown at all. Very Very different.
Like many of my nonfiction favorites, I listened to this one on audio (recommend), and then I bought the hardback copy of this book.
I LOVE this book! What struck me about it when I was reading it was that it seemed so refreshingly honest and relatable. I found myself connecting deeply to this book. Manifesto for life, check!
She talks about a little bit of everything- struggles with bulimia (Note: we recently learned she also struggles with anorexia), substance abuse, difficulties in marriage, infidelity, coming out as gay, parenting, feminism, misogyny, mental health, advocacy, self-acceptance, self-love, motherhood, and navigating emotions.
Basically, this book has a little bit of it all. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
I have to give a strong language warning for this one. Frequent use of the “f word.” AND yet, it is so powerful that I want to ask some of you to look at this one anyway.
If I were to be able to convince everybody to read just one book on poverty and that was it, I’d choose this one. By far my favorite in the genre.
Another thing I love about this book is that the last chapter is full of suggestions and solutions that could actually work if we had the will to implement them.
I learned so so so much from reading this book.
Matthew Desmond wrote this as an ethnography in the third person and wove in personal accounts and statistics, which helps make this book so powerful.
This is a poignant look at poverty and what factors keep people impoverished. Deeply compelling.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I loved this book, and yet, I always feel like I should have loved it more than I did. I rated it highly, and yet, I always feel like I didn’t appreciate it enough. I think that’s a mark of a good book. One that you left feeling wowed, but also one that leaves you feeling like you need to go back and reread it because you didn’t appreciate it enough.
This is a letter Ta-Nehisi writes to his son. It is simultaneously personal (deeply so) and universal. He has such a strong voice that rings out through the pages clearly and forcefully.
This is another great read for those who want to learn about experiences different than their own, race, parenting, and racism.
I need to read more by him.
Slavery by Another Name by Douglas Blackmon
This is another “if I could get people to read just one book” book. This time, if I could get people to read one book on the history of racism/race in America, it would likely be this one. There are a few others that are certainly contenders. But this book powerfully connects slavery, emancipation, 13th Amendment, use of felonies as justification for slavery, and incarceration up through the present day more powerfully and clearly than any other book I have ever read.
It was in reading this book in which I felt like I finally understood my country’s history. The use of first-person records here was also rich. This is a thoroughly researched and vetted book.
I learned so much. I wish I had understood this this clearly earlier. I haven’t watched it, but I’m told there is also a powerful PBS documentary on this topic.
Honorable Mentions:
We Should All be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Daring to Drive by Manal Al-Sharif
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Rage by Soraya Chemaly
Proud by Ibtijah Muhammad
I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
Photo by Kari Shea via Unsplash license
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