My Top Reads of 2020
By: Sourabh Pradhan
Tags: Book Recommendations, Books

That 2020 has been a year of upheaval would be stating the obvious. But this singularly unusual year gave me the chance to really catch up on my reading. For the past few years, I’ve rarely managed to read more than 8 -10 books in a year. This year, I ticked 34 books off my reading list. While that still fell short of my target of 52 books, I loved mostly all the books that I read. Mindful of the maxim, “some books are to be tasted, some to be chewed…”, I did not force myself to complete a book, if I wasn’t liking it. Thankfully, there was just one title that I could not get through. But more on that later.

One thing that helped me read more, was maintaining a list of the books that I wanted to read in sequence. This meant, that upon finishing a title, I was never left searching for my next book. I tried to keep the list as diverse as possible as can be seen from the titles above. I also tried to maintain a 2:1 ratio of non-fiction to fiction. This helped in keeping the reading from getting too dense. But enough jabbering. Here then are the top 5 books that I would recommend you pick up in 2021.

AI Superpowers — Kai Fu Lee

Author Kai-Fu Lee offers a fascinating insight into the rise of China’s tech industry and the role that AI is playing in shaping it. The central premise of the book is that by throwing together tremendous resources, China has caught up to the US in the field of AI at an astonishing pace and is well placed to surpass it. Lee does a tremendous job of comparing and contrasting the tech scenes in Silicon Valley and China by offering examples from his personal experiences of leading companies both in the US and in China. While the book is a tad biased towards China, read it to appreciate the role AI can play at the intersection of geopolitics, technology and the modern workforce.

1491 — Charles Mann

I have always been a history buff and thoroughly enjoyed this sweeping narrative of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Author Charles Mann paints a vivid picture of the richness of the cultures of North and South America and how the arrival of the Europeans decimated the local population. An eye-opener for anyone who has been brought up to think of the Native Americans as a simple people, 1491 showcases the grand cities in the Americas compared to contemporary Europe. Anyone who thinks of history as boring will be pleasantly surprised by how engaging the book is. On my reading list for 2021 is the sequel 1493 which takes a look at the Americas post Columbus.

The End Of Competitive Advantage — Rita McGrath

I read a few books on strategy this year, but liked this the best. Professor Rita McGrath makes the case that chasing sustainable competitive advantage in today’s rapidly changing business environment is a futile attempt. Rather any competitive advantage is likely to be transient. Using real world examples, the author argues that companies who are growth outliers today are successful because they can exploit temporary competitive advantages while having a telescopic view of the future. Touching upon themes such as entrepreneurship, innovation, and growth in a VUCA world, the book is a great read for startup founders, product managers and strategy consultants.

Braving The Wilderness — Brené Brown

“You are only free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” — Maya Angelou

This beautiful book is all about having the courage to be yourself and what it means to truly belong to someone or something. The wilderness in the title is a reference to the feeling of being left alone when no one else is ready to stand by you. There is much to be admired in this book, but let me quote a few snippets.

People are hard to hate close up. Move in. Strong Back. Soft Front. Wild Heart. Speak truth to bullshit. Be civil. Hold hands. With strangers.

The Broken Earth series — N.K. Jemisin

For my final pick, I cheated :) because this is not one single book but rather a trilogy. This super expansive science fantasy series is amazing in its scope and story telling. Just look at all the elements the author weaves into the narrative. Super continent? Check. People who can move the earth? Check. Stone eaters? Check. The earth and moon as ‘characters’? Check. This trilogy is unlikely to be anything you would expect it to be. A word of caution though. The author N.K. Jemisin has build a world that is deep and intricate and filled it with characters having complex back stories. I did find the reading a bit laborious at times. However, I still enjoyed the books and would recommend them to anyone interested in science fiction / fantasy.