If you’ve been around here any amount of time, you know how much I love reading. I try to read at least three books a month. At some point, I’d like to consistently read four a month. There are just so many things I want to read and never enough time to do it all. Being a wife and mother means my time isn’t my own a lot of the time. Books are a part of self care for me, so I end up squeezing in my reading when I can.
As we quickly approach the end of the year, I have been thinking about, my favorite books, the ones that I really loved this year. There were several that stood out but I’m going to narrow it down to my top six.
Without question, my favorite book this year can’t be narrowed down to just one. It’s a tie between The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste. They are both written by Isabel Wilkerson. The Warmth of Other Suns is about the great migration of Black people in this country from the south to the northern states. It was such an in depth look of what that really entails. As Black people flee the Jim Crow south for what was thought to be a better life in the north. What they faced and how they endured is remarkable. As I read this book, I talked through it with my mother. She grew up in the Jim Crow south and knew this migration life intimately. Hearing her perspective made this such a rich experience.
Must Reads
Caste is an exploration of the caste structure in the United States. We don’t often think of the United States as a country with a caste structure. Wen reading this book it becomes so obvious. She outlines what the structure looks like in India as well as Germany. We’re all aware of the caste structure in India – it’s more widely known. When you explore these countries through her research, it’s so obvious that we live under the same system in this country. It’s a whole new way at looking at things and it’s eye opening. Both Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns should be required reading for everyone in this country. It would shed so much light and understanding.
Some of My Favorite Books
The Vanishing Half was a book that I just couldn’t put down. It the story of twins, growing up in Louisiana during segregation. The girls are light enough to pass for white. Obviously, attempting to pass is dangerous. If you’re found out, there are major consequences. One sister decides to go for it and she doesn’t tell a soul. She just disappears. You get to see how her life plays out as well as the lives of the family she’s left behind.
Heart Talk by Cleo Wade is a feel good, inspirational book. It left me encouraged. The book is full of quick poems and writing that speak to your heart. I ended up saving so many pages of this book to refer back to and remind me of my unique greatness.
Remember the story of the missing girls in Nigeria that were kidnapped by the Boko Haram? It was a huge story in 2014. There was a campaign created called #BringBackOurGirls. The book Beneath the Tamarind Tree gives an account of what happened and how some of the girls were able to be returned to their families. The book is written by journalist Isha Sesay. She covered this story extensively for CNN. Sesay spent time with the girls and their families and was very involved with keeping the story at the forefront of the news. She connected to the girls and covering their kidnapping became a so personal for her. Her account of events surrounding it is riveting.
I’ll end my list with I Almost Forgot About You. It follows the story of a twice divorced, empty nester mom. She’s got this amazing successful life but something is missing. She wants to walk away from a successful business in search of here second act – whatever that is. She’s sucked into issues with friends and families that causes her to keep putting her plans on pause. It’s so a relatable story. While I’m not an empty nester, I absolutely understand the struggle to successfully find and pursue a second act.
Check out the other books I’ve read this year. What good books have your read lately? I am ALWAYS open to suggestions.
