“I think you should only read those books which bite and sting you.”

Franz Kafka

I read a lot of books in 2010 and some of them were excellent.  Following are the few that I found the most entertaining, useful or moving.

I don’t read much fiction anymore but I thought these three were excellent:

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave is the story of an African refugee woman in England.  It is moving and well written.
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese is also about Africa but is the story of Indians in Ethiopia and two brothers lives. Recommended by Nurit B.
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett is about black women in the American South in the 1950’s and is revealing and entertaining.

On the nonfiction side I read a flurry of books about the financial crisis.  The three that I found the most informative were:

• Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamad is the story of the men who managed the great central banks between WWI and WWII.  It was written before our current financial crisis but it helps to put it in perspective.  recommended  by Gene B.
• The Big Short by Michael Lewis is written as a story about some people who figured out that subprime mortgages were going to fail and how they capitalized on it.  Lewis also wrote Moneyball about Baseball and he can write suspenseful nonfiction.
• Aftermath by Phillipe Legrain tells the story of the financial crisis as prologue to projecting where we will go next.  He predicted that Iceland, Greece and Ireland would collapse in that order.  Legrain can see the future.

The fight for Immigration Rights is my occupation so I read a lot of books about it.  In my mind these were the three outstanding books from this years crop:

• Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the story of a young woman’s escape from Africa, sexism and Islam.  She ended up becoming a member of the Dutch Parliament.  It is a compelling story with a not very good outcome.
• The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is the story of the migration of Southern Black to Northern cities during the middle of the 20th century.  It is a big book but is a very informative story that confirms the need to allow people to vote with their feet.
• A Woman’s Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot by Mary Walton tells the story of the great struggle to get women the right to vote.  Alice Paul was the radical and many of the techniques she invented are still used in the fight to expand the franchise today.

Finally three books that informed me and made me think:

• What the Dog Saw is Malcolm Gladwell’s latest contribution.  It is full of excellently researched stories that make you think about the way you see the world.
• The Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne is the story of the Comanche.  They were a ferocious warrior people and this account is balanced and a bit fatalistic. Recommended by Brian M.
• Finally The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto was a wonderful surprise.  Shorto writes like John McPhee and this story about the New Amsterdam is full of information that kept making me say “I didn’t know that.”

The plaza at the British Library in London

What books did you read this year?

Your comments and recommendations are welcome.