I stand in agreement with Chuck Klosterman that the 90s actually ended on 9-11, and I’m of the belief that the 1960s probably ended around 1973. I’m also in agreement with Bobby Duffy that generations are largely a myth. So, allow me the freedom to stick to the traditional definition of summer as being from Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Fiction
I’ve made a concerted effort to read more fiction this year. Goodreads and Fable have told me that my annual reading is normally 85-90% non-fiction. This year I’ve made an attempt to find more fiction that I may be interested in.
The Sun Aso Rises by Ernest Hemmingway
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
A Rage in Harlem by Chester Hines
Notes From the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosely
Border Districts by Gerald Murnane
Must reads:
Guerillas- to contemplate upon the basic lack of seriousness and unironically humorous nature of revolutionaries and their naive and idealistic supporters.
Wandering Souls- will have you questioning your lineage, why you survived, and the guilt you may carry. An important read in a time of wars and a migrant crisis.
Notes From the Underground- will leave you questioning everything.
A Rage in Harlem- do yourself a favor and get the audiobook as it is masterfully read by Samuel L. Jackson
Long Island Compromise- while the central themes of the book deals with generational Jewish assimilation, wealth, and the legacy of a kidnapping, that can almost be forgotten at times as each of these characters uniquely come to life on their own very odd life journeys.
Non-Fiction
The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara by David I. Kertzer
A War Made in Russia by Sergei Medvedev
The Great Dechurching by Davis, Graham, and Berge
When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M. Graff
The Faithful Scribe by Shahan Mufti
The Anxious Generation by Joanathan Haidt
God Save Texas by Lawrence Wright
Kings of Queens by Erik Sherman
Kill’Em and Leave by James Mcbride
How God Works by David DeSteno
Temptations of Power: Islamists and Illiberal Democracy in the Middle East by Shadi Hamid
The Sullivanians by Alexander Stille
Indonesians and The Arab World by Mirjam Lucking
The Prophet of The Andes by Graciela Mochkofsky
For Putin and Shariah by Iwona Kaliszewska
The Achilles Trap by Steve Coll
The Damascus Events by Eugene Rogan
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
Smokin; Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier by Mark Kram Jr.
Palestine 1936 by Oren Kessler
The Rent Collectors by Jesse Katz
Must Reads
The biographies: As someone who was a fan of both James Brown and Joe Frazier (in fact, my brother is named after Frazier’s son who was knocked out by Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson after a promising amateur career), I really enjoyed both of their biographies and learned a lot about these two southern Black American men who found unique paths to fame, fortune, messy family situations, and misfortune. Even though he played long before my time, I immensely enjoyed reading and learning about the life and career of Negro League and MLB hall of fame pitcher Satchel Paige.
The Cults: I’m someone who doesn’t see the appeal of cults, clubs, most political organizations, and would never swing from the nuts of a cult leader as he picks my pocket in the name of Utopia and enlightenment. The Sullivanians tells the story about a group of neurotic New Yorkers, many being young Jews rebelling against their family upbringings (I can only imagine their grandkids with red triangles in their Twitter bios today), trapped in a Manhattan cult based on psychotherapy and analysis (wait… is this all of America now with self-diagnosing via Instagram wellness accounts mixed in???).
Prophet of The Andes is about an indigenous Peruvian carpenter named Segundo Villanueva who reads the Bible on his own, leaves the Catholic Church and starts his own Jewish-inspired Protestant Charismatic Church, and eventually leads his community to convert to Judaism, and most move to Israel. Some of the community successfully integrated into normative Israeli life and religion, while Segundo eventually becomes disenchanted and leaves after his Protestant “solo scriptura” ideas leads him to believe he knows more than the rabbis. This was a very interesting read and also an argument against solo scriptura, a confirmation of the old school Catholic wisdom that only priests really needed to be overly concerned with Bible reading, because an uneducated man reading the Bible has no idea what he’s looking at or what to do with the weight that has been placed upon him, and a vindication of the Orthodox Jewish hesitancy to convert.
The Middle East: Palestine 1936 and the Damascus Events do a good job painting a picture of religious conflicts, the reshaping and ultimate end of colonial rule, and how those things set the stage for the current rulers and conflict in the region.
For Parents: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a must-read for parents. How has safetyism, the belief that kids must be protected from any and all dangers, no matter how small, helicopter parenting, ending free time for kids, institutional protectionisms and the belief that young people should NOT overcome their fears, and most importantly, smart phones, made raising successful kids more difficult? Haidt has the data.
Bonus books being The Rent Collectors by Jesse Katz a gripping true tale of gangs, extortion, and murder in Hispanic immigrant LA and How God Works which is a book by an academic researcher and nonbeliever extolling the utilitarian virtues of religious belief and observance.
Thanks for these recommendations. I'll have to check out Guerillas. A Bend In the River is one of the best books I've ever read!