books i read in 2020 (part 5 of 5)

READ THESE BOOKS.

My Life: It’s a Long Story, Willie Nelson: The only country music I like is either ironic or nostalgic, and I know maybe three Willie Nelson songs. But this was such a fun book. Willie Nelson is hilarious and his love for music is inspiring.

The Dirty Life, Kristin Kimball: New York journalist meets a rugged farmer, they immediately fall in love, and she leaves her hipster life behind to start an organic farm with him. The project was totally bigger than they could handle, but they somehow managed to make it happen.

The Last Girl, Nadia Murad: This is a hard book to read, but ultimately hopeful. Nadia Murad is a brave, strong Yazidi woman who went through hell at the hands of the Islamic State. Her story left me thinking about resilience, wondering what justice looks like, and with a greater respect for the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.

Redeployment, Phil Klay: The first story punched me in the gut and I was hooked. Short stories about Marines in Afghanistan — not for the faint of heart, but it will leave you with more compassion for people who’ve seen combat.

Animals in Translation, Temple Grandin: This book starts off and you’re like… is this a book about slaughterhouse best practices? Then it’s about autism in childhood, then there’s a story about standing up to B.F. Skinner, then a subtle dunk on psychodrama followed by a detailed breakdown of primal emotions as brain processes and I’m like I LOVE YOU TEMPLE GRANDIN!

Did you know McDonald’s is partially responsible for more humane animal treatment? Or that our ancestors may have learned music from birds and social structure from wolves? That a parrot named Alex taught himself how to spell? This book is nothing but fun facts linked together in a pleasantly non-linear narrative without even a whiff of poeticism. I can’t recommend it highly enough.