“The book to read is not the one that thinks for you but the one that makes you think.”
~ Harper Lee, American novelist.
Here’s my list of the 10 best books of 2018.
In this article…
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
This is a book of adventure and discovery, tracing the journey of a young slave. Wash escapes confinement via a hot-air balloon and goes on a journey for his freedom. This book contains a lot of emotions and makes for a very entertaining read.
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday
This book takes you through 2 contrasting stories, one of Alice, a young book editor who falls in love with an older, recognized author in Manhattan. The other story is of Amar, an Iraqi-American economist, who has been detained at Heathrow Airport while on his way to meet his family in Iraq.
Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Lisa Brennan Jobs is the daughter of Steve Jobs. In her book, she talks about how her father shaped her life, from denying her paternity for most of her childhood to his demands when she took care of him in the final stages of cancer.
Educated by Tara Westover
This book takes you through Tara’s journey from her very conservative childhood in Idaho to graduating with a PhD from Cambridge University. It has been beautifully written and teaches us to remain empathetic even in the most difficult of times.
There There by Tommy Orange
This one has a number of short chapters that tell story of a group of Native Americans residing in Oakland and travelling to a community gathering. It throws light on identity and its broken substitutes and myths that have been filtered through the eyes of poverty, time and urban life.
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee
In over 16 essays, Alexander Chee describes his journey to become an author. He takes us through the times when he worked as a Tarot card reader, studied with Annie Dillard and met William F. Buckley, while working at a catering job.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
This novel sees life of a family through the eyes of each member. It describes things that brings the family together and pulls them apart.
The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas
Lukas narrates 3 stories in an illuminating and compassionate manner. He starts with Ali, an orphan who became first watchman of Old Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue. He then takes us to British widows who travel to Cairo to bring back the Ezra scroll and lastly the story revolves around a graduate from Berkeley, Yusef al-Raqb.
Motherhood by Sheila Heti
This is a philosophical novel, which starts with a question: creation or procreation? This book has a biblical perspective. It describes debts to the past can only be paid to the future. The narration has a lot of humour and a little sorrow. This novel takes you into a zone of freedom from answers.
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
This is an exciting novel and among the first to describe the AIDS epidemic from its origin to the present. It describes the environment of terror and tragedies that happened in the early years of AIDS epidemic.
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