Oy, this was a long year…
I had originally planned to read only female authors this year to see if I could go a year without reading men, but I ended up reading 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson on my Dad’s recommendation and Chthon by Piers Anthony on unfinished business and spurred by Camille Paglia’s discussion of the chthonian in Free Women, Free Men. So, I only read two men this year but those two were doozies in terms of sexism (and Paglia’s kind of a sexist-enabler).
I was also trying to read as many books by women of color as possible and out of a total 15 books read this year, 7 were by women of color (ok, but could do better).
Here’s my top 5 books of the year:
Everyone should read this! It’s a classic. It changed my attitude toward abortion and helped me understand black women’s history and issues.
2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 5/5
This one I didn’t learn quite as much from, but it was very affecting and readable and I recommend it to help people understand how racism and police brutality intertwine.
3. I Rise: The Transformation of Toni Newman 4/5
This was really good especially because it’s a true story. I felt like I learned a lot from it and found Toni Newman’s writing inspirational.
4. The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez 4/5
I felt like I learned a lot about the diversity of the Latina community from this book. Pop culture tends to portray Latinas as all Mexican, poor, and brown, but this book shows how the community is more diverse than that.
This one was the best in terms of writing but it was very dark and we have enough darkness in reality lately. If you’re in the mood for Southern Gothic, though, you should check it out. It’s also an interesting meditation on friendship and the standards society imposes on women.
I originally rated A Little Life by Hanya Yanigahara 5/5, but I’m not sure if I stand by that… I’ve seen a lot of people criticize it for being exploitative of gay men’s pain and I can see that (though it’s beautifully written and a heart-wrenching argument for adopting from the foster system).
I also started the Murderbot series, which is fun, and reviewed The Light in Front of Me, my partner’s book, which is full of LGBT joy.
I attempted and DNF’d The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. I got about a hundred pages in but it was so thick and dense and Genji the character was so creepy towards women that I gave up (for now… I might pick it up again sometime in the future).
So here’s to another great reading year in 2021! I hope to get further (and perhaps finish?) my Diverse Reading Challenge.
What books did you love this year? Are there any books you’re looking forward to tackling in 2021?
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