Book Report for 2017 Reading

Dear Teacher,  I’m sorry my book report is late.  I’m not good at making up excuses.  How about my pet dinosaur ate my homework?  No?  Oh, well.  In any case, 2017 was a good year for me as far as reading is concerned.  I read a total of 61 books, and that doesn’t include the reading I did for the university classes I was auditing.  Here are selected highlights:

Fiction:

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny – I’m not a fan of the mystery genre in general, but I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written tale set in a small Quebec village.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult – this was a riveting story of a black nurse wrongfully accused of causing the death of the infant son of racist parents. 

The Sellout by Paul Beatty – a highly original, entertaining and biting novel about race and identity in America.

A Man Called Øve by Fredrik Backman – a highly enjoyable novel about a quirky and cantankerous old man who rediscovers the capacity to love and accept love after the death of his wife.  (translated from Swedish)

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini – a beautifully written novel set in modern-day Afghanistan.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon – the family history in this novel may be partially based on the real life of the author. 

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict – fictional tale based on the life of Einstein’s first wife, a brilliant physicist whose contributions were never acknowledged.

The Plot against America by Philip Roth – this isn’t a new novel, but it’s extremely timely.  The story relates how life changes for a young Jewish boy in Newark (Roth’s hometown) when Charles Lindbergh, an acknowledged anti-Semite, wins the 1940 presidential election.

Behold the Dreams by Imbolo Mbue – a powerfully written novel about African immigrants living in New York City. 

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – I read this wonderful book, set in South India, right before my December trip.  It was full of insights about women’s lives. 

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh – a touching novel about motherhood, forgiveness, and the meaning of different flowers. 

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng – this terrific novel, about a family torn apart by the suicide of the teenage daughter, sounds depressing, but isn’t.  It deals with fitting in, being different, etc. 

The Summer before the War by Helen Simonson – a lovely British novel set during World War I. 

Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan – I thoroughly enjoyed this saga of a modern Irish-American family living in Boston. 

Non-fiction:

Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God by Jonah Blank - the author, an anthropologist, weaves together a retelling of the Sanskrit classic Ramayana with his discoveries as he travels through India.  It provided me with many insights into contemporary Indian society and culture.  

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance – This is an enlightening memoir about growing up and out of the white working class.

White Trash by Nancy Isenberg – the 400-year old history of class in America.  Quite readable. 

Two Cents Plain: My Brooklyn Boyhood by Martin Lemelman – a graphic memoir about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s and 60s with Holocaust survivor parents. 

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison – this memoir sheds light on the manic depressive condition. 

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson – Wow!  My year in reading ended on a high note with this masterful and moving biography of the Renaissance genius.  Don’t be intimidated.  It’s very readable.