My best books of 2020
Tags: Bad Blood, Born A Crime, Book Review, Book Recommendations, Mans Search For Meaning

Maybe you should talk to someone- Lori Gobbliet

What happens when a therapist seeking therapy herself? This book takes readers on a deeply personal tour of a therapist’s mind, who was dealing with heartbreak by going to therapy. The author also tells stories of her patients and walks readers through her patients’ emotional journeys to find out more about their lives, tragedies, and breakthroughs. What I love the most about this book is its vulnerability. It’s easy to talk about others’ problems, but Lori Gobbliet was open to discussing her own.

The book also offers an incredibly open and honest look at the therapy process that lays it out better than any other depiction of therapy I’ve ever read — Gottlieb makes it clear that your therapist is not there to tell you what to do, or give cheesy advice (you can do it! I care about you…) but to help you recognize how your own patterns might be causing you unnecessary pain. She’s also honest in showing how hard it is to recognize not-so-flattering sides of ourselves and how deeply ingrained those patterns can be. She’s deeply empathetic, even when her patients frustrate her. This book is just as informative as it is compassionate.

Who should read this book: people interested in therapy, or anyone who wants to peek into someone’s mind.

2. Man’s search for meaning — Viktor Frankl

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote about life in Nazi concentration camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, the author argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. This resonates with my Stoic belief that once we detach our entitlement for happiness, we’ll find it in our gratitude and acceptance of the only thing we have control over — our attitude. This book certainly will stay on my all-time-favorite books list.

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Who should read this book: anyone, especially people who are going through a tough time.

3. Never split the difference

Have you ever felt curious about unusual occupations, like professional bone crackers, mystery shoppers, or chocolatiers? Here is a book about the job of a professional hostage negotiator! This book takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into the author’s head, revealing the skills that helped him to succeed and valuable lessons that anyone can apply in their daily negotiations.

Working in marketing and sales, I can not stress enough how important negotiating skills are. This book takes emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level. I was in constant awe of its practical wisdom.

Who should read this book: people who work in sales, people who want to get better at negotiating.

4. Bad Blood

If you’re looking for a real-life story that plots like a blockbuster, this is the one. It has every element of a fascinating backstory of a female villain: a Silicon Valley sweetheart, a college drop out, a technology that changes the lives of millions of people, a multi-billion dollar scam, love, power, dictatorship, drama, lies, fame, heroes and anti-heroes. It’s packed with so many WTF moments that I had to stop to think: “wait, this is not fictional, right?”

If you can not wait for the upcoming Hollywood movie based on this book, get comfortable, grab some popcorn, and read this book. It’s a page-turner that is too thrilling to be true.

Who should read this book: anyone who is interested in either technology, startups, or simply drama, which I assume is everyone.

5. Born a crime

When was the first time you commit a crime? For Trevor Noah, it’s the first day of his life. Being born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison, Trevor Noah’s birth is already a criminal act. Born a crime is a captivating story about the author’s struggle to find his place in a world where he wasn’t supposed to exist. It’s touching, warm, sharply insightful, and not to mention hilarious.

Whilst reading this book, I kept thinking about the privileges that I often take for granted. This book provides a front-seat view into Apartheid and what it did to the lives of people living under it. Trevor Noah is such a talented writer whose positivity and humor outshine his hardship and difficulties. However, it’s his mother who shined the most in this book. Though his story is apparently different from most people, I’m sure everyone will find it relatable, especially to his mother’s love for him.

Who should read this book: everyone. If you can only read one memoir, this is the one, the best of them all.

Honorable mentions:

Steve Jobs- Walter Isaacson: This! This is how a biography should be written: accurate, in-depth, transparent, and engaging. Steve Jobs’s genius yet destructive personality fueled creativity and moved the human race forward. His story is unlike any others and Walter Isaacson pulled it off with his excellent writing and unique narrative style.

This! This is how a biography should be written: accurate, in-depth, transparent, and engaging. Steve Jobs’s genius yet destructive personality fueled creativity and moved the human race forward. His story is unlike any others and Walter Isaacson pulled it off with his excellent writing and unique narrative style. Know my name- Chanel Miller: A story of sexual assault victim finding her own name. “Victims exist in a society that tells us our purpose is to be an inspiring story”. This book is not inspiring. It’s a tantrum that shook the media and humiliated America’s legal system. Chanel Miller made the world know her name through this ground-breaking memoir.

A story of sexual assault victim finding her own name. “Victims exist in a society that tells us our purpose is to be an inspiring story”. This book is not inspiring. It’s a tantrum that shook the media and humiliated America’s legal system. Chanel Miller made the world know her name through this ground-breaking memoir. Dear Girls- Ali Wong: This book is hilarious. Ali Wong’s humor is certainly not for everyone, but her stories are relatable, entertaining, and heartwarming. If you can handle 5 sex jokes in one paragraph, then you’ll find joy reading this. I actually cried reading this book more than I have laughed, surprisingly.

This book is hilarious. Ali Wong’s humor is certainly not for everyone, but her stories are relatable, entertaining, and heartwarming. If you can handle 5 sex jokes in one paragraph, then you’ll find joy reading this. I actually cried reading this book more than I have laughed, surprisingly. Quiet- Susan Cain: a slap in the face of the “never eat alone” culture. Finally, there is a book that does introversion justice.

Thanks for reading my recommendation list. Even though I can’t remember all that I have read, these books have changed me in one way or another and saved my 2020. I hope you find a few to pick up next year and enjoy them as much as I did. Happy reading!