Best of my Reads in 2020

Mohit S Chauhan

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While 2020 was a year of unprecedented events in our living memory, one of the few things that remained constant for me was my penchant to read, thankfully so. This was the year when I could consciously mix-up the genres and authors to read a much-varied spectrum of writings. Infact, other than the work-related readings, I could read 60+ odd books, that definitely left me a much richer reader than I hoped to be.

Further, as per a back of the envelope calculation, I somehow again managed to gift over 250+ books to individuals whose time to be found by those books had come. I am rather convinced that at the right time and through the right medium, the right books find their humans. At times are are the mediums, at times we are the humans.

From classic masterpieces like The Great Gatsby to pain-laden memoirs like Our Moon has blood-clots and non-fictions such as  We should all be Feminists, this year was remarkable in terms of what all I could cover. From amongst this year’s reads, I herein have tried to list down my Top 10 (in English Language including translations) recommendations, in no particular order. Hindi is a language I read quite a bit in and thus for the interested readers, have separately put a foot-note to mention my Top 2 recommendations in Hindi.

Read on…

1.     Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

This book is a masterclass on Digital Minimalism and on how to use Social Media or may be how not to. It speaks directly on topics such as Unpredictable Reinforcement wherein factors such as Likes on FB, Pop up congrats, Points, Next level are used to keep the audience engaged beyond measures. It also categorically asserts that clutter is costly, and optimization is the key.

Further, herein I tried to compile Hacks to make the Digital Minimalism a reality.

§ Curate Apps on the Phone and only keep only what is necessary.

§ The law of Diminishing returns is Universal, even for technology.

§ Start from what is expected from Technology and then find best Tech to serve it.

§ When Decluttering, first figure out the medium that will fill in the free time.

§ Take Solitary Walks, without gadgets

§ Be mindful of the Dunbar Number - 150 – A theorical limit of people/connections a human can successfully keep track of.

§ Old fashioned newspapers & books have no alternative. Yet. 

§ Streaming shows and OTT are also a social activity and not an isolated activity. 

Don’t expect a world of refinement out of this book but it definitely is a good start and to good means. 

2.     Orientalism by Edward W. Said

This book is a stroke of brilliance. The sheer comprehensiveness and finesse that has gone in this writing is exceptional and should be counted as one of the better books written on this subject, that too very dispassionately. This book is in broad sense a study of perceived dominance of West over Eastern regimes through colonial acquisitions. Mr Said, carefully dissects even the non-economic impacts of colonialism such as Culture, Religion, Language, Politics, Beliefs and at times Ideology; thereby laying it bare open for the world to see. Even at the cost of self-ridicule as a ‘white man’ he goes to the extent of risking sounding anti-Western. He criticizes the ‘induced’ divide between the two cultures and at one point also asserts that Europeans believe that - ‘They are a close reasoner, their statements are devoid of any ambiguity, they are natural logicians (even though he or she may not have studied logic), are skeptical and require proof before accepting truth, like trained intelligent pieces of machinery’ - Orientals are opposite.

Under this paraphrasing, this book is a must read for anyone wanting to read more on the subject and to get familiarized to the concept of Orientalism per se. Pro Tip - Keep your minds open and judgments curtailed.

3.     To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink

I have read quite a few books on the subject of Sales in addition to the highly competent programs I have attended over past decade of my professional life. This book still holds good in terms of value it offers. The basic theory it offers is that each one of us is selling at any given point in time and each one of us is also being sold to, simultaneously. So anyway we are in the midst of a myriad of sales related activities, thereby stressing upon it’s relevance. It also stresses on some specific pointers such as below, which make it worth the read. 

§ Asking above asserting. 

§ Being an ambivert is a great place to be at. 

§ Positive vs Negative emotions. 

§ Focusing on the 1% that matters. 

§ Asking enough - Will my Sales improve life? Will my conversation improve world? 

4.     Jonathon Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach

This book is my Soul-book. It is a read that is so layered that every time I get to read it, which I do every few months, there is a new understanding that comes out of it. JLS is the story of people who can just not be limited by the rules of the land. They are made to fly, uninterrupted, unperturbed. They Fly because they Can. They take pride in giving it back to the yet-uninitiated after they have mastered the skills. They also are open to criticism, if it makes them fly higher, faster. 

If I were to put a class together on Leadership, Perseverance and Mentoring, this would be my Keynote address.

5.     Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara

I started this 165-pager on 7th Oct 2017 and finished almost 2.5 years later. But maybe that’s how it was supposed to be. This very copy I had picked from a quaint bookshop at Thimphu, Bhutan and while tried many times, could just never go beyond few pages. Irrespective, here we are. 

This book is about Che Guevara and his best friend, making a grand biking trip through Argentina, Chile, Peru and Venezuela; 8 years before he became a household name. It is more of a chronicle than anything else and covers the details of his (mis)adventures. Quite an interesting book & my biggest takeaway being to log my travel from next time onwards. So much better than clicking photographs only.

6.     Schindler’s List by Thomas Kenealley

My fascination with WW-II or more precisely the Holocaust kicked off with a troubling watch of Schindler’s List - The movie; and that was also the day when I had decided to never read the book ever. Not because I was worried that the book would ruin the depth of the impact the movie had or would disturb my sleep even more but on the contrary I wasn’t sure if any book can ever live up to it and do justice to the tribute that the movie is. I was so wrong.

This book is one that should be read by each and every breathing soul on this planet, just to understand what human mind is capable on both sides of the spectrum. It is also a read that is so hard-hitting that at times you would just shake your head to reaffirm whether if it is really a non-fiction or is it a fictionalized account of the tragedy. This is a book that may unsettle your core beliefs but will also most definitely recalibrate your compassion-meter. It, unarguably, needs to be read to make you a better human being. And as one of the publications quipped, it is nothing but a masterful account of the growth of the human soul. A tale extraordinaire of Herr Direktor Oskar Schindler.

As Steven Spielberg once said - “I aspire to be Oskar Schindler”

So do I, Sir, so do I. 

7.     Persepolis by by Marjane Satrapi

Graphic novels infuse life of their own into a storyline. Whether it is Maus or Habibi or Handmaid’s tale or Good Talk; they all have been revelations and changed my outlook towards serious-storytelling completely. 

This is another gem on the stand. Wonderfully written as an autobiographical account of the author as a girl (and later woman), growing up in Iran as we have heard of and as we know of, potentially shaking up our beliefs. This book is also a good reminder to us, that what wonderful conditions have we been living in and how much more thankful should we be. Probably we don’t thank as much but maybe we should. 

In any case, by way of background, Persepolis, now a UNESCO world heritage site, was the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from the reign of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE) until its destruction in 330 BCE. Its name comes from the Greek Perses-polis (Persian City), but the Persians knew it as Parsa (City of the Persians). The book derives it’s name from this ancient legacy.

The book as stated above, traverses the life and times of author from 1970s to 1990s. She leaves no one unabashed in this memoir, including herself and that’s the beauty of this book. Do read.

8.     Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden

This book is what Epic Hollywood movies are made of. It has the finesse of a good writing and storyline of a magnum opus. I can’t wait for it to be adopted someday to a series or movie. 

That aside, it is a completely engrossing piece of historical fiction. The book outlines the life and times of Genghis Khan and I presume that the next parts in this Conqueror series would cover his descendants. It is the story of Temujin (later called Genghis Khan), the second son of the Khan of Wolves, whose family is deserted after the death of Khan and from there he strives to ascend back to become one of the most revered Mongol leader. The book is written in flesh and blood, implying that it soaks the reader into the very being of the characters and takes one through the undulations, that life potentially can offer to a tribal warrior. 

But it does not just stop there. It also speaks volumes about the merits of family & kinship and how bonds are built forever; As Temujin broods over his father’s words - “There is no bond stronger than that between those who have risked their lives in each other’s company”

9.     Poonachi (The Story of a Black Goat) by Perumal Murugan

If you take Orwell’s Animal Farm, cure it overnight with Castor Oil, simmer over Chulha (earthen-kiln) with condiments & spices, Poonachi is what you get. It is that kind of a book. 

Having said that, it is not Animal Farm. No book is Animal Farm. This is Poonachi and it will have it’s own identity for bringing to mainstream the vagaries of our transactional society as experienced by a Black Goat. Through the story of this black goat - that comes as a hands down from a perfect stranger and lands into the very caring lap of this old couple in a village near Odakkan Hill - the author gently takes the reader through discussions of life, death, progeny and in betweens. It touches upon the fallacies of material world and how attachment eventually harms the attached. The book flows as if narrator is directing it and appeals to readers as per their own conditioning. 

I would urge more people to read about Poonachi and duly register the existence of class/gender/social divide in countries that we live in, here India. 

10. Loss by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi

‘Grief is not a record of What has been lost, but of Who has been lost’ 

White is the color of grief and of purity. Maybe because grief is purest of the emotion? 

Anyway, the quoted lines are from the back-cover of this amazingly written memoir by Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. “Loss” is about reliving what it means to lose someone and grieve on them. It is about the strings of emotions one goes through as the sense of loss settles in (or never does). It cycles up from the very-grounding datum that bereavement brings one to, with a thud. The author writes at one instance that - “When we lose an intimate, two deaths occur. The first is the formal, physical death of the person. The other death is of the person we were around them” - and I completely agree. 

This book is an inward journal of Mr Shanghvi’s own losses of his mother, his father and his beloved pet and there are so many moments that would make you want to reach out and comfort him or someone who needs it. Even if it is oneself. 

This was my third book of the author whose craft is unparalleled when it comes to writing and anyone who intends to read more on him should definitely read his another master piece - The Rabbit & the Squirrel. It finishes in 30 minutes but doesn’t leave you for long. 

More power to those who survive, their Loss. 

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That concludes the Top-10 recommendations from my 2020 reads in English language. Hope you get to pick them and enjoy the surrealism that books can potentially unfold.

Also, as promised, my most favorite Hindi reads from the year are;

o  कितने पाकिस्तान by Kamleshwar : What a Book. Master Stroke

o  वयं रक्षामः by Acharya Chatursen : There are writers and then there are magicians.

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