Book Review // January 2022
Books, they’re the best right! I loved reading as a kiddo and now as an adult books are a critical part of my life. They provide me with entertainment, knowledge and so much more! Each month I’ll do a book review of what I consumed (reading or audiobook) and I would love your suggestions as well.
So here’s are my books for January:
“Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” by Angela Duckworth
I consider myself a gritty person. My parents divorce when I was 13 (and going to three schools in 3 years) made me gritty. Playing college lacrosse helped build this grit. Traveling especially builds grit. The combination of passion and perseverance is what drives success. And success can be our own definition, not just what is assigned to us. After all, our failures, when we frame them as lessons, teach us far more than the easy wins. Fans of Adam Grant and Malcom Gladwell (fellow sociology and psychology nerds like myself) will find the research by Dr. Ducksworth fascinating and well presented.
“God: A Human History” by Reza Aslan
There is a lot to unpack here. So much research with questions for further reflection. The residue of the ideas Aslan presented about the nature of God, spirituality and the human condition will stick with me for a while. Rather than exploring the “correctness” of religion, we learn about how God as a social, and in some cases, political, invention came to serve humans. I love when my ideas and constructs are challenged, it means I have a chance to learn more. As I study more religions, their origins and curtain doctrines, I believe more deeply that we are divine and the divine is us. I could talk about this book for hours so if you want to get down the rabbit hole with me on this one, I’d welcome the discussion.
“There There” by Tommy Orange
A Native American fiction read with multiple narrators (which I like in fiction books) that covers deep losses and joyful moment of “Urban Indians.” The stories are interwoven and culminate in the Big Oakland Powwow. This was a slow burn with rich details. It was the only fiction book is consumed this month.
“Why We’re Polarized” by Ezra Klein
I don’t “follow politics” as a hobby but I am interested in how our elected officials make decisions that impact the communities we all live in. I’m deeply interested in how human beings think so differently from each other and how we can be both joyfully giving and hugely selfish as the same time. Klein’s history of the last 50 years of American politics, in particular, understanding identity politics, gave me a lense to better see the current landscape. As someone who doesn’t watch the news, there were sections of the book I had to review again. And I confirmed that consuming the news isn’t for me. The biggest thing I took away from this book was to keep an eye on local politics as much if not more than national politics.
“Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges” by Amy Cuddy
My favorite book of the month, probably because as a Comm Studies major / Sociology minor in college, I nerd out on stuff like this! Cuddy presents ideas about gender roles, power in body language, imposter syndrome, yoga and breath work as therapy / healing modalities as well the amazing work of Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk (I’m a huge fan of “The Body Keeps the Score.” As a social psychologist the topics are well researched with real world applications, like how / when to take up more space, how to move through imposter syndrome, etc. As I often say in yoga class, “your presence is the present, it’s the gift you can give to yourself and others.”
What are you reading and loving? What are you reading that didn’t resonate so well? Leave a comment below, I’d love to discuss with you.
Monthly book total: 5
Yearly book total: 5