1. La Cabeza de mi Padre by Alma Delia Murillo — I wanted to read 10 books in Spanish this year but managed just three, and this was my favorite. Delia Murillo has a strong online presence and divisive reputation. I love her intellectual irreverence and simple prose.
2. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo — Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s favorite book. Maybe on par with Star Wars for classics in the canon about boys searching for missing dads. I couldn’t get into it … magical realism has never been for me. Still, I’ll probably check out the Netflix movie.
3. The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman — I’m pretty sure AI will be the most transformative innovation in my lifetime. Suleyman’s book gave me a framework to ponder the rest of the year’s news. (His latest Verge podcast is an interesting addendum.)
4. Power and Progress by Acemoglu and Johnson — Why Nations Fail is one of my favorite nonfiction books, but Acemoglu is turning into a Luddite cynic. This was a very long book to argue that technology enriches elites and public policy saves the day. I agree with Noah Smith’s critique. [Footnote, then again, I hear Marc Andreesen talk about the tech billionaires’ influence on the Trump administration and think we need all the regulatory oversight over tech that we can get.]
5. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin — Iris and I savored this one together. Five stars, endless inspiration.
6. Historias de los territorios de cuatro comunidades del Valle de Etla, Oaxaca by Susana Gomez Serafin — The definitive history of the northern Etla valley where we live. I would read a chapter in the morning and then go ride my bike to explore the history all around us.
7. Oaxaca Resurgent by A.S. Dillingham — Oaxacan power and politics through the 20th century’s public policy toward indigenous communities. Eye-opening.
8. Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg — A book I’d like to passive aggressively gift to others. Could be 20 pages instead of 200, but a great guide to better conversations.
9. The Primary Solution by Nick Troiano — The book that convinced me there are pragmatic, achievable solutions to our political polarization and extremism. Also convinced me to consult for the organization Troiano leads, Unite America. Unfortunately, we made little progress this year, but hope continues.
10. The Centrist Manifesto by Charlie Wheelan — Part of my deep dive into solutions to our democratic dysfunction. [Footnote: Before Unite America advocated for changes to primary elections, it was called the Centrist Project and tried to get more centrist candidates elected to the Senate. The two strategies could now be converging with Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington State and Jared Golden of Maine proposing a select House committee on electoral reform.]
11. The Politics Industry by Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter — The third book in my deep dive into solutions to improve U.S. democracy. You’d be just as well served listening to the Freakanomics Radio episode based on the book.
12. A Declaration of Independents by Greg Orman — The fourth and final book in my deep dive. Another convincing argument that there are real solutions to our polarized political gridlock.
13. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim — Tweet-length aphorisms that helped me to focus more on what’s important and less on what isn’t. For a few weeks, I read one page in the morning and one page at night.
14. Energy and Civilization by Vaclav Smil — Probably the most interesting book I read all year. Dry and boring prose, but what an achievement in scope to describe the relationship between humans and energy since the invention of fire.
15. The History of the United States, 2nd Edition by Allen Guelzo — So good. A reminder that today’s issues were yesterday’s too. The chapters on McCarthyism, industrial policy, 19th century immigration, William Jennings Bryan, and the Affluent Society remain especially relevant.
16. Troubled by Rob Henderson — I’m a fan of Henderson’s Substack on the psychology of status, and I relate to his contempt for traditional Ivy League elites while becoming one himself. He’s someone I’ll always root for, even if our politics continue to diverge.
17. The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric — Meh. How would we change our beliefs and behaviors if we focused on the wellbeing of future generations? (I thought it would help frame my writing for The Time Capsule, but it’s pretty cheesy and didn’t offer any novel insights. )
18. Acts of Contrition by Luke Cohler — Written by a friend/colleague, not publicly available yet. Remarkable manuscript about a closeted gay man who escapes the midwest to attend Princeton in the 1980s but never learns to accept himself. In the style of Amor Towles, a page-turning reflection on the forces that keep us from being our most authentic selves.
19. Dilla Time by Dan Charnas — One of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. Right up there with Trevor Noah’s memoir. If you give it a listen, take advantage of the supplemental listening guide.
20. The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutch — As far as theories of everything goes, this one is compelling. Deutch lays out a theory of Darwinian evolution for ideas and creativity. I finished it bummed out that I’m not gonna be around in 2300 to see where things go.