Five Stars

Best for: Anyone interested in a basic understanding of how the earth has influenced politics across the world.

In a nutshell: Author Tim Marshall breaks the world into ten regions and gives an overview of how different geographic and cultural components (rivers, deserts, mountains, harbors, tribes) have affected different political decisions.

Worth quoting:
“The better your relationship with Russia, the less you pay for energy; for example, Finland get a better deal than the Baltic States.”
“China has locked itself into the global economy. If we don’t buy, they don’t make. And if they don’t make there will be mass unemployment.”
“Amazing rivers, but most of them are rubbish for actually transporting anything, given that every few miles you go over a waterfall.”
“The notion that a man from a certain area could not travel across a region to see a relative from the same tribe unless he had a document, granted to him by a third man he didn’t know in a faraway town, made little sense.”

Why I chose it: I don’t know near enough about the world and the motivation behind some actions, and this looked like a great 101-level introduction. And it is.

Review:
This book could have gone one of two ways in my mind: impossible to slog through or difficult to put down. I find that often with non-fiction surveys: in an attempt to fit loads of information into one small book, the density can lead to dry writing and a list of dates and names that rivals the Numbers book in the Bible.

Mr. Marshall does, in my opinion, a great job of parsing some of the most critical bits and connecting them to other critical bits. Obviously the 40 pages on the Middle East won’t be able to get into the nuance of everything, but it’s a starting point.

The Ten Maps include: Russia; China; USA; Western Europe; Africa; The Middle East; India and Pakistan; Korea and Japan; Latin America; and the Arctic. Obviously that doesn’t cover all of the world; Mr. Marshall points out right up front that it leaves out Australia, for example, and much of the south pacific. But it’s a start, and was eye-opening for me.

I think starting with Russia is a smart move, especially since (from my perspective as someone from the US) Russia has been a bit, shall we say, active in the business of other nations as of late. The edition I had included information as late as summer 2017, so its quite a current book. Each chapter looks at the geography of the region and uses it as a jumping off point to get at how that might influence the decisions each nation makes. It doesn’t make moral judgment; it just explains. So, for example, if your country relies on water from a river that flows through a neighboring nation, you’re going to be VERY interested in how things are going in that nation.

As I said, this is a survey, not a deep analysis of any one nation, but still, I feel much better informed about the world than I did a week ago.

Five Stars

Best for: Anyone who is a fan of Secretary Clinton; anyone who isn’t a fan of Secretary Clinton; anyone interested in learning more about how we can prevent something like Trump from happening again.

In a nutshell: First major-party woman nominee for President of the US loses to an ignorant charlatan and seeks to figure out why.

Worth quoting:
“Throughout the 2016 campaign, my staff would come to me wide-eyed. ‘You’ll never believe what Trump said today. It was vile.’ I always believed it. Not just because of who Trump is but because of who we can be at our worst. We’ve seen it too many times to be surprised.”
“Something I wish every man across America understood is how much fear accompanies women throughout our lives.”
“I’ve always believed that it’s dangerous to make big promises if you have no idea how you’re going to keep them. When you don’t deliver, it will make people even more cynical about government.”
“Many in the press and political chattering class marveled at how Teflon-coated Trump seemed to be, ignoring their own role in making him so.”

Why I chose it: I voted for Secretary Clinton, both in the primary in my state (which didn’t count, because Washington uses the horribly inaccessible caucus system) and in the general election. I was heartbroken when she lost. I bought this book the week it came out, but could only bring myself to start reading it this year.

Review: I think this book is mostly perfect for what it is. It’s a post-mortem but it’s also a celebration. It’s a glimpse into what we are missing out on because of 40,000 votes in three states, because the fear in the hearts of some outweighed the optimism in the hearts of others.

Secretary Clinton starts with Trump’s inauguration and then jumps back to deciding to run again after losing the primary to President Obama in 2008. She takes the reader through her decision-making process, and from there jumps from topic to topic, looking at what it means to be a woman in politics, what it means to be HER in politics.

She also doesn’t hold back when talking about her perceptions of how she was treated as compared to the men she ran against – first to Sen. Sanders and then to Trump. And I will say I have to agree with how Sen. Sanders seemed to be allowed to just say whatever and was fawned over, while Secretary Clinton would offer a more realistic version and be slammed for it. It was so frustrating. I also appreciated her discussion of gun violence and the stark difference between her position and Sen. Sanders.

The part that is most frustrating to read, however, is how she was treated by and in relation to Trump. She spends an entire chapter on the emails / private server issue, and frankly I wish everyone were required to read it before offering an opinion on the topic. And she gets into very specific detail about why, in the end, she ultimately lost.

I saw other reviewers in the media suggest she doesn’t take responsibility for her loss, but that’s not right. She takes responsibility for the part she should, such as not recognizing fully how much fear and anger were the focus of some people (and rightfully so). But she then appropriately points out how voter suppression, the Russian influence on social media, and the Comey letter less than two weeks before the election really did have a measurable impact. It’s frustrating and made me want to throw things more than once.

One area that she doesn’t talk about as much in the ‘why’ section is misogyny. She definitely devotes time to it throughout, but I do think that there were plenty of people who perhaps stayed home because they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a woman. They might not recognize that consciously, but it’s there.

The book didn’t leave me despondent, although I was angry when I finished it. It, for me, was just another reminder of how much work we all have to do to keep the current president from causing more damage than he already has.

Four Stars

Best for: Those looking for a different perspective on life in England.

In a nutshell: Twenty-one Black, Asian, and minority ethnic individuals share stories from their lives either as immigrants or as people viewed as ‘other’ in daily life.

Worth quoting:
“If a white kid raps all the lyrics to ‘Gold Digger’ and there isn’t a black person around to hear it, is it still racist?”
“Our ancestors were terrified. Do not forget that. Allow them to humanness of fear.”
“We fine-tune the ability to find the nuances funny, deflecting the crushing weight of displacement and diaspora drama that becomes part of our everyday.”
“The reality of Britain is vibrant multi-culturalism, but the myth we export is an all-white world of Lords and Ladies.”

Why I chose it: I was seeking out another book that is out in the US but apparently not in the UK (boo) so ended up browsing. This stood out to me as a way to start getting to know the country I’m now living in.

Review: Essay collections by a variety of authors can be a challenge to put together. You have all of these different voices taking on a similar topic in different ways. In this collection, which includes essays by professional writers but also playwrights, actors, comedians, screenwriters, poets, and publishers, there are a wide range of stories told. Some are more lyrical; some are pretty funny; others are quite serious.

But each one provides a hint, a glimpse, a snapshot in time of what life is like for someone who is not white and is living in England. The stories are not so much about the BNP or UKIP (although they do get dishonorable mentions), but instead focus on the ways in which people of color are treated as other in the UK. Whether its a lack of representation in media, or quiet xenophobia, or that feeling of not belonging anywhere, each author brings their own spin to the concept of the ‘good immigrant.’

I found some essays to be stronger than others, which is to be expected, but the stories being told were all worth learning, especially for someone who is entering a country without knowing a lot about its history. I mean, I’m aware that the British Empire was a thing, and that England invaded and colonized dozens of countries, but I’m not as aware of how racism plays out on a daily basis within the nation’s borders. I think this book was a good way to start in my education on this.

Three Stars

Best for: People who find meditation interesting but maybe aren’t ready to jump into reading the Dalai Lama’s works just yet.

In a nutshell: TV journalist has panic attack on air; tries to do something about it.

Worth quoting:
“Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy.”
“Acceptance is not passivity. Sometimes we are justifiably displeased. What mindfulness does is create some space in your head so you can, as the Buddhists say, ‘respond’ rather than simply ‘react.’
“Perhaps ask yourself the following question: ‘Is this useful?’”

Why I chose it: Over the holidays I was visiting my parents, and they often have morning news on. Mr. Harris was on promoting his newest book. I was about to move across the world, so decided that maybe a thick hardcover wasn’t the best purchase; then I saw this one (which is a few years old) and picked it up instead.

Review: I’ve meditated before. I’ve read books on Buddhism and mindfulness and meditation. I even have a little meditation timer. My partner meditates. I haven’t done it in awhile, so this seemed like a good idea for what has ended up being some of the most stressful weeks of my life.

Mr. Harris has worked for ABC news for years, hosting at times the weekend edition of Good Morning America, as well as reporting segments for the national evening news. He also had a panic attack on TV one time, which led him to reevaluate how he was living his life.

Turns out that part of that panic attack was related to cocaine use (hello!), but also by his constant need to be in his thoughts. So he took the opportunities alloted to him as a journalist to research more about meditation and mindfulness, interviewing folks like Eckard Tolle, Depak Chopra, and even the Dalai Lama himself. This book is the story both of how he overcame his skepticism as well as how meditation has helped him in his life.

I appreciated how Mr. Harris was upfront about his faults and flaws, and didn’t act as though meditation fixed all the things in his life immediately, or even ever. In fact, his overall premise is that it can help you be about 10% happier. That seems reasonable. I also appreciated that he did look at the religious aspect of it, but there were definitely some moments where I wondered if this was the equivalent of the 20-something white woman who decides to teach yoga without really investigating the history behind it. Is this another example of white westerners picking and choosing things from other cultures without properly respecting them? I’m not sure.

That said, I’ve meditated a bit since I moved 7000 miles from home last week. It’s been exhausting, stressful, and at times a bit scary (I mean turning my cats over to cargo at 3AM, knowing we wouldn’t see them again for at least 24 hours was horrible), but as we’ve faced unforeseen challenges (who knew that it’s extraordinarily difficult to internationally wire money from credit unions ?) I’ve mostly been able to sort of keep my shit kind of together by taking to heart some ideas from this book. Especially the “is this useful” concept. Yes, I can be worried about a lot of things, but once I’ve done what I can do, that worry is only giving me a headache and/or stomachache. It was useful in helping me to be careful in the steps I took, but now it’s just a literal pain.

So am I going to meditate every day? Maaaaaybe. Maybe not.

Three Stars

Best for: Fans of graphic novels in the Marvel universe.

In a nutshell: I’m not entirely sure what is going on.

Line that sticks with me: N/A

Why I chose it: We are in the midst of a huge book purge because it costs an absurd amount of money to ship books overseas, and this one from my partner’s pile caught my eye.

Review: I think this is a situation where I needed to have more background to fully understand what was going on. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story that everyone else already knew. Like, starting on book three of Harry Potter without having read the first two. It’d be confusing, right? That’s how this felt, although this is the first book.

Despite having trouble understanding exactly what was going on, I still enjoyed reading it. There were interesting characters, and the story’s ending definitely made me interested enough to seek out book two when I have the chance.

This is also the 104th book I’ve read this year. I kind of can’t believe it. I’m going to do a wrap-up post about my reading over on my own website (askmusings.com) sometime in the next couple of days if you want to check that out. It was fun to set such a big goal and reach it primarily with non-fiction books (although I did have a few novels and graphic novels in there as well). I think I only did maybe one audio book this year too. Which isn’t to say that reading 104 audio books would have been any less of an achievement; it just wasn’t my focus this year.

However, I did notice that setting such a high goal meant that some longer, more involved books went unread. There’s a 500+ page book on the problems of policing that I want to dive into, for example, but every time I looked at it, I thought about my reading goal. And that’s probably not how this all should go down. So next year, it’s back to the regular 52-book cannonball read for me.

Three Stars

Best for: Fans of the experiential non-fiction genre. (I don’t know if that’s actually a thing; it’s just what I call books based on people doing something and then writing about it. Like Morgan Spurlock’s SuperSize Me, but in book form.)

In a nutshell: Author Jacobs decides to explore the connection between all of us, via our ancestors.

Line that sticks with me: “You want to be a Steve Jobs? You want to be an Albert Einstein? Don’t ever confuse that with being a good family man, or a good human being.”

Why I chose it: I’ve read his other books and enjoyed them.

Review: You might be familiar with Mr. Jacobs’s other work. He’s the guy who read the encyclopedia Britannica, who spent a year living by different commands from the Bible, and who tried all sorts of different ways to live his healthiest life. In this book, he decides to throw the world’s largest family reunion, based on the idea that we are all family.

He comes onto this plan when he is contacted by someone who claims to be his eighth cousin. Which, if I understand correctly, means they share the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents. The full premise is, if you go back far enough, we all have the same initial great x whatever grandparents. But even without going back that far, you can find relatives that you can actually trace your connection to.

Why does this matter? Because, according to Mr. Jacobs’s hopes, perhaps if we think of the stranger in front of us as a possible relative, we’ll be kinder to them. And not just on an individual level, but on a larger philosophical level.

The book itself is a fun, pretty quick read. If you like his previous work, this won’t disappoint you.

Four Stars

Best for: Those looking for a compelling memoir. Those interested in learning more about South Africa.

In a nutshell: Comedian Trevor Noah shares stories from his life growing up in South Africa.

Line that sticks with me: “People say all the time that they’d do anything for the people they love. But would you really? Would you do anything? Would you give everything?” (p279)

Why I chose it: My sister gave this to my partner as a Christmas gift. I took it to read before he could start it. Sorry not sorry.

Review: I’m not a Trevor Noah fan. Not in an ‘I dislike him’ sort of way. I just am not familiar with much of his work. I enjoyed The Daily Show when Jon Stewart hosted, but I didn’t watch much of it during the last couple years of his tenure, and when Mr. Noah took over, I didn’t have any way to record the show, so I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him host it. I recall he got some shit for some older jokes when he was hired (something about his perspective on being Black in the US is very different given his South African roots).

With that in mind, I was a bit skeptical of this book and had avoided it even though memoirs by comedians are kind of my thing. But when it basically dropped into my lap, I started reading. I started reading it yesterday and finished it today. Less than 24 hours. Granted, I actually had some down time in which to read it (thank you, last day of an eight day, five stop road trip), but it was also simply a compelling story.

I know very little about South Africa beyond the basics that are taught in the US public schools I attended: there was apartheid (which isn’t ever really explained), and then Nelson Mandela and then everything was mostly fine. Like I said, I know very little, and that little isn’t even accurate. This book, in addition to providing the story of Mr. Noah’s life, provides some history of South Africa and apartheid. Which makes sense, given the title: “Born a Crime.” Trevor’s parents were not legally allowed to have sex (his dad is white, his mom is black). That’s intense.

Some of the stories in the book are light; some are quite intense. One bit of warning: if you’re looking for anything related to the start of his career in comedy, wait for (the presumedly forthcoming) next memoir. There is one line in the whole book that even hints that he ended up in a career in comedy. Which, fine with me, as the story he did choose to tell stands on its own.

Five Stars

Best for: Anyone who wants to be reminded of what it’s like to have a compassionate, intelligent person as US President.

In a nutshell: Official White House Photographer Pete Souza shares a history of the Obama Presidency in photos and text.

Line that sticks with me: The very last photo, of President Obama looking at the White House from Executive (formerly Marine) One, made me tear up.

Why I chose it: My stepmother-in-law gifted my husband and I this massive book for Christmas. We’re moving overseas in less than two weeks but I don’t even care that we now have an extra five pounds to pack.

Review: Sigh. I know that President Obama was not perfect. He made some decisions that I disagree with. He was not as progressive as I would have likes. But damn, I strongly believe that he was — and is — a very good human being. A kind person. A loving parent and partner. An intelligent person interested in doing good things.

These are qualities that I believe are missing from the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And while that man does appear in two photos near the very end, the rest of this 350 page book documents — mostly in photos but also in words — what life is like for an active, engaged President. Specifically, what life was like for President Obama.

From extraordinarily challenging times like responding to the Sandy Hook massacre, to goofing off with his daughters or staffers’ children, this book captures it all. And yet you know it also shows just a small bit of what those eight years were like.

As I have said (probably more than necessary), we move to London in just a couple of weeks. This book will be coming with us. When I read about the latest thing the current President has done to harm the US, I’ll look back at this book and remember that we had someone who cared, and it is possible that we will have someone who cares again.