I read every day. Books, magazine articles, newspapers are all part of every day life for me. I try to read things that challenge my beliefs. Books that make me take a different look at our shared American history. If you are looking for a book to read here are some of the ones I read last year.
The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor by Eddie Jaku
Poverty by America by Matthew Demond
The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens by Richard Haass
The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches From a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal by Brian H. Williams
Enough by Cassidy Hutchinson
The Book of Charlie by David Von Dreble
Things Our Fathers Saw by Matthew A. Rozell. This is a series of books. They are first person stories of World War 2 veterans.
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab
Systemic Racism 101: A Visual History of the Impact of Racism in America by Aminah Pilgrim
Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson
Children Under Fire: An American Crisis by John Woodrow Cox
American Psychosis: A Historical Investigation of How the Republican Party Went Crazy by David Corn
And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by John Meacham.
I’ll admit this is not an easy reading list. The effects of poverty, gun violence, racism and politics are pervasive in America. It is vital we see where we came from to understand how we arrived at this point. We require that information to plan a future.
There is currently a serious discussion about the first amendment and our freedom of speech. I think too few Americans understand the history of free speech in America. The best book I have found on that subject is this one. Much of the speech we enjoy today would have landed us in legal trouble in America not all that long ago. If you wonder about the importance of dissenting opinions by Supreme Court justices this book reveals their potential impact.
The Great Dissent: How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind- and Changed the History of Free Speech in America by Thomas Healy
So I encourage you to take some time this year to read.
