Reading, New Year’s Post
Books Read 2021
1. Ask Again, Yes Mary Beth Keane
2. Breathe: A Lettter to my Sons Imani Perry
3. The Feminist and the Sex Offender Judith Levine and Erica Meiners
4. A Burning Megha Majumdar *
5. Emergency Contact Mary H.K. Choi
6. Yes No Maybe So Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed
7. Lightning Flowers Katherine E. Standefer *
8. Normal People Sally Rooney
9. Detransition, Baby Torrey Peters
10. Halfway Home Rueben Jonathan Miller *
11. Three Women Lisa Taddeo
12. Four Days and a Year Later Barry Friedman *
13. Tell Me How You Really Feel Aminah Mae Safi
14. Surviving the White Gaze Rebecca Carroll *
15. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times Katherine May *
16. Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart
17. Yolk Mary H.K. Choi *
18. Already Toast Kate Washington *
19. Miracle’s Boys Jacqueline Woodson *
20. Ordinary Light Tracy K. Smith *
21. Can’t Even Anne Helen Petersen
22. The Joke Was On Me: A Comedian’s Memoir Barry Friedman
23. Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro
24. The Rejection that Changed My Life Jessica Bacal *
25. susan, linda, nina & cokie Lisa Napoli
26. The Light of the World Elizabeth Alexander *
27. Edie Richter is Not Alone Rebecca Handler
28. The Whiteness of Wealth Dorothy A. Brown *
29. The Souvenir Museum Elizabeth McCracken *
30. Pregnant Girl Nicole Lynn Lewis
31. The Sum of Us Heather McGhee *
32. Goodbye, again Jonny Sun
33. The Last Thing He Told Me Laura Dave *
34. Michael Lewis The Premonition *
35. Instructions for Dancing Nicola Yoon
36. Almost Flying Jake Maia Arlow *
37. Somebody’s Daughter Ashley C. Ford
38. Thanks for Waiting Doree Shafrir
39. Crying in H Mart Michele Zaumer *
40. Between Two Kingdoms: a Memoir of a Life Interrupted Suleika Jaouad *
41. Jacob’s School Play Starring He, She and They Ian and Sarah Hoffman *
42. Learning in Public Courtney E. Martin *
43. The Other Black Girl Zakiya Dallla Harris
44. No Cure for Being Human Kate Bowler
45. The Ugly Cry Danielle Henderson *
46. When Breath Becomes Air Paul Kalanithi *
47. Obie is Man Enough Schuyler Bailar
48. Preventable Andy Slavitt
49. Parachutes Kelly Yang
50. Tick Tock Essays on Become a Parent After 40 Edited Vicki Breitbart and Nan Bauer-Maglin * (I have an essay in this collection)
51. Supremely Tiny Acts: A Memoir of a Day Sonya Huber *
52. Hard Landings: Looking into the Future for a Child with Autism Cammie McGovern *
53. Long Live the Tribe of the Fatherless Girls T Kira Madden *
54. Stranger Care Sarah Sentilles *
55. Birthing Black Mothers Jennifer C. Nash
56. Afterlife Julia Alvarez
57. The Wealth Hoarders Chuck Collins *
One of my prime activities for 2021 was to read. It’s been delightful, interesting, challenging, and soothing. I read some beach reading books, although I didn’t actually go on that kind of vacation (or much of anywhere at all, ever). I read for what seems to have been a short-lived book club, which had me try a couple of books I might not have picked up at all. I read to learn about wealth in this country and the pandemic and more on adoption and grief (a key topic for me, so be it) and love and family.
I starred books that captured me and that came to me, because I know the writers. I contemplated double star, but I don’t know what someone else will love. I will say that for me, these books shaped or reshaped my perspective: Lightning Flowers, The Whiteness of Weallth, Between Two Kingdoms, Learning in Public, Hard Landings, Strangger Care. Many books wowed me and offered insight into worlds I don’t know much about from Detransition, Baby to Ordinary Light and Crying in H Mart.
I wanted to say something profound about reading with (for me) a vengeance, but really, I think elementary school teachers have it right and should get the last word: D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read). Really, given how the year’s beginning, we should be able to continue our time at home, reading for the winter months.
** with special thanks to Lexi Wright High Five Books
