August – Dec 2023:
- Pachinko (496 pages) – 10/10. Life of a family across generations, covering many themes in a non-stereotypical way: the immigrant experience (most books focus on immigration to the US, but this was super interesting in Korea > Japan, so fully based in east Asia), inter-generational mobility, gender, sex, money, family, mistakes, baggage, resentment, love.
- The Handmaid’s Tail (310 pages) – 5/10. I really wanted to like this but the style of writing, plot.. everything was kind of annoying and very stereotypical.
- Demon Copperhead (560 pages) – 9/10. So many tough themes – drugs, addiction, foster care, poverty, domestic abuse, family, resilience. At times, I was reminded of A Little Life, but this felt different. Almost as raw, but less painful. A refreshing, unvictimized, sensitive portrayal of the interconnected web of poverty, drugs, and social assistance systems.
- Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson (688 pages) – 10/10. Say what you will about Elon and Twitter, but this man has singlehandedly done more to move humanity forward than anyone alive. Having a vision about human progress is one thing, but finding a way to do it profitably, is entirely another. Also, Walter Isaacson is a legend.
June – July 2023:
- A Little Life (720 pages!!) – the internet is deeply divided on this one. Everyone on Reddit hates it. If you love it, the Redditors hate you. Most old-school book reviewers generally appreciate it – the NYT, New Yorker, Guardian and others. I don’t know if I can “like” a book with this much pain, trauma, sadness, suffering and just unimaginable atrocities.. it feels weird to like such a book. All I can say – this book changed me. Not many books have. I am a different person for having read this book. So, thank you, Hanya Yanagihara
- Trust (Pulitzer winner) – this book broadened my perspective on the intricate web of wealth, power and media (narratives). The power of wealth to influence narratives, and rewrite history. I loved the style of writing as well. I wouldn’t have naturally picked it up if not for the Pulitzer, but 10/10 recommend
- Prisoners of geography – good read if you’re into that kind of stuff 🙂
- The Sympathizer – super interesting description of the Vietnam War from a communist’s perspective. Could have done more re the immigrant experience in the US, but I enjoyed it
Ipshita Agarwal 