Here are my top 10 reads from the past year, in the order with which I would recommend reading them! I am sharing these because they not only extremely entertaining and thought-provoking, but each one dramatically shaped my creative thinking. The ‘themes’ are just what stood out to me upon reflecting back at the end of the year, but by no means is that a comprehensive list!
Yellowface by RF Kuang
(2023 novel, fiction)
- Funny, dark, fiction.
- themes: asian/yt racial dynamics, creative practice and fulfillment, politics of publishing and story ownership
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
(2020 graphic novel, non-fiction/history)
- Funny, inspiring, reflective
- themes: racial dynamics amongst students and athletes, historical and contemporary sports and impact, creative fulfillment, work-life balance
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
(2022 novel, fiction)
- Emotional, sad, romantic
- themes: relationships between creative collaborators, the pursuit of creative careers, mental health, living with disability
How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr
(2019 novel, non-fiction)
- Informative, funny, political
- themes: American colonization and imperialism, pop-culture, historiography
Babel by RF Kuang
(2022 novel, fiction)
- Emotional, dark, magical
- themes: magic as a weapon, imperialism, race in academia
There There by Tommy Orange
(2018 novel, fiction)
- Dark, sad, reflective
- themes: history of indigenous people in the east Bay Area, contemporary life through multiple indigenous POV, violence and resistance
The Revolution Has Come: Black Power, Gender, and the Black Panther Party in Oakland
(2016 novel, non-fiction)
- Informative, inspiring, political
- Themes: history of black power movements, state violence, revolution
Graphic Liberation: Image Making and Political Movements by Josh MacPhee
(2023 novel, interviews)
- Informative, inspiring, reflective
- Themes: history of social movements, art in reaction to movements vs. art that creates movements, collective power
The Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
(2023 novel, fiction)
- Poetic, imaginative, tense
- Themes: food and cuisine culture, privilege, environmental apocalypse, hope
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin
(1968 novel, fiction)
- Magical, tense, hopeful
- Themes: moral responsibility, hero’s journey, adventure