The pandemic has definitely made me rediscover my love for reading, and I have found myself reaching for a book to find comfort and escape from reality a lot in the past couple months. These are the books that I have read in the past year that have provided me great comfort and that I highly recommend.
1. “All About Love:” New Visions by Bell Hooks
This book offers a radical perspective on love and relationships, and reading it has forever changed the way I think about love. Hooks emphasizes that love is not a noun, it is a verb. Love is a chosen action and is something that we must constantly affirm and act on, it is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth. This book has made me evaluate the way I love in my relationships with my friends and others as well as how I love myself, and has motivated me to change my behaviors to have more loving relationships. Hooks describes love in a way that is healing to the soul, and reading this book felt like I was being embraced in a warm hug.
2. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett
This is a historical fiction novel that follows the different paths of the Vignes twins, both born in a small town in the Deep South called Mallard. Growing up together, they are inseparable. However, when they run away from their small town at the age of 16, they end up finding themselves separated and living radically different lives. One of the twins finds herself returning to the same town that she escaped to raise her Black daughter. The other twin lives in California and lives her life as a white-passing woman, hiding the secrets of her true identity and past from her white husband. The book weaves together the stories of multiple generations and provides a complex look at race, identity, and motherhood. Once I started this book, I simply could not put it down until I had read every word. HBO has purchased the rights to adapt this book into a TV series, and I highly recommend reading this book before HBO releases their adaptation.
3. “The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now” by Meg Jay
If you’re a college student in your twenties, this is the perfect book to read. Jay provides a lengthy analysis of work, relationships, love, as well as how your brain and body is developing as a twenty-something. Jay uses case studies from her work with other twenty-something clients which helped me develop a better understanding of the points she was trying to make.
I personally found the section about developing your career in your twenties to be the most well written section, and thought that her section on relationships was a little lacking at time, especially because she really only addressed heterosexual romantic relationships. The main take-away from this book is that it’s important to be goal-oriented while in your twenties because these are the most formative and developmental years of your lifetime. This book really helped me better understand how to navigate work and relationships now and in my upcoming years, and I will definitely be referring back to it for years to come as I advance through my twenties.
4. “Jazz” by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a brilliant author, and I highly recommend reading any book that she has written; however, her book Jazz is definitely one of my favorites and holds a special place in my heart. This book is set in Harlem after the the great migration when Black people flocked in masses to northern cities due to racial tensions in the South. Jazz draws inspiration from the Harlem Renaissance, and embodies, both in its form and in its themes, the culture and feeling of the era. Drawing inspiration from the jazz music cultivated by the Harlem Renaissance, this book reads like a jazz song and is passionate, mysterious, and full of wonder, tragedy, and hope. The story has three main protagonists: Dorcas, an 18 year old girl, Joe, a handsome 50 year old cosmetics salesman, and Violet, Joe’s wife, who form a trio or “scandalizing threesome.” Morrison creates a jagged storyline, weaving the perspectives of Dorcas, Joe, and Violet to solve the complicated mystery of the affair between Dorcas and Joe, as well as the subsequent murder that would result from this relationship. Reading this book feels lile trying to put together a puzzle, and everytime I’ve reread this book, I’ve discovered a new piece that enhances my understanding of the characters and storyline. Morrison’s writing is truly brilliant and everytime I read her books I feel like I am unworthy of reading her books, in the best possible way.
5. “How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division” by Elif Shafak
Although this book is not particularly groundbreaking, I still highly recommend this book and think it’s extremely relevant to the times we are living in right now. In this short book, Shafak describes how we are living in an age of “contagious anxiety,” and that we are overwhelmed by injustices and suffering in the events around us and suffocating from an endless feeling of crisis. Reading this book felt like having a heart to heart conversation with a friend, and the beauty of this book is the magical storytelling abilities Shafak has as she examines politics and culture in the new digital age. This book provides much comfort if you are going through a rough time or feeling overwhelmed by the events around you.