Eight Books I Enjoyed Reading in 2021

Looking back at my BOB for 2021, here are eight books that stood out for me. As can be expected, there were many other great reads that I could have listed

The Love Songs of WEB DuBois by Honore Fanonne Jeffers. An epic story of one African-American woman’s quest to understand the history of her family written by a poet with a deep understanding of the African American literary tradition.

Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac. A novel in verse about a girl visiting relatives on the reservation when COVID comes and it turns into an extended stay with online school. I thought about putting Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence in this spot, but I think more adults ought to read Bruchac.

We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey. A boy moves to a new school and has trouble fitting in — on Mars.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krause Rosenthal. A memoir written in the form of a dictionary. Amazing how much heart this experimental book has.

Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki. The science fiction stories originally published in the 1970s by this late Japanese writer are just as dark as the title suggests.

Ali: a life by Jonathan Eig. The basis for the Ken Burns documentary. Ali’s life touched on sports, celebrity, religion, the African American experience and so much more. A hero of my childhood gets the deep dive he deserves including his many triumphs and vices.

Fifty-Nine in ‘84 by Edward Achorn. Nineteenth century American baseball was very different from what you can see on television or in the park this spring. Just one word: injuries.

Billy Summers by Stephen King. An assassin on one last quest makes for a page turning thriller. King has matured as a writer with every passing year.

Have you read any of these books? What were some of your favorite reads of 2022? I welcome your comments!

The other books:

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong

Cheever by Blake Bailey

Red Comet: The short life and blazing art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark

After Parties by Anthony Veasna So

The Dead Are Arising: the life of Malcolm X by Les Payne

Outlawed by Anna North

The Most Dangerous Book: The battle for James Joyce’s Ulysses by Kevin Birmingham

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Temporary by Hilary Leichter

Roth by Blake Bailey

The Hakawati by Rabih Alamedinne

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

Big Green Tent by Lyudmila Ulitskaya

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich