We couldn’t travel, but we could read! My top 5 books of 2020
While travel plans were dropped across the world, many turned towards reading as a way to explore new topics and replace the cultural curiosity travel would have brought. For me, this year offered a healthy mix of history, politics, and leadership.
I did miss the great storytelling of Fiction which was only quenched with Fall; or, Dodge in Hell. However while I love Stephenson, it didn’t match its predecessor of Reamde, and sadly not in the Top 5 for this year.
Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss
As I continue to spend more time outside the United States, I also aim to deepen my understanding of the US from an external perspective. How our history, politics, and cultural exports have shaped the world — for better and worse.
Presidents of War is an amazing historical overview of US Presidents viewpoints during war times and how they used information to their advantage during war time. It’s a great read to understand how much of the US, and US territories, were born out of conflict, and how war has played an essential role in the history of the US.
The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century by Claire Prentice
In early 2020 an image was passed around Instagram and other social media of a small Filipino girl tied to a post in a “human zoo”. Social Media often has the drawback of not properly conveying information. We often trade off deeper information for posts that grab attention. I was intrigued by the image as I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of something like this before, and I decided to try to find out more about it.
In my search to find the background and truth on this image, I discovered an entire book written about a tribe of Igorots brought from the Philippines in the early 1900’s to the United States as part of a World’s Fair ethnographic program. This book is a fantastic and depressing look into the entire series of events around the tribes’ time in the US, starting as a cultural exhibition and ending in exploitation.
The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age by Archie Brown
With the rise of populism and Trump in the US over the last years, I’ve aimed to understand what drives the growth of this type of leader and individual. The best way I’ve found to deal with increasing polarisation is through understanding. The Myth of a Strong Leader follows other reading such as Evicted, which starts to piece together the growing disparity across the US, and how Trump and others have been able to galvanise those feelings towards a strong political following.
The book itself details the path countries take as they move further towards instability and often mistakenly look for leaders with strong personalities to provide answers. It provides various examples that the rise of these strong leaders is also often what takes countries further into chaos.
Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual by Jokko Willink
The best management book this year, it has become a staple in how I approach leadership. With the change of remote and flexible work over the last year, I often had to reevaluate how I approached my own leadership and management style.
Leadership Strategy and Tactics reviews the need for clear command, clear goals, decentralised decision making, and engaged team members. This is a great book to read alongside The Myth of a Strong Leader, as it covers management methods for stronger supportive teams and away from singular personalities or authoritarian approaches.
Also check out Jokko Willink’s podcast.
Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan
In recent years the impact of social media with the decline of mental health and rise of polarisation have raged forward. Many have uninstalled applications and deactivated accounts. While we have all become more connected and created stronger global communities, the negative impacts can not be overlooked.
This book covers not only recent years, but also a much deeper look over centuries, asking if we are really better off than we were as hunters and gatherers. Would we be happier if we regressed? The movement certainly has tribes of its own.
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