Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 2017
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I first heard about this book on the What Should I Read Next? Podcast. Upon my suggestion, it became one of the books for my book club I have with my coworkers (all teachers). Exit West has pretty mixed reviews on Goodreads, but I really liked it. One of the aspects I liked the most was the magical realism component, and that was an element most criticized by other readers. One guy compared it to Monsters Inc.! I disagree. I think Hamid’s use of the doors (that can instantly transport you somewhere else in the world--you don’t get to choose where though) was used effectively as a
metaphor to call into question the whole concept of borders and countries. What if we all just thought of ourselves as people of Earth rather than Americans or Italians etc.? So that’s the gist of the conflict: some countries have basics like safety and food, and therefore people who live in countries that don’t have those things, want to move--obviously.
I say this often in my reviews, but I like books that do a lot. Exit West is not a long book at all, but Hamid accomplishes the telling of a great story with the examination of a contemporary issue. He does, admittedly, leave some of the points a little loose, but overall I’d say this is a 3.5-4 star book.
The Secret Life of Fat by Sylva Tara 2017
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One of my former bosses, who is a physician, was talking about this book on Facebook a while back and I was intrigued enough to check out from the library. I’m pretty slow with non-fiction, and it’s a tough sell for me; I have to be pretty motivated to A) Actually procure the book and B) actually read it. This book was totally worth the read, and the least demoralizing book about weight that I have ever read. And come to think of it, I have read a fair number of books about weight. They all generally make be feel like a lazy glutton. The Secret Life of Fat helped me to categorize myself who likely has legitimate reasons why I am the weight I am. She also acknowledged the fact that, yes, it is going to be hard for me to be at a textbook healthy weight.
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-But it’s not impossible. I loved the interesting scientific explanations about why some people seem to be able to eat whatever they want but always stay slim. The best part was how she harnessed all the knowledge about WHY in the end to build up to the by-in that if I make some pretty challenging changes, I could really feel better about myself and live longer in the process. Over the past week I have been implementing some the main dietary change she recommends: intermittent fasting. I am no longer eating breakfast before work. I know eat a yogurt at work at about 9:00-9:30 in order to extend the fast from dinner to breakfast. This is supposed to help stimulate the production of the good hormones that do things like increase insulin sensitivity and tell your body to burn fat. I’m not expecting huge changes over night, but the support she gave for making this change was compelling enough that I am willing to give it a serious try. -The thing to know about the state that causes the production of these hormones and fat burning is that it is a bit uncomfortable; I am pretty hungry. However, Tara even has support for why that is a good thing. Being hungry is not a bad thing. I am absolutely not literally starving. If I never let myself feel hungry for any extended amount of time, I will likely always be overweight. However, I would like to change that, so here’s to getting used to a few hunger pangs!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng 2017
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I had heard about this book just about everywhere; it felt like it was following me. A friend mentioned it, I saw it on Instagram, I heard about it on What Should I Read Next? I added it to my library request list and I was number 20 in line! Bottom line: it was worth the wait, but it was so good that I wish I would have bought it. Ng is a little reminiscent of Jodi Picoult in her narration style of multiple protagonists. I enjoyed the time period (mostly 1997), and the setting of Shaker Heights (upscale, perfectly planned community) was intriguing too. I thought it was fictional, but my mother
in-law informed me that it is real and she studied in college. (She is an interior designer, and we were having this discussion b/c she read the book upon my recommendation.) I was surprised at the page-turner quality this literary fiction had. It was as gripping as any mystery novel. The themes of motherhood are poignant, varied, and complex. I have been recommending this book right and left. It is that good!
Reading People by Anne Bogel 2017
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I know a book is good when I just cannot stop talking about it! Personality inventories have been useful to me both in the classroom (I teach high school English) and in my personal life. Anne Bogel's comprehensive take on all the major personality inventories* is ambitious and successful. I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the Meyer's-Briggs before I read this book, but I learned so much more about it. And more importantly, I really feel like I can USE this information in valuable ways. The usefulness of the information is a promise Bogel makes in the introduction, and she delivers on that promise!
Who should read this book? EVERYONE! Seriously, I am not a person who reads much non-fiction or self help, but I truly believe that absolutely everyone can benefit from this wonderful book. *This book covers: The Five Love Languages, Keirsey's Temperments, Meyers-Briggs, The Clifton StrengthsFinder, and The Ennegram (this last one was brand new to me and completely fascinating). --Also, A+ on the cover!
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover 2018
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Educated has a very striking cover and the title caught my attention as well since I am a teacher. Also, bookstagrammers and the publisher did a good job of getting this book under my nose. Right before I started reading Educated, I read a review or comment that compared it to The Glass Castle. That should have tipped me off that this book would be a little tough to read, at least at times. That turned out to be true. Tough, amazing, worth every minute.
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It’s a little difficult for me to write objectively about Educated because I related so strongly with a lot of Westover’s experience. My childhood was much more “mainstream” than hers. I did, for example, go to school. I did not have an abusive brother. My father was and is not mentally ill.However, I am the oldest of eight children, finances tough, we were a strict religion, and I did often feel like I had parts of my life and experience that I needed to hide from other people so that they wouldn’t think differently of me.
So, the bottom line is that I would recommend this book to pretty much anyone. I think guys would be interested in it too. Even though Westover’s experience is likely really different from most, she does a really nice job of getting the reader to understand how and why she made the choices she did. I was yelling at her in my head at times, but at the same time, I got it.