My Review of 40 Books Read in 2016
Last year I aimed to read a book a week, and managed to get to 40 books. Here is my list and commentary for books I read in 2016:
NON-FICTION
1. This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein
This book was probably the most consequential non-fiction book I read this year. Partially because the subject matter is so relevant, but also because it condenses an obscene amount of research and reporting (it took Klein five years to write) into a highly readable book — a borderline manifesto for the grassroots mobilization of the climate movement. By the end you’re nearly in the streets with a picket sign. But more importantly, there is likely no better single resource to learn about climate change and how to address it.
2. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Khaneman
This is one of the most important books ever written about understanding human behaviour. Daniel Khaneman is hailed as the next Freud, with this book elevating him to the status of a living history textbook character. This book offers groundbreaking lessons about what is called behavioural economics (for which Khaneman won a nobel prize), but perhaps would be better described as behavioural psychology. For example, in one study, Khaneman found that having photos of money in a room would make people in that room act more selfishly. By the end of the book, after exploring all of the ways your behaviour is unknowingly, and significantly, shaped by seemingly random external stimuli, you may feel uncertain that you have free will at all.
3. The Republic by Plato
A staple for any political science junky, The Republic is a cornerstone text of Western Democracy that remains astonishing in its clairvoyance. Andrew Sullivan used the book in a NY MAG piece entitled “America has Never been so Ripe for Tyranny” to (basically) demonstrate how the election of Donald Trump was all but written into Plato’s political prophecy. What is truly mind boggling about this book — filled with such masterful political analysis, still so relevant today — is that it was written in 380 BC. 380 BC! As Sullivan says, the book has more “wrinkles and eddies” than is worth summarizing here, but if you want a solid analysis, reach for Sullivan’s NY MAG piece. As Plato demonstrates, Tyranny evolves from only one political system: Democracy.
4. Long Shadows: Truth, Lies and History by Erna Paris
This book is astonishing in its breadth, covering the aftermath of the most consequential modern genocides and human brutalities, from World War II (France, Germany, Japan), to slavery in America, apartheid in South Africa, war and genocide in Bosnia, Rwanda, Argentina and Chile, and more. Erna Paris explores these events, the aftermath of these tragedies, and analyses the many different ways each chose to cope with their dark histories.
5. Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide and the Secret to Saving the World by Kevin Bales
This book was well written, and extremely informative. Most startling fact: the number of slaves in the world currently is about 35 million — equivalent to the population of Canada or California — and are collectively the third largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world. Therefore, Bales’ thesis is understandably: end slavery =end climate change. The upshot here — and this is Klein’s point in This Changes Everything, too — is that climate change and human rights issues share common solutions.
6. A National Crime, a History of Residential Schools in Canada by James S. Milloy
A devastating history of Canada’s most shameful, and surprisingly recent history, the legacy of which remains relevant and impactful today. Required reading for Canadians.
7. None is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe 1933–1948 by Irving Abella and Harold Troper
Since my great grandparents (Polish Jews) had to sneak into Canada wearing fake Nazi uniforms, this book was a pretty relevant history lesson for me. Most memorable points were about William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada’s longest serving prime minister who’s face is on the $50 dollar bill, who turns out to have been extraordinarily antisemitic. He admired Hitler, comparing him to “the Joan of Arc of his people”, and refused to let Jewish refugees into Canada, only Sudeten Germans (after his anti-immigration policies were giving him bad PR.) Also, the legacy of antisemitism in Canada runs deeper than I once thought. When my grandfather was growing up, the lake by my childhood house had a sign that read “no dogs or Jews allowed” — a sign common to many storefronts and beaches in the early-and-mid 20th century in Canada. This book dives deep into that history.
8. Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers by Robert Jackall
I read this book because it was #1 on the late Aaron Swartz’s recommended reading list. (If you don’t know who Aaron Swartz’s is, you should.) The most shocking revelation from this book was how often “new research findings” are actually just studies funded by the research wing of a PR company hired by a corporation to sell their shit. Now I see it everywhere — anytime I see a new article talking about “a new study”, I carefully check the sources, and often times can trace it back to some shady, resource exploiting corporation. This book will forever change your perspective on how one really “moves up the corporate ladder” and how businesses — and even government — are organized to strategically separate ethics from profits, and just how dangerous this can be.
9. Between the World and Me by: Ta-nehisi Coates
I don’t want to gush about this book or Coates as a writer too hard for fear of playing into the “white person reads Ta-nehisi Coates and thinks they’re ‘woke’” trope. But seriously, Coates deserves all the praise he’s gotten. Despite Coates being mystified and having mixed feelings about this books very white audience — I think that’s partially what makes it so impressive. To so masterfully appeal to the sensibilities and empathy of the opposite racial group the book was intended to reach is a show of Coates’ power as a writer.
10. The Fire Next Time by: James Baldwin
Given how influenced Coates’ Between the World and Me was by Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, I reached for this book immediately after finishing the former. This book is powerful and efficient. Baldwin was straight up a genius. There is immense power in Baldwin’s sentences. He conveys so much with so little, for example: “The Negros experience of the white world cannot possibly create in him any respect for the standards by which the white world claims to live. His own condition is overwhelming proof that white people do not live by these standards.” How can you not be changed by sentences like that?
11. Selling Illusions: The Cult of Multiculturalism in Canada by Neil Bissoondath
An interesting take on a Trinidadian transplant in Canada, experiencing our brand of multiculturalism.
12. A History of Antisemitism in Canada by Ira Robinsoin
Pretty much exactly what the tittle says. I found “None is Too Many” to be more powerful.
13. The Night of the Gun by David Carr
The late David Carr was a journalists journalist. A legend, for so many different reasons. This was one of the most interesting autobiographies I’ve ever read. As a former crack-addict and alcoholic turned New York Times superstar, Carr decided to report on his own life — literally interviewing the friends and figures of his past — to accurately unravel his drug-hazed past.
14. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
This book is a bit of an existential mind-fuck, and I learned a ton about about how past species and their mass extinctions are studied and discovered. I will admit, at first I was expecting a little more from this Pulitzer prize winning book, but upon reflection, no other book better demonstrates the (perhaps) irreversible drive of climate change. This book also does a fantastic job of explaining the doomed epoch we have entered — the Anthropocene — and just how significantly humans have altered our planet. Though I don’t think space travel is ever mentioned, the implications of this book make a fantastic case for colonizing Mars.
15. Letter to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens
Dear god, I love Christopher Hitchens. This paragraph says it all:
“How to ward off atrophy and routine, you ask? Well, I can give you a small and perhaps ridiculous example. Every day, the New York Times carries a motto in a box on its front page. “All the News That’s Fit to Print,” it says. It’s been saying it for decades, day in and day out. I imagine most readers of the canonical sheet have long ceased to notice this bannered and flaunted symbol of its mental furniture. I myself check every day to make sure that the bright, smug, pompous, idiotic claim is still there. Then I check to make sure that it still irritates me. If I can still exclaim, under my breath, why do they insult me and what do they take me for and what the hell is it supposed to mean unless it’s as obviously complacent and conceited and censorious as it seems to be, then at least I know I still have a pulse.”
16. The Abundance by Annie Dillard
Often called the Henry Thoreau of our time, Dillard is one of the most original living American writers. Her autobiographical stuff is especially good. This book is a compilation of her best works. Will give you a new lens for which to see nature, and the world around you.
17. How to be a Person in the World by Heather Havrilesky
Solid advice column writer, though I think I enjoyed Cheryl Strayed’s “Tiny Beautiful Things” a bit better.
18. The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe is another one of those writers, where only he could pull off such a zany and unique writing style. Learned a lot of interesting things about Darwin in this book. Pretty quick and interesting read, though I suspect it isn’t the best for those looking for a technical linguistics lesson.
19. The Opposite of loneliness by Marina Keegan (Also included in Fiction)
This girl’s story will rip your heart out — such talent, taken from us way too soon. I liked her non-fiction works best. This girl was wise beyond her years, and infinitely relatable.
20. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
No matter what anyone says, I still buy into Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule. Even if it’s not 100% accurate, it encourages a principle of hard work and meritocracy. Gladwell is outrageously talented at explaining the world to you. One of those books you walk away from feeling vastly smarter than when you began.
21. On the Campaign Trail by Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter was the man. The fact that his work remains a literary staple for any modern political reporter, despite his antics and fictional musings on non-fiction politics is simply legendary. The fact that he reported on a “rumour in Milwaukee” that one of the presidential candidates (Ed Musky) was binging on the psychoactive drug “Ibogaine” during his campaign, later to reveal that he was the one who started the rumour in the first place — is laugh out loud funny shit. The fact that people actually believed this Ibogaine scandal is hysterical. And the fact that Hunter still claimed this was accurate reporting, because he wrote it was “a rumour in Milwaukee” which was technically accurate….well the man was a legend.
22. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
Like I said before, one of those books you walk away from feeling vastly smarter than when you began.
23. Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Basically a more reader-friendly version of “Thinking Fast and Slow”.
24.A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhouit and Sarah Corbett
The first half of this book is a solid Travel memoir that’ll make you want to pack your bags and head to South America. The second half is utterly heartbreaking, and will make you unpack your gear, bolt down your doors, and shut away in your house for days.
FICTION:
25. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Where do I even begin with a book like Infinite Jest? I admit, I put this first on my “fiction” list purely for bragging rights. Reading this book is to hold a work of palpable genius. A book of extraordinary length, mind boggling complexity, and laugh-out-loud humour. A rite of passage for any serious writer. It’s been called the “modern Ulysses”, but it’s worth remembering that Infinite Jest is twice as long as Ulysses, and Wallace wrote it before he was 35. I simply cannot overstate how brilliant this book is. Interestingly, Aaron Swartz (another bonafide genius taken from us too soon) once wrote the world’s most compelling analysis of Infinite Jest.
Here’s a quote from the book: “Three faces have resolved into a place above summer-weight sport coats and half-Windsors across a polished pine conference table shiny with the spidered light of an Arizona noon.”
26. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
This book (along with Infinite Jest) is among my top three favourite fiction books of all time. A gorgeously written, meticulously researched historical fiction. One of those books you want to get lost in forever. I also learned an incredible amount of Indigenous and Canadian history from this book (admittedly, a lot of which came from independently researching certain things that Boyden mentions in the book). Recommend, recommend, recommend.
27. The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Greatest satire of the 21st century so far. Many compare it to “Catch-22”, because of its ability to present a broad scope of contemporary social issues in the most witty, hysterical, and thought provoking ways possible. Just give the prologue a read — hands down the greatest prologue I’ve ever read. The book is about a black urban farmer living in a poor district of Los Angeles, who tries to save his town by reinstating segregation, and unwillingly becomes a slave owner…so yeah, it makes people pretty uncomfortable.
28. 10th of December by George Saunders
Saunders is such a unique, masterful writer, I spent the majority of this book with palm-on-forehead thinking “who writes like this??” His short stories can be emotional roller-coasters, leaving readers ebbing between hysterical laughter and tears. I was so instantly addicted to this book that I read it in one night.
29. No Great Mischeif by Alistair Macleod
Alice Munro perfectly sums up my feelings about this book when she writes, “You will have scenes from this majestic novel burned into your mind forever.” I re-read this book (something I almost never do) and it was just as gorgeous and memorable as the first time I read it. One of those books you develop a long-lasting, deep connection to.
30. Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
I put this book below No Great Mischeif for a reason, which is that I find the two novels to be the East and West coast counterparts to one another. This is another book that captivates the imagination with its otherworldly scenery. I’m pretty sure Robinson is the only published author from Haisla First Nation, and this book is one of the only literary windows into Haisla life. Moreover, it’s gained international attention because it is an astounding piece of fiction.
31. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Disappointed by this book. Not sure if it just didn’t stand the test of time, or if I just couldn’t relate because most of the themes deal with Catholicism.
32. Metamorphasis by Franz Kafka
A one-sitting book. Kafka is a legend for a reason. His books are timeless, and Metamorphosis is no exception.
33. Demian by Herman Hesse
Another disappointment. I thought it was pretty cheesy and over the top. Too much self-indulgent “spiritual” mumbo-jumbo. I know I might come under fire for dissing a brilliant, nobel prize winner like Hesse but I just didn’t vibe with this book.
34. The Opposite of loneliness by Marina Keegan (also included in Non-Fiction)
This girl’s story will rip your heart out — such talent, taken from us way too soon. I liked her non-fiction works best. This girl was wise beyond her years, and infinitely relatable.
35. The Early Writings of Truman Capote by Truman Capote
I still can’t believe Capote was writing like he was at such an early age. I was blown away by his talent, as displayed in this collection of his early works.
36. Wenjack by Joseph Boyden
Another single-sitting book, Wenjack was a solid read and beautiful story. Boyden’s writing takes me places.
37. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Another brilliant and timeless single-sitting book. The perfect allegory of fascism.
38. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I actually re-read this because of how often Ta-nehisi Coates sings it praises — and he’s right, there’s just so much packed into this little book. And as far as the writing goes, Fitzgerald is the undisputed master. He perfected the craft, and his skill as a word-smith shines bright in this book. Crazy that it didn’t become popular until decades after its publication.
39. The Social Animal by David Brooks
Nothing too memorable about this one. I’d reach for Gladwell if you’re interested in a learning-made-fun type book.
40. Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis
This book hit huge acclaim, and I remember for a solid number of months I couldn’t walk into a bookstore without seeing it front and centre. Sadly, it wasn’t my favourite. Maybe I didn’t read it closely enough?
41. Steps by Jerzy Kazinski
Kazinski strikes me as the Edgar Allen Poe of prose. There is something sick, something twisted about his writing. Don’t believe me? I DARE you to get all the way through “Painted Bird”. I had to put that one down after getting half-way through. Steps is a great compilation of short stories — and not as sadistic as Painted Bird.
