I hope you enjoy my list! All 5 stars. 🙂
Category: Books Page 3 of 4
Though I read LOTS of nonfiction in this pandemic, antiracist, wildfire year, two exceptional novels are my top favorites. All of the winners have truly broadened my understanding of the world and the reach of my heart.
With thanks and love to our book club of 2 (my BFF and me), the Tenley-Friendship branch of the DC Public Library, and Politics & Prose bookstore—here they are, my top 12.
Here’s the first half, in case you missed it.
Hmmmm…. I am, as you can see, quite keen on memoirs. And whatever the genre, I am drawn to hope, luminosity, intuition and creativity. I’ve found these varied titles to be nourishing. We need hope in this world!
Last winter I attended a screening of Being Mortal with a panel discussion at American University. It was a strangely beautiful evening.
As a culture we’re not great at talking about death. We fear it, but rarely refer to it. Nothing will change our inexorable progress toward death; as AU Chaplain Mark Schaefer commented during the panel discussion, the ratio of those succumbing is ever the same, 1:1. Yet we, our families and our doctors very often lack the skills and traditions to communicate well, lovingly, effectively and supportively about this mysterious endpoint on our horizons, exacerbating the fear, avoiding our need to plan effectively — in the end often causing more, rather than less, acute pain. Yet on this evening there were people honestly, genuinely attempting to do their best to share helpful thoughts on the topic. It was… great!
These are all 5 star, in my book.
Antoine Leiris, You Will Not Have My Hate
On November 13, 2015, Antoine Leiris’s wife, Hélène, was one of 89 people killed at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris, when three men opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd at a rock concert. Three days later, Leiris, a young journalist, wrote an open letter on Facebook addressed to his wife’s killers, proclaiming his refusal to be diminished or to let his 17-month-old son’s life be defined by Hélène’s murder. Perhaps you saw that? This is his subsequent memoir of moral certitude, courage and love — a compass for us in difficult times. Beautiful.
Amy Cuddy’s talk Your body language shapes who you are, is the second-most viewed talk in TED’s history. I know! I’d never heard of her either! Perhaps the words “Wonder Woman pose” may ring a bell. Amy is a social psychologist and Associate Professor at Harvard Business School who researches how people judge and influence each other and themselves, and is especially famous for her research and writing on power posing.
This simple technique has, at this point, helped millions of people with a myriad of issues improve their lives, which is beyond extraordinary.