All The Books I Read In 2019
My favorite books of 2019, and all the other good ones I read
One of my goals for 2019 was to read more. I went from reading four books in 2018 to reading 21 this year.
As you’ll see, I rated most of the stuff I read above 7/10. The reason for this is simple: I’m a very picky reader. I do my research before buying a book and if I start reading something and I’m not enjoying it, I’ll just stop reading. It’s that simple.
So without further ado, here are my favorite books I read in 2019 and some others:
The most important book I read this year:
- The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
Global warming is the greatest challenge of my generation. This book is not about climate science though, but about how global warming will affect the lives of all of us and those that will come after us. And, as Wallace-Wells says, “it’s worse, much worse, than you think.”
We often hear how the Paris Agreements set a goal of getting to only two degrees of warming. Two degrees of warming would still mean the collapse of our ice sheets, 400 million more people suffering from water scarcity, and deadly heat waves every summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This is our BEST CASE SCENARIO.
At our current rate of emissions, we’re headed for over four degrees of warming. This would mean near constant droughts in southern Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, around 8 million more cases of dengue fever a year in Latin America, and hundreds of millions of refugees escaping from drowning coastal cities around the globe.
We cannot stop global warming, it’s too late for that now. But we can do everything we can to reduce our emissions as much as possible. The Uninhabitable Earth is the most important book I read this year, and I hope you’ll read it too. Score: 10/10
My Notes | Article (this is the article that then became the book)
My favorite book of the year:
2. Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel by Francine Klagsburn
Golda Meir lived an outstanding life. Her life story is intertwined with the birth of the State of Israel, from before the foundation of the State until after the Yom Kippur War.
I cannot explain how much I enjoyed reading this deeply researched book. Klagsburn did an amazing job showing every side of Golda, from her smart political operator skills to her complicated personal life (she had many lovers!).
Golda Meir was one of the first female heads of state in the world, and a trailblazer in every way. I’m obviously deeply biased because of my background (Jewish, lived in Israel, etc.), but that doesn’t make this less of an amazing book. Score: 9/10
3. Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac
Few companies represent as well as Uber the growth that the startup world had in the past decade. The ride-hailing company completely changed the way we move in cities, both as residents and tourists.
This is the story of Uber and it’s very controversial founder, Travis Kalanick. For most of it’s existence, Uber was characterized for it’s aggressive growth and it’s toxic work culture. Both things were a reflection of Kalanick’s values.
If you enjoyed last year’s Bad Blood, you’ll definitively enjoy reading this. Score: 9/10
4. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
I don’t think one could ever feel completely comfortable reading a book about death, but that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try.
Being Mortal changed my views on end-of-life care, people’s right to die the way they want, and what it means to truly care for one’s sick or elderly.
I still, thank God, haven’t been in the position where I’ve had to make decisions over the life of someone I care that’s sick or too old, but I might have to one day. This book will definitively guide my decision making. Score: 9/10
5. Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference by William MacAskill
The world could be a much better place for so many people if we just tried a little harder, it’s that simple. If you make more than USD 11,000 a year, you’re richer than 85% of the world population. Think about that.
MacAskill’s book lays out the theory behind the Effective Altruism movement, whose philosophy has changed the way I think about my giving and my career over the last year. In a gist, by donating just a little money in a more efficient way we could be literally saving millions of lives in the developing world.
I highly recommend it whether you’re looking to change the way you donate money or are thinking of how you can a high-impact career (spoiler alert: working for an NGO might not be your best option). Score: 8/10
That’s my top five, starting here the books are more or less in the order I read them regardless of score.
6. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz is one of the most accomplished VCs of the last decade. This is a must read for any CEO or aspiring CEO. Score: 8/10
7. Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S.A. Corey
Some people have called this “Game of Thrones in Space”. It might not be exactly that, but it’s pretty close. The TV adaptation is currently one of my favorite things on TV. Score: 8/10
8. Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright
This book is not about Buddhism, but about the benefits of Buddhist practices like mindfulness meditation. A great read if you care to know the science behind the benefits. Score: 7/10
9. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Everybody Lies successfully explains what Big Data is, where it comes from, and how people and businesses are using it; all while still being a highly entertaining and funny book. Score: 9/10
10. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
One of the best books of the last century. Man’s Search for Meaning is about how to find meaning in life no matter the circumstances that surround us. Score: 10/10
11. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
A book about how we, wrongly, assume we can tell who people are by having just a small amount of interactions with them. Not the best Gladwell book, in my opinion. Score: 6/10
12. This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation by Rabbi Alan Lew
A book written by a former Buddhist monk turned Rabbi for anyone looking to understand how we can go through life and unburden ourselves of the things that might make us feel sad or anxious, regardless of religious belief. Score: 9/10
13. She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: What Heredity Is, Is Not, and May Become by Carl Zimmer
If you’ve ever had any questions about DNA, genes, inheritance, and the moral and ethical questions surrounding new technologies like CRISPR, this book will answer them. Equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Score: 8/10
14. Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang
Like Dark Mirror but less dark. A collection of short fiction stories that will make you think about the big questions and what it means to be human. Score: 8/10
15. The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty by Peter Singer
Peter Singer is one of the greatest ethical philosophers of our era. The Life You Can Save presents a compelling argument on how we could save millions of lives, if we just tried a little harder.
You can download the e-book and audiobook versions for free at www.thelifeyoucansave.org . Score: 9/10
16. Enlightenment now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress by Steven Pinker
A great companion to The Uninhabitable Earth. Pinker uses data to prove how vastly quality of life has improved around the world over the last century. Score: 7/10
17. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
I wished I had read this in high school. A book that covers history’s most important scientific discoveries in a funny and entertaining way. I’d have given it a 10/10 if I had read it ten years ago. Score: 7/10
18. The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Rabbi Heschel was a visionary in every way. The Sabbath is a timeless classic about the real meaning behind the Jewish day of rest. Score: 9/10
19. My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit
This is a hard book to read for those of us that worry about the future of Israel. Ari Shavit is famous for being both very critical of some of Israel’s policies and also having a deep love for the state. Overall, a great book for anyone interested in the complexities surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Score: 8/10
20. Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman
I’m a huge fan of Braverman’s Twitter threads. This is the story of her experience breaking into a male-dominated sport as a young woman. Score: 8/10
21. Ender’s Game (Ender’s Saga #1) by Orson Scott Card
This book is a science fiction classic. While I thought it was good and liked the twist at the end, I was bothered by some of the language the author used. I won’t be reading anything else from the author though, here’s why. Score: 6/10
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. My goal for 2020 is to read a similar number of books but from a more diverse pool of authors, specially more written by women and people of color. If you have any recommendations please send them my way!
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Personal Disclosure: The opinions presented here are strictly my own and do not represent those of my employer.
