My 10 Most Favorite Books of 2020
This blog post is devoted to sharing ten of my most favorite books I read in 2020. You’ll see that I like to read a variety of books. If you’re interested in learning more about a particular book, click on the book title and the link will take you to its Amazon page.
#10. This Life or the Next: A Novel by Demian Vitanza
The protagonist, Tariq Khan, is born in Pakistan but raised in Norway. He is torn between two very different cultures. While growing up in Norway he slowly but inevitably drifts towards the darker, lawless side of teenage rebellion. He is an outcast because of this race, language and culture until an uncle takes an interest in him. The uncle, a devout Muslim, helps Tariq find his identity and purpose in Islam. But Tariq’s faith evolves toward the radical fringe of Muslim revival.
With his new-found religious zeal, Tariq travels to Syria to enlist in the war against the Assad regime. It is there that his idealism of jihad is juxtaposed alongside the brutality of war and the inconsistencies in his faith as he experiences various Muslim factions fighting among one another, not for jihad but for power.
This book is thought provoking. It gave me a better appreciation of why young Muslim teenagers desire to fight for jihad, while at the same time it confirmed my thinking that jihad is evil. The book put a human face to my long-held belief of prejudice towards those I had no empathy or understanding of. Read this book if you have the courage to challenge your views on this topic.
#9. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
This is another book where my perspective changed, this time about a historical figure. I always thought Genghis Khan was a barbarian that conquered the known world through brute force with his Mongol hordes. And yes, he did conquer the kingdoms of the known world, not through brute force, but through tactical brilliance.
The author makes a compelling case that the Mongol empire has had a tremendous influence on modern thinking, e.g., religious tolerance, meritocracy, globalization of commerce, public schooling and paper currency to name just a few of the more noteworthy concepts that Genghis Khan introduced to the world which have become absorbed into our modern way of life.
#8. The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
In the summer of 1854 London experiences a devastating cholera outbreak. At the time, London was emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world, but it lacked the infrastructure for clean water, and a system for sewage and garbage removal. As such, it became the perfect breeding ground for spreading this disease.
At the time, no one knew how cholera spread. One of the most popular theories, promoted by well-respected scientists and medical doctors of the day, was that it spread through the air. Nor did doctors know how to treat the disease and in many instances the prescribed treatment actually increased the mortality rate of cholera.
The book follows the intriguing account of a clergyman and a physician, working separately, who ultimately solve the mystery of how cholera is spread (through water, not air) and the best treatment for those who contract the disease. It is a riveting story of scientific discovery and tenacity of two individuals that eventually overcome the misguided thinking of the scientific community.
#7. A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos
This is the true story of a German fighter pilot, Second Lieutenant Hans Stigler, spotting a badly damaged American bomber, piloted by Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, struggling to fly back to its home base in England after a bombing run over Germany. Instead of shooting the plane down, which the German fighter pilot could have easily done, Lt. Stigler escorts the plane out over the English Channel permitting the plane the chance to make it back to base. It is a remarkable story of chivalry.
The book follows the WWII flying missions of both pilots and the chance encounter they experience of meeting one another 40 years later. I am a voracious reader of WWII books, historical novels, biographies, and military history. Most of these books, you know who the good guys and the bad guys are, and rightly so. The Nazis are the closest thing to evil that the world encountered during the 20th century. But in this story, the role of the “good guy” is a German fighter pilot. Definitely a feel-good book to read.
#6. The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye
The Far Pavilions is a novel, set in 19th century India and Afghanistan. It is the story of a young Indian-born orphan of English parentage raised by an Indian woman, a Hindu, who is the servant of his father. When his father is murdered by an Indian uprising against British rule, the Indian woman adopts the boy as her own. So begins the story Ashton, a saga of epic proportion.
Ms. Kaye is a very good storyteller but what makes this story come alive is her knowledge of Indian culture, Hinduism and other religious faiths found in India. Her book has been compared to Margaret Mitchell’s epic achievement, Gone With the Wind. And I believe that is an apt description of her book. A true masterpiece of storytelling.
#5. God is Closer Than You Think by John Ortberg
Unfortunately, when I hear someone say, “The Lord told me to…” my knee-jerk reaction is skepticism followed by veiled contempt. But occasionally someone whom I respect for their spiritual maturity will say the same thing and my reaction is quite different: I pause to listen, and my response is not skepticism, it’s envy. “I wish I could hear God speaking to me like that,” is what I’m thinking.
The underlying message of John Ortberg’s book, God is Closer Than You Think, is that believers can have a personal, intimate relationship with God that involves listening and hearing God’s voice. I find that a fascinating proposition and yet why should I be surprised? If God is a personal God, then why wouldn’t he want to talk with us?
John Ortberg writes in a way that is both entertaining and insightful. Do not expect a religious tome. Chapter titles include, Where’s Waldo, A Beautiful Mind (the story of Nobel Laureate John Nash) and “As You Wish”, a phrase made famous in the hilarious comedy, The Princess Bride. It is a thought-provoking book that both religious skeptics and believers will enjoy and benefit from reading.
#4. The Help by Kathryn Sockett
The book is a work of fiction, situated in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi at the beginning of the civil rights era. I unfortunately saw the movie before I read the book and almost didn’t read the book because of it. The movie was quite entertaining, but it missed the intensity of the social and racial injustice that was articulated so well in the stories of Aibeleen and Minny, two black maids working for their white female employers. Yes, there were some humorous tidbits throughout the book, but the real gut punch came in hearing the stories of black maids (which I believe are true, not fiction) told in a story-like setting to make it all the more poignant.
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This book is a true story of Hyesonseo Lee, a North Korean woman who decides to escape from the tyranny of her country. Her family lived along the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. The book explains the extensive cross border smuggling that her mother and other relatives participated in. Due to her close proximity to China, she could also get Chinese cell phone service which opened her to a new reality.
Slowly she realized that North Korea could not be the best country in the world as she had been told all her life. The repression, poverty, and starvation that she witnessed and seeing how much better life was in China confirmed that she had been brainwashed by North Korean propaganda.
This book is a real page-turner of the true story of one woman’s struggle to avoid capture and repatriation. You may wonder why the title, A Girl with Seven Names? Because to avoid capture in China and forced repatriation, she moved around a lot and each time she moved she took a different name to stay one step ahead of the law.
#2. American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins
The protagonist is Lydia Quixano Perez who lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore, and her husband is a journalist for the local newspaper. Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her husband publishes an expose’ on Javier, the leader of the newest drug cartel that has brutally taken over the city. At a family birthday party, fourteen members of her family including her husband, are gunned down in retribution for the article. Lydia and her eight-year-old son are forced to flee for their lives.
Lydia and Luca are instantly transformed from their middle-class existence into migrants making their way north to the United States to safety. This is the story of Lydia, Luca and countless other people trying to reach el norte by hitching rides on tops of trains, the harrowing encounters with those who would take advantage of them (especially women) as well as the kindness of strangers that help them along the way.
The book has been described as the Grapes of Wrath for our times, and a new American classic. I agree. In my opinion, it is a must read.
#1. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice & Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
This book has been named one of the most influential books of the decade by CNN and one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Time magazine.
The following is quoted directly from the book’s Amazon page:
“Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.”
If you are going to read only one book from my list, this is the one.
These are my favorite books of 2020. What have you read lately that you would recommend?
Doug Marshall is the award-winning author of Mastering the Art of Commercial Real Estate Investing. Check it out on Amazon.
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