The ‘unprecedented’ year of 2020 will soon come to a close. As we approach the end of this crazy year, I would like to share with you some of the books that have had the biggest impact on me. This list is not written in any specific order and if you have any questions about the books or have any recommendations for me, please give me a shout. You can also check out my book recommendation list here.
Before we get to the books, my favourite album of this year was by the talented Ego Ella May. I have been a big fan of Ego Ella May’s music for a while now and was so happy to hear that she was releasing her debut album this year. The album entitled, Honey For Wounds, did not disappoint at all. It delivered in every way that I expected and provided so much more. Ego Ella May is such a fantastic writer that pushes beyond the norm, both musically and conceptually. She recently won the Best Jazz Album at the MOBO Awards and in my eyes the album is an absolute treasure. If you haven’t heard it, I would definitely recommend.
Now, without further ado, my top 20 reads for 2020 are…..
- JAY-Z: Made in America – Michael Eric Dyson
- Becoming – Michelle Obama
- Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
- Winners Dream – Bill McDermott
- Range – David Epstein
- How Europe Underdeveloped Africa – Walter Rodney
- The Destruction of Black Civilisation – Chancellor Williams
- Black and British – David Olusoga
- The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
- Stamped From The Beginning – Ibram X. Kendi
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- No One Is Too Small To Make A Difference – Greta Thunberg
- Alibaba – Duncan Clark
- How Google Works – Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
- AI Superpowers – Kai-Fu Lee
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Alex Hayley
- Caste – Isabel Wilkerson
- My Life in Red and White – Arsene Wenger
- Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
- Black Against Empire – Joshua Bloom
Honourable Mentions
There are so many other books that I would like to include and if I went through the list with a fine tooth-comb, it is possible that I would replace some of them with the following.
- Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – John Gray
- How To Be An Anti-Racist – Ibram X. Kendi
- Culture and Imperialism – Edward W.Said
- The Establishment – Owen Jones
- Me and White Supremacy – Layla F Saad
- The Color of Money – Mehrsa Baradaran
- Superior: The return of race science – Angela Saini
- Year of Yes – Shonda Rhimes
- The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – Bonnie Ware
- Be Obsessed or Be Average – Grant Cardone
I wish you a very Happy New Year and whether you had a good year in 2020 or not, I hope 2021 is an even better year for you.