When my best friend graduated from law school, she finally had a little more free time to read. What a beautiful new chapter. But where to begin?
Unlike far too many people in this world rife with conflict, poverty, and danger, any of us who are safe enough to enjoy reading a book are blessed beyond measure. Whether we’re reading for pleasure, escapism, growth, research, skill-building, or all of the above, books are a gift. Stories can be catalysts.
During these politically turbulent times, you can arm your heart with information, history, empathy, hope, inspiration, and direction. In no particular order.
Political Reads
As I slowly work my way through Hannah Arendt’s classic “The Origins of Totalitarianism” and de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”, please let me recommend some more recent, more succinct works as well.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Maria Ressa’s “How to Stand Up to a Dictator”. TLDR: journalism, freedom of the press, free speech, and brave, relentless storytelling outside of social media. We don’t have to be fearless in our reporting, but we do have to be brave. And in a world of corporatizing media, we have to fund, promote, and protect independent journalism.
“On Tyranny” is as brief as it is powerful. Timothy Snyder and Maria Ressa both stress how critical it is to maintain a private life outside of surveillance capitalism. That is, stay off social media and minimize what you post about yourself and your family online.
“Letters of Warning to a Young Patriot” is a chillingly prescient blueprint for the society we find ourselves in almost 20 years after Naomi Wolf wrote it.
“Cross Purposes”. An acquaintance wanted me and another “liberal Christian” to read this book in order to be counterpoints at a conservative Evangelical book club/political discussion gathering. The author, a former editor of mine and a beloved local columnist, would be the guest speaker.
Dear reader, I had absolutely no interest in reading an Evangelical author on politics until I saw the subtitle: One believer’s struggle to reconcile the peace of Christ with the rage of the Far Right. I read it in one breath and then bought the audio version too. It was the first time I had hope for this country since the campaign in 2015. Bob Welch helped me understand how so many people who proudly self-identify as Christians could have possibly voted for that man. More than once.
“Cross Purposes” is part of a growing body of literature, like “Jesus and John Wayne,” that explores the rise of white Christian nationalism and why it culturally and religiously resonates with so many Americans. Some offer solutions, too.
Some Novels and Essay Collections
Fredrik Backman: First, watch the instantly endearing viral video of the speech he did not want to give.
“A Man Called Ove”, a Swedish novel that surprisingly parallels Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino”. Eastwood made “Get off my lawn” as ubiquitous as Dirty Harry’s “Go ahead. Make my day.” It reads like an unnecessary eulogy for old white men in a globalizing world, but both stories ultimately champion our differences by cherishing our shared humanity. What separates these men from the bigotry of unduly enraged men is their quiet compassion, their pride of accomplishment in real skills, and the true, deep integrity that guides their every decision.
“My Friends” is a sometimes painfully charming coming of age story where friends prove you can choose your family and art proves everyone deserves beauty and inspiration.
By no means should you stop reading Backman with “Anxious People,” but it is less traumatic than the Bear Town trilogy. The “you’ll never believe the shocking secret(s) that intertwine this entire ensemble cast” genre doesn’t always work. And it’s even harder for an author to develop that many characters enough for readers to care about them. Backman compellingly offers up the struggles, idiosyncrasies, needs, and hopes of some 10 main characters, all of whom you’ll root for.“The Book of Delights”. Ross Gay doesn’t *not* talk about politics. But he doesn’t *only* talk about politics. You will start to hear his voice narrating your day as you start to recognize daily delights, what he refers to as a practice like yoga or other disciplines.
“The Book of More Delights”. And Ross Gay talks about politics within the sweeping landscape of family, community gardening, love, racism, the affectionately frequent references to pawpaws, a fruit I’d never heard of, the smallest charms of interacting with strangers, and the beautiful responsibility of a fig cutting from his father’s friend’s tree, all with comma-spliced sentences that read like road trips through New England during leaf season (a thing I’ve never actually done but still believe is gorgeous) rather than grammatical errors.
Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shashank Redemption” inspired the movie that took The Godfather’s #1 rank on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies list. Even if you’ve already seen the movie, even multiple times, you can relive one of the most universally loved stories in American cinema.
“Red, White, and Royal Blue” is a rivals-turned-lovers romance between the two leads, but it also fictionalizes a romance about a different kind of United States, a not perfect but beautiful relationship between voters and our values. It envisions the government we need, the expansive culture that could thrive here, and a natural inclusivity we should champion widely.
Want to go on the run for a thousand pages with a former bank robber/gun runner through India, in and out of love, and Afghanistan, all while learning about yourself and life? “Shantaram” by Gregory David Roberts.
Fiction that will transport you? “People of the Book” and “The English Patient” are both historical fiction, and both are uniquely exquisite in their craftsmanship and characters.
Beach reads for sweater weather? “Heated Rivalry” and “Book Lovers”.
Joan Baez famously said that action is the antidote to despair. “Lula Dean’s Little Free Library” is over-scripted and sweetly predictable, but the vicarious righting of wrongs is the kind of life-affirming escapism demonstrating that even small acts, and courage, can truly change people.
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” is also life-affirming. It’s a kind, full-circle story with two main characters who rarely take the stage as protagonists: an older woman and a captive animal. Both remind us what matters most.
Poetry
If you’re a poetry lover, it pains me to recommend philosopher-farmer Wendell Berry posthumously. But his salt-of-the-earth work champions everything we cherish: love, family, home, the land, fairness, and justice.
To say Mary Oliver is a nature-lover is like saying God is an artist. The proof is in the complexity and the beauty. Also gone too soon, Oliver’s body of work is as sweeping as Berry’s. And we’re all better for it.
If you are lucky enough to have the time and resources to access libraries and independent bookstores, what books do you recommend to feed your soul with beauty? Which books fuel your conviction for our shared world?
Leave your favorites and recommendations in the comments.