2015 Favorites: (Mini) Book (Reviews) Part 2 of 2

I did quite a bit of reading in 2015, started a handful of book reviews, and finished even fewer. To help remedy that I thought I would post mini book reviews for some of my favorite books of this year. To see the complete list of favorite books from this year, check out my 2015 favorites.

This is the second part of my reviews, the nonfiction section. Since it feels disingenuous to discuss personal narratives (most of which these are) I'm going to stick with discussing what it is that stuck with me most. And as with the other mini reviews I've included short summaries at the top of each review so you can have a more complete idea of what I'm talking about. Most of them come straight from Goodreads, so if you're looking for more details that's a good place to start.

Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq by Riverbend

In August 2003 a young Iraqi blogger began reporting her experiences as a civilian observer in Baghdad. Describing the reality of regime change in Iraq in a voice at turns outraged, witty, and deeply moving, Riverbend is a witness to the recent events that are shaping the future of her homeland.

I had no idea. That's what the whole reading experience boiled down for me. In fact, I had no idea how much I didn't know. Riverbend offers us glimpses of life in Iraq, the culture and the history. She highlights the humanity of the people there and brings the "War on Terror" to us in a real and human way. Until I read this book, I had been too caught up in the politics, the American politics, and my distaste for our actions to look at things from the other side, to consider how relatively good I have things in comparison, because while I may disagree with the war, I don't have to live that reality every day. I have the privilege of ignorance.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Another really important read from this year. I know some people have issues with the human approach this book takes, using the lens of personal relationships instead of one of science and statistics to draw home several important points, but for me, that's exactly what I needed. I've seen the statistics and read the science, but to see things more viscerally, to appreciate how unforgivably different my experience of the world is, because of the color of my skin, was eyeopening.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

Like a lot of people I was familiar with Malala's story before I picked up the book, so while reading it filled in the gaps, it more importantly expanded my understanding of Pakistani culture and history. It's clear that research was done in the writing of the book, dates and context are provided for the events that Malala describes. What was most important to  me though is the way that the book humanizes Malala and reminds us that she's just a girl, albeit a girl who's used the privilege of her education to speak out.

In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park

Park has told the harrowing story of her escape from North Korea as a child many times, but never before now has she revealed the most intimate and devastating details of the repressive society she was raised in and the enormous price she paid to escape

While this narrative is more remote than the one we see in I Am Malala, it still elicited many of the same strong emotions. Having seen Yeonmi speak on several prior occasions, I knew the broad strokes of her story which I think helped distance me farther from the narrative, and yet I was still horrified and saddened by what Yeonmi went through. While I had known conditions in North Korea are horrible, I lacked an understanding of how truly horrible they are for North Koreans both within and outside of the country.

Rising Strong by Brené Brown

The physics of vulnerability is simple: If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. In her new book, Brené Brown tells us what it takes to get back up, and how owning our stories of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak gives us the power to write a daring new ending. 

I always appreciate an endorsement for vulnerability and communication, particularly one as smart as this one. I really connected with the honesty of the writing and the curiosity it provoked.

Sky Burial by Xinran

Shu Wen and her husband had been married for only a few months in the 1950s when he joined the Chinese army and was sent to Tibet for the purpose of unification of the two countries. Shortly after he left she was notified that he had been killed, although no details were given. Determined to find the truth, Shu Wen joined a militia unit going to the Tibetan north, where she soon was separated from the regiment. Without supplies and knowledge of the language, she wandered, trying to find her way until, on the brink of death, she was rescued by a family of nomads under whose protection she moved from place to place with the seasons and eventually came to discover the details of her husband’s death. In the haunting Sky Burial, Xinran has recreated Shu Wen’s journey.

Also filing this one under things I knew nothing about (even if I thought otherwise). We get to see two sides of the story on this one, and while it's hard to tell what if any bias exists on either end, it's still an important story. Not only that, it's beautifully written, like with a lot of the fiction reads I loved this year there's a real sense of time and place in the narrative, as well as a fascinating discussion of Tibetan culture.