Best Books of 2022-23

Every year I set a goal to read at least one-hundred books and this year I once again met my goal. You can follow my journey on Goodreads and I’ll also be adding some reviews to BookTok in the future. Here are my favorite books of 2023. As I already did 2022, and accidentally erased it, I’m adding an abbreviated list for that year.

2023

Nonfiction

The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen- a fascinating read about friendship, genius, mental-health care, and post-war suburban Jewish life in America.

We Are Your Soldiers: How Gamal Abdel Nasser Remade the Arab World by Alex Rowell- a look at how the politics and personality of Nasser dramatically impacted the region and permanently altered the future.

Party of The People: Inside The Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP by Patrick Ruffini - excellent book using data to illustrate how the Republican party is growing increasingly diverse and populus and less white. The wealthier and more educated a county is the more likely it is to vote Blue.

Where Have All the Democrats Gone: The Soul of the Party in an Age of Extremes by Rudy Texiera and John Br. Judis- twenty years ago the same authors authored a book on the emerging permanent Democratic majority? What happened?

The Wondering Jew by Micah Goodman- the author tackles the complexities and questions surrounding both fundamentalism and secularism. While Goodman is a Jewish Israeli, the conversations within the book are applicable to all faith traditions.

Erdogan’s War by Gonul Tol- an excellent deep dive into the politics and populism of the Turkish leader and how he has vacillated between the Islamist camp, Turkish Nationalism, and Neo-Ottomanism.

When Crack Was King by Donovan X. Ramsey- a realistic and sober look on the crack epidemic and the permeant trauma it left on individuals, families and communities.

Conflict: The Evolution Of Warfare From 1945 to Ukraine by David Petraeus and Andrew Roberts- I was pleasantly surprised by this extremely well-written book.

How Elites Ate The Social Justice Movement by Fredrik DeBoer- An outstanding look at how the social justice movement was eaten by academics, foundations, and wealthy and educated whites to the detriment of those they are supposedly concerned for. This is something I have witnessed first-hand in Ferguson and only intensified after 2020. Another author has coined the phrase “luxury beliefs”. meaning wealthy and privileged progressives holding views that harm the people they are reportedly seeking to help, but the utility of policy is unimportant, as the primary purpose is to exalt oneself as virtuous.

Lost Son by Brett Forrest- this is a riveting and well-researched tale of a suburban loner from Michigan who converts to Islam online, quickly joins up with extremists, never actually, never becomes involved with the local Michigan Muslim community, gets recruited by the FBI, and then ends up a Putin supporter with a desire to fight in Ukraine. I also did a podcast on this book.

Mott Street by Ava China- a story of family, Chinatown in New York, and centuries of Chinese immigration to the US.

Fulfillment by Alec MacGillis- this book details the history of Amazon, the impact the company has on workers and community, and has a particular focus on Seattle as well as some struggling communities seeking to lure Amazon.

Little Brother by Ben Westhoff- I reviewed this book in an earlier newsletter. It tells the story of the author and a young man he met in the Big Brothers program in St. Louis and attempts to figure out why things went tragically wrong.

The Arc of The Covenant: The United States, Israel, and The Fate of The Jewish People by Walter Russell Mead- This book thoroughly analyzes the history of American Jews as it relates to the political process and influence, the timeline of US relations with Israel, how and why support for Israel grew, the times when the US has been less than supportive of Israel, and dispels many of the myths and stereotypes surrounding the relationship.

Race in The Crucible of War by Gerald F. Goodwin- This is a scholarly look at the experience of African-American military personnel in Vietnam.

Fiction

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang- this was a hilarious read taking a look at the Asian-American writers experience, the modern progressive obsession with identity, performative behavior, and fraud.

2022

Nonfiction

Path Lit by Lightning : The Life of Thorpe by Dave Maraniss- an amazing look at the life of Native American athletic legend and multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe.

American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1077 Siege of Washington, D.C. by Shahan Mufti- the 1970’s (and really up until 2001) Muslim community was a very wild place and this is one of the craziest and most violent stories from that era.

The Last Folk Hero by Jeff Pearlman- this biography of Bo Jackson is simply amazing.

Give Me Liberty: The True Story of Oswaldo Paya and His Daring Quest for a Free Cuba by David Hoffman- a very good read that looks at the life of Paya, his struggles, and the situation of political dissidents in Cuba.

Things Are Never So Bad They Can’t Get Worse: Inside The Collapse of Venezuela by Williman Neuman- a detailed look at corruption, populism, political failure, and the gradual collapse of civil society in Venezuela.

The Deacons of Defense: Armed Resistance and The Civil Rights Movement by Lance Hill- a look at how Black men in the segregated South were uncomfortable with marching and nonviolent resistance and attempted to use more forceful means.

Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick- this is the story of a man who was wrongfully convicted of a crime in North Carolina, maintained his innocence, converted to Islam in prison, and was eventually released. Happy ending? Not at all.

Fiction

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen, The Great Man Theory by Teddy Wayne, and How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz.