Favorite Reads of 2020
We're a month into 2021, but here in Oregon our schools remain closed (since March of last year), violence continues in downtown Portland, and my friends’ small businesses are struggling or shuttered. It’s quite possible that the situation is similar where you are, though I hope it’s better. Frankly, I think the past year has paved the way for a concerning new normal, and it's not necessarily the future that I would wish for the world. I'm thinking particularly of the continuing travel restrictions, possible vaccine mandates, the French ban on homeschooling (now slated for 2022), and continued political fracturing. Nonetheless, I’m so grateful for the greatest blessing my family received in 2020: our fifth child (our fourth boy!) was born a little over two months ago. I haven't been able to read as much with a newborn in my arms, bien sûr, but I'm happy to reminisce and recommend my favorite books that I read in 2020. Les voilà:
Our new little one - le nouveau né
Best Francophile Read:
Monsieur Mediocre: One American Learns the High Art of Being Everyday French by John von Sothen
John von Sothen is an American who married a French woman whom he met in New York City nearly twenty years ago. Now in his self-depreciating, laugh-aloud funny memoir Monsieur Mediocre, he shares the journey of raising a daughter and son in Paris while elaborating on the often awkward experiences that he has as an expatriate American turned French dad. Although he and I have very different worldviews, I found von Sothen's experiences hilariously relatable (thanks to our two long family stays in France), and I learned a bit more about French culture through Von Sothen’s stories. Monsieur Mediocre was one of the funniest memoirs I've read in a while—and also one of the quickest since each chapter was so entertaining that I didn't want to stop reading.
Best French fiction:
Slave Old Man (L’Esclave vieil homme et le molosse) - Patrick Chamoiseau
This short, fictional story about an escaping slave pursued by a raving hound taught me more about the evils of slavery than any history class or textbook. Chamoiseau writes poetically and descriptively, and while his magical realism is initially a bit bewildering, his characters and the Martinique setting are so vivid that I continue to dwell on this story like a dream that seems too intense to forget after waking. Slave Old Man is a modern echo of Uncle Tom's Cabin as it reveals the barbarism of slavery. I hope this story continues to gather acclaim as we maintain the rights of everyone to live in freedom.
Best American non-fiction:
On Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
This book was a compelling blend of storytelling and argument, and I believe it should be read by every adult with aging parents or with close friends struggling with a serious medical condition. Dr. Gawande writes with compassion about his father and mother-in-law’s final months, but his main focus is on how medical professionals often paradoxically and tragically shorten patients’ lives in an attempt to avoid discussing end-of-life preferences and realities. If this topic sounds depressing, I assure you that Dr. Gawande's narrative is actually quite hopeful, moving, and incredibly informative. It helped me understand how the end-of-life choices made for loved ones can contribute to the beauty of their life, giving me a better grasp of how a natural, peaceful death occurs and why it is better than attempting to thwart death for a loved one at any turn. Honestly, it’s a beautiful read, blending non-fiction with truth and compassion in a way that is highly impactful.
Runner-up - American non-fiction:
Miracle on Voodoo Mountain: A Young Woman’s Remarkable Story of Pushing Back the Darkness for the Children of Haiti by Megan Boudreaux
This memoir tells the story of a 24-year-old American girl who visited Haiti, was deeply moved by the devastating level of need, moved there with no plan of action except a general desire to help, and found a way to start a non-profit school, community resource, and medical center (Respire Haiti) that now serves more than 500 children. I was amazed by Megan's unusual and yet completely believable story, and I appreciated the spiritual aspects and struggles she described in such a raw way—from her encounters with voodoo to her prayers for direction. This is a book that shows how anyone can make an incredible difference in the world—and perhaps particularly so in the beautiful, broken country of Haiti.
Honorable mention - American non-fiction:
Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven
In the early 20s, four men tried to covertly colonize an Arctic island for Canada and Great Britain, bringing an Inuit woman with them to cook, clean, and sew. Ada was shy and reluctant to go as their helper, but she needed the money and felt she couldn't back out of her initial commitment. When the men suddenly disappear in a storm, she manages to survive on the frigid island for two years despite her bipolar swings, a paralyzing fear of polar bears, and an absolute lack of arctic wilderness experience. I initially had trouble getting into the first few chapters of this story as Jennifer Niven takes a fair bit of time to develop the characters and setting, but I was riveted to Ada’s plight once the crew makes it to the island. This book was recommended by a friend and I’m glad to know Ada's story now.
Best French non-fiction:
Et ils eurent beaucoup d’enfants - Marielle Blanchier
In this delightful autobiography/memoir (témoignage), Marielle recounts how she went from being a chemist and CEO to being a joyful mama of twelve children. Here she shares snippets of what daily life is like for this modern famille nombreuse living in Sceaux (outside Paris), from how they manage their food shopping (36 baguettes par jour!) to la rentrée and monthly birthday parties. The book includes her husband's balanced perspective and some bemusing essays from her children on what it's like to live in their family and how many children they themselves want to have one day. It's a pity this book hasn't been translated into English because it deserves an audience outside France. Marielle is surprisingly relatable, her arguments for having multiple children hold true, and her essays have convinced me that large families like hers can be an enormous blessing both to those who live in them and to the societies around them.
Best biography:
Stronger Than Death by Rachel Pieh Jones
Known as “Djibouti Jones,” expatriate blogger Rachel Pieh Jones has written a touching biography of Annalena Tonelli, an Italian woman who spent her life treating tuberculosis and AIDS patients in the Horn of Africa. Tonelli is arguably one of the most respected and effective humanitarians to serve in Africa during our lifetime, and her determination and dedication to the Somalis and nomads of the region was unceasingly selfless up to the moment of her martyrdom. Jones’ portrait of Tonelli is not entirely rosy, however, as she points out Tonelli's initial choice to follow cultural norms to the point of choosing genital mutliation for her own adopted daughters. Tonelli later retracted this act, and in speaking boldly against it, enabled the community to move away from it as well. I'd like to re-read this biography because of the impact that Tonelli’s life had on so many others—now including myself.
Best Self-Help:
You're Not Enough (And That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love by Allie Beth Stuckey
I'm not generally a fan of self-help books, but I am a fan of Allie Beth Stuckey and her political commentary podcast Relatable. In her first book, You're Not Enough, Stuckey tells women the truth that is hidden by magazines and pop culture: she points out that the message of pursuing one's own happiness above all others’ is not a path to joy, but to misery. With an autobiographical beginning in which she opens up about her past eating disorder as a young adult, Stuckey shows that self-oriented pursuits are a dead-end, arguing instead that contentment and peace can be found in God alone. While You’re Not Enough was a quick read, it was not fluff as so many self-help books are. Stuckey chooses her words carefully and I appreciated her arguments.
Currently I’m reading several books: I'm trying to finish A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, when in truth I would prefer to delve into my library copy of Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford. (Part of my heart is always in Lyon!) Waiting beneath those two books is A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell—a book recommended by a dear friend. And you, cher(e) ami(e), what are you reading now? What did you love reading in 2020? Tell me in a comment!
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