5 Books That Have Changed My Perspective in 2020
By: Jz White
Tags: Stoicism, Life, Book Recommendations, Drug Abuse, Criminal Justice Reform

In the Year 2020 the negatives have been enough to last a lifetime. However as all wise people know, it is in these dark times that strong people become stronger. I have read a lot of books this year that have given me a lot of motivation and ways to grow. These are the five that truly changed my life and perspective of the world.

Seneca- On the Shortness of Life.

The quote from this book that really stuck with me was “But life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” This quote is ultra applicable to 2020.The world is running around wondering what might happen next, meanwhile what we should be doing is taking in the past and learning for previous events. Rather it be the last time a major celebrity died like Kobe, the last time we has Americans had to look ourselves in the mirror about our racist history (and present), or the last pandemic, these things are not new to the world. I learned from this book that I need to do a better job of studying the past to be better equipped for the future, as being better equipped for the future will make me less anxious about what comes next.

2. Bryan Stevenson-Just Mercy

At the beginning of the George Floyd tragedy I was like most people, outraged by what I saw on camera but what I’d find is how bad it really was. After seeing trailers for the Just Mercy movie, I decided to read the book to better educate myself on racial injustice. What I found outraged me and flipped my opinion on the criminal justice system upside down. I went into this book like most southerners thinking that the death penalty was the best and only option for those who kill. After this book I realized that mercy is the best answer and everyone has their own story, even those who have committed awful crimes deserve mercy and far fight in our criminal justice system. What Bryan Stevenson did in this book and more importantly in the criminal justice system deserves endless praise. I am truly a better, more open-minded man after reading Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.

3. Beautiful Boy- David Sheff

Another book that has been made into a movie, Beautiful Boy changed my perspective on parenting and drug abuse. I remember growing up wondering how parents let their kids succumb to drugs. After reading David Sheffs’ true story about his son’s fight with a meth addiction, my whole opinion on drug abuse has changed. Although I will can never understand the pain a father can feel as he watches his son fight addiction, I can change my perspective on how I view and sympathize with parents whose kids are fighting addiction. David Sheff makes you feel what he was feeling through his writing. After reading Beautiful Boy, I have a whole new perspective on drug abuse and how parents handle it.

4. Man’s Search for Meaning- Viktor Frankl

If you haven’t read this book, go a buy it this minute and don’t stop reading until you are done. This book changed everything for me, what a brat I was before reading this. Viktor Frankl tells the true story of his experience in a Nazi concentration camp in WWII and describes how he found meaning in his life. As I was at home in March and April pouting about how hard the new normal was, I picked up this book and guess what? Life isn’t so bad. After reading this book, I learned that attaching perspective to things changes your view of the world and makes the world around us a lot brighter.

5. The Road-Cormac McCarthy

The only fiction featured on this list, The Road by Cormac McCarthy should be read by every father before their first born son. In this book, McCarthy teaches about the sacrifices a father will make for his son. As they make their way to nowhere in the book, you learn that nothing will ever get better for this Father and Son but sometimes just having a goal is enough, even if it is just make it the coast. This book taught me that sometimes no matter all the shit going on in the world, find a goal and try to accomplish at all cost. Even if it’s just like the Father and Son trying to make it to the coast or the Father protecting the Son at all cost, Cormac teaches you that goals keep the world moving.

I’m just gonna keep reading as much as I can in 2021 because in the world of today, you can never be to well equipped with knowledge!

-Jw