I Read 52 Books in 2021: These are the top 10
I read two books in 2019. By making a small change and creating a good system, I increased that number by 50 in 2020. That’s one book a week, on average. I’m trying to replicate that number by reading 52 books in 2021. My top 10 books of 2021 are listed below. You can find the full list here.
10. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man — Emmanuel Acho
What is it about? Soon after George Floyd’s murder, Emmanuel Acho (former NFL linebacker and current football analyst) started a video series titled “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man.” Through conversations with celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Chip & Joanna Gaines, Acho answers questions submitted by his audience about race, class, policing, allyship, and more. This book further explores these topics.
You’ll like this book if: You haven’t read a lot about systemic racism or white privilege and you are nervous about starting the journey. In Acho’s own words, this book is a primer for further learning. The book is approachable, authentic, full of personality, and it provides actionable advice in every chapter. It is not the only book you should read if you want to learn about anti-racism, but I highly recommend it as a place to start.
9. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
What is it about? This book is a modern investigation into the spectacular rise of the 70s rock duo Opal Jewel & Nev Charles, and the catastrophic concert that ultimately separated them. I’m not ashamed to say that I made it 50 pages into this book before I tried to look up an Opal & Nev song and realized I was reading a novel. That is a testament to Walton’s powerful storytelling and the unique structure of the book — a series of interviews and editor's notes that give the story the distinct feeling that you could spend days digging through old Opal & Nev YouTube videos and Wikipedia articles if only the band had existed in the first place.
You’ll like this book if: You have a record collection that isn’t collecting dust somewhere in the back of a closet. While the book is not a love story in the traditional sense, it is a love story between Opal & Nev and the music the two created together. Like any love story, things get complicated — and this love story is complicated by the subtle and overt racism Opal experiences in her rise and fall from the spotlight. This was the best novel I read in 2021, and I’ll be sure to pick up anything Walton writes in the future.
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything — Bill Bryson
What is it about? Well… everything. While it is a hyperbolic title, Bryson provides entertaining and fascinating glimpses into expansive topics like atoms, our solar system, weather patterns, the emergence of life on earth, the rise of humans, and the many ways that the human species might come to an end. It is quite a comprehensive book, wonderfully supported with images and illustrations (in other words, it’s a picture book with a whole bunch of engaging science stories).
You’ll like this book if: You wished science classes in school were more interesting. This is the textbook that we all should have been reading instead of Biology in Focus and Introductory Chemistry. After reading this book, I’m shocked that it is not required reading for every high school student. I’m certain that we would have more scientists in the world if it was.
7. Sexual Citizens — Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan
What is it about? If people in your city were drinking polluted water, you could fix the problem in two ways: 1) educate people about the dangers of drinking polluted water. 2) Go upstream and remove the toxins from the water source. This book is the clean water approach to sexual assault on college campuses — it attempts to get straight to the source of the problem.
You’ll like this book if: You enjoy listening to podcasts. This book reads like an episode of RadioLab or Invisibilia, full of excellent storytelling and eye-opening analysis of sexual assault from the authors. This book is a result of a massive ethnographic study — which sounds boring— but the book does not read like the academic study that it comes from. The authors address sexual assault by telling students’ stories of campus sexual assault with respect, compassion, and appreciation for the students who shared their stories. Content warning: This book shares stories of sexual assault and rape.
6. So Good They Can’t Ignore You — Cal Newport
What is it about? The premise of the book is that “follow your passion” is terrible advice. Newport explores why some people end up loving what they do while so many others fail at this goal.
You’ll like this book if: You are working in an entry-level job or you are preparing to have that experience in the near future. Newport presents a compelling case that it’s less important to worry about whether your job aligns with your passion, and more important to focus on building rare and valuable skills that you can later cash in for control over your career. Other than Atomic Habits, I have not encountered a self-improvement book with such practical and actionable advice.
5b. A Promised Land — Barack Obama
I’ve given “A Promised Land” and “Becoming” a shared ranking on this list. In a sense, the goal of both books is to share the Obama family’s story. I believe this goal is best achieved when readers consume both memoirs. This gives both Barack and Michelle the opportunity to share their unique lived experiences before and during their family’s time in the White House.
What is it about? This is the first of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, and it encompasses most of his first term in office. It’s not hard to remember some of the major highlights (and lowlights) from those years — the 2008 financial crisis, the raid on Osama Bin Laden, passing the healthcare reform bill— and the book serves as a fascinating behind-the-curtain recap of those moments. In addition, Obama details the sheer number of incredibly complex challenges the president often faces at once. For example, the BP oil spill, the Arab Spring, the collapse of Greece’s economy, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict all occurred simultaneously during one stretch of his presidency.
You’ll like this book if: You are interested in studying leadership. I agree with Simon Sinek when he says that more than any other trait, leadership boils down to having the courage to do the right thing in the face of overwhelming pressure, and this book is a case study of how to do exactly that. Obama provides detailed explanations behind his decision-making process, and he is as quick to point out his mistakes as he is to claim credit for his many successes.
5a. Becoming — Michelle Obama
What is it about? At the risk of stating the obvious, this is a story about a Black girl from a working class south-side Chicago family who finds herself (both slowly and suddenly) a public figure and a role model for millions. Obama explains the journey she took to become the person we all expected when we saw “Michelle Obama” — the confident, honest, funny, intellectual, and ambitious First Lady and mother of two daughters. This book helps us understand what it looks and feels like for “an ordinary person” (her words), to become someone who inspires millions and accomplishes extraordinary things. I’ve rarely encountered a book with a title that so perfectly and succinctly captures the spirit of its contents.
You’ll like this book if: You have ever wondered how someone who inspires you reached the position they are in today. Becoming suggests that these opportunities are not reserved for select people, rather they are available for the people who are willing to dedicate themselves to a worthwhile goal, work hard, and surround themselves with people who help them be their best.
I also imagine you would enjoy this book if you are a parent. Obama seems to have put as much effort and concern into her role as a parent as any of her other responsibilities as First Lady. Among dozens of other responsibilities, she started four multi-million dollar national initiatives in eight years, all while raising two daughters. The unique challenges and joys of parenting in the White House (needing a full security detail to make an ice cream run, or meeting your daughter’s prom date when he comes to pick her up at the White House) fill the book with stories that any parent can both relate to and only imagine.
4. Greenlights — Matthew McConaughey
What is it about? Think of this book as an opportunity to sit around with a wise, successful, and wildly adventurous uncle who wants to teach you “a thing or two about the real world.” McConaughey shares intimate, fascinating, and sometimes shocking stories from the first 50 years of his life to illustrate a single concept: the greenlight. He defines greenlights as “approval, support, praise, gifts, gas on our fire, and appetites.” He shares lessons he’s learned about how to catch greenlights and avoid life’s red lights. This isn’t really a self-improvement book, but you will certainly learn from it.
You’ll like this book if: You are a fan of McConaughey — or not. I’ve seen a handful of his movies, maybe 3 or 4. Yet reading this book felt like I was sitting around with him over a glass of scotch as he told me stories about his life. To that end, this book delivers entertainment value — he is a masterful storyteller. And to his credit, I found myself pausing often to write down bits of life advice and wisdom. I completely devoured this book — it’s the only book I’ve read in a single sitting this year.
3. Neither Wolf Nor Dog — Kent Nerburn
What is it about? Kent, a white author, is asked to visit Dan, a Native American elder. During one of their first interactions, Kent notices a rusted-out car on blocks in Dan’s front yard. Dan explains that it isn’t a junk car — it’s a house for his 18-year-old dog, Fatback. A lesson from Dan ensues. Kent struggles to understand, but he listens. This type of interaction between the two men plays out on the topics of race, the environment, sacred rituals, injustices against Native Americans, and even how to define a road, as the two men attempt to find a common voice and produce this book.
You’ll like this book if: You have ever felt uncomfortable during a cross-cultural interaction. This book is a case study on embracing guilt, shame, and awkwardness in the pursuit of understanding the perspective of someone with a different lived experience than your own. This book is an oral history that upsets the power balance of the voices that are usually prioritized in the Native American narrative. This is Dan’s story through and through, and Kent simply brings the reader along for the ride — literally — as the two men travel together through a Lakota reservation in South Dakota.
2. Leonardo da Vinci — Walter Isaacson
What is it about? Isaacson’s intimate life history of da Vinci suggests, quite persuasively, that Leonardo’s true genius did not lie in his skill with a paintbrush or pencil, but in his power to observe things that most of us to this day take for granted (how does light strike a curved object, how does water act when poured, how do the muscles of the face allow one to smile). Only through a relentless pursuit of the answers to these questions did Leonardo will and work his way to earn the well-deserved label of genius.
You’ll like this book if: You are looking to re-kindle that sense of childlike curiosity about the world that is easy to lose as we age. We can take many lessons and notes of inspiration from the life and work of da Vinci, and Isaacson playfully returns to many of these themes throughout the book. His wonderful storytelling and analysis are accompanied beautifully by illustrations from Leonardo’s personal journals, which provide visual insight into the varied interests and motivations of one of humanity’s most relentlessly curious figures. This book was endlessly fascinating and begs for a repeat reading.
- Educated — Tara Westover
What is it about? This is a story about the experience of going from seeing your parents as the people with all of the answers to understanding that they are two human beings with limitations. Unfortunately for Westover, her parents’ limitations included extreme distrust of the government, public schooling, and modern medicine. Because of her parents’ beliefs, Tara was born without a birth certificate, never attended school as a kid, and never received modern medical treatment until she was in her late teens. Despite all odds, Tara (now Dr. Westover) found a way to receive a strong education. In doing so, she was able to discover herself and produce this triumph of a book.
You’ll like this book if: You aren’t Dr. Westover’s parents. Otherwise, I find it hard to imagine how this book won’t captivate nearly everyone who opens it. This book comes recommended by Oprah, Michelle Obama, Ellen, and Bill Gates, to name a few. I stayed up far too late two nights in a row to finish this book, and will likely need a few more days to fully process the events that unfolded within.
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Click here to read my 2020 Top 10 list.
Click here to read my 2022 Top 10 list.
I accessed most of these books for free with my U.S. library card and the app Libby. I can’t recommend this app highly enough.
