For a few years now, I’ve published a list of the ten most impactful books I read that year. It is one of my favorite posts to write each year. I love books like I love my child. Just like how any proud parent can’t stop talking about how great their kids are, I can’t wait to share the list of books that stayed with me long after “The End.”
Honestly, I didn’t have a great year with books. Thanks to either my naivete or my irascible optimism, I overloaded myself this year with too many projects. The result? Stilted reading. That said, I did read plenty of essays and many craft books and trade publications, but I have enough sense not to bore you with those.
This year’s list is overwhelmingly made up of memoirs. I didn’t read much fiction (a decision I regret), and I’m at that stage in life where I find business books heavily yawn-inducing. I still have a soft spot for books on productivity and personal growth, and I’ll say the ones I read this year, even some hyped-up bestsellers, didn’t resonate with me. Some I found outright insulting (but that’s probably just a me thing)…To keep my conscience clear, I won’t list them here.
Here goes this year’s list…
James by Percival Everett (Fiction)
James is more than just Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn reimagined. It is a textured narrative about what it meant to be a Black man in the era of slavery. Despite the weighty subject, the book is a page-turner and one of the finest examples of contemporary literature. Gripping, poignant, funny, James leaves readers with a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be human—probably the reason it won all the year's top honors: Pulitzer, National Book Award, and #1 NY Times Bestseller.
Solito by Javier Zamora (Memoir)
Solito was published three years ago, and though it was on my list for a while, I finally found the time to read this impressive memoir. The writing is poetic, the story has the pace of a thriller, and the underlying emotions are heartbreaking. Solito is the story of a 10-year-old crossing the Mexican-US border on his own to be reunited with his parents. Thematically similar to American Dirt by Jeannine Cummins (both are border-crossing sagas), but thankfully, without the controversy. Yet again, as good books do, Solito reveals the universality of the human condition and our enduring quest for a better life.
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaoud (Memoir)
Though Between Two Kingdoms was published in 2021, I finished reading it just this year. My advice to you: grab a whole box of tissues as you read the book. It’s the story of the author’s unexpected cancer diagnosis at 23 and a very moving description of the years of physical and emotional struggles of a young adult. Despite the story's bleak nature, the book inspires a strong sense of optimism.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Memoir)
Careless People is a whistleblower account of Facebook/Meta. It is an expose, a tell-all about the inner workings of 21st-century American information capitalism, the tech-bro culture, and the elite few who have enabled social media to embed itself so deeply in our daily lives. Although I found some parts of the narrative longer than necessary, the book was a spicy read.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy (Memoir)
As I write this, Roy’s memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, dominates every literary award/bestseller list. Not surprising. The book, especially the first half, with the author’s mother at its center, is so compelling. It seems miraculous that Roy is the high-functioning creative genius she is, despite the childhood she endured. I don’t follow Indian politics, so the second half of the book, especially the sections on activism and political involvement, didn’t resonate with me as much as the first half did. A special shout-out to Roy’s humor throughout the book. If you were to ask me for just one memoir recommendation from this year, I’d suggest, without hesitation, Mother Mary Comes to Me.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (Non-Fiction)
A re-read of one of my favorites. When Things Fall Apart is like comfort food for the soul. Pema Chodron’s books and talks are my go-to when my productivity-seeking personality needs a break. Even if you find Eastern teachings too woo-woo, there is a lot of wisdom to be gained from reading books like this. This one is a salve for the soul.
Don't Worry: 48 Lessons in Relieving Anxiety by Shunmyo Masuno (Non-Fiction)
Don’t Worry is a cute pocket-sized book, packed with wisdom and feel-goodness despite covering topics like death and suffering. It’s no wonder the Japanese are so revered for their uncluttered ways. There is an austerity to their life and words that most other cultures have found hard to emulate.
As I read this book, it made me reflect: Right this very minute, while we fret over whatever ails us (real or imagined), a Japanese monk at a mountain monastery is content filling pots, or tidying the floor—chores modern urban culture considers pedestrian. Why have we complicated our lives so much?
Source Code by Bill Gates (Memoir)
Source Code is supposedly the first book in a yet-to-be-published three-part memoir series. Despite all the drama in Gates’ personal life, I do think he’s one of the rare billionaires who cares about humanity. I enjoyed Source Code. You get a sense of what happens when you combine pure genius of mind with some degree of street smarts. I can’t say I fully appreciated the coding breakthroughs described in the book that eventually led to the PC revolution, but I understood enough to be impressed by the enormity of what Allen and Gates achieved.
Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
I’ll let you in on a secret about me: no other subject on earth fascinates me as much as the topic of death does. Maybe it’s this morbid curiosity that has me searching out end-of-life memoirs—Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture, Julie Yip Williams’ The Unwinding of the Miracle, etc. I was intrigued to find out how Hitchens, an avowed atheist, dealt with a terminal diagnosis. The book doesn’t disappoint. Hitchens, yet again, one last time, in Mortality, shows us why he is still regarded as one of the century's finest exponents of written prose.
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins
I was hesitant about including this on the list because the book itself wasn’t spectacular, the underlying message, though, is worth broadcasting—Give away whatever wealth or stuff you accumulate while you are still alive, and plan to die with close to zero material possessions. Sounds like a rather extreme philosophy, but as you read the book, it starts to make sense. How much of this is practical and implementable remains to be seen, although I think even contemplating this weighty subject is worth our time.
Finally
I counted—there are 53 unread books in my peripheral vision, right this very minute, jostling both for shelf space, and my attention. I hope to give them the love they deserve in the coming year. What are you excited to read?