**How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell — The perfect book to begin a new decade. A remarkably well articulated argument and “how-to” for resisting the attention economy. Her solution is not simply to unplug from social media, but rather to train your focus on the bigger picture. Odell highlights the importance of natural ecologies as a primary teacher of the necessary elements for thought, innovation, and intentional action. Those elements include: diversity, interconnectedness, and context (i.e. time and space). A must-read for anyone needing to come up for air from the constant deluge of #FOMO, political news, and social media.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt — an epic and incredibly detailed story of a young man who’s life is irrevocably altered by a terrorist attack in a museum and his resulting act of art theft. I was struck by how intricate each (wildly diverse) element of Tartt’s world was depicted. The research alone must have been staggering. And then there’s her plotting, which always lifts you up and breathlessly sweeps you forward at just the right moments.
Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals that Get Standing Ovations by Steve Cuden — a tepid analysis of the story building-blocks that make up musicals. This book is less of a “how-to” and more of a loose compilation of all the elements Cuden deems must be present for any successful musical. However, Cuden mostly regurgitates ideas from other, better books on (mostly screenwriting) story structure without offering anything particularly novel or insightful himself. The book is then padded with 250 pages of reverse-engineered story beats from 40 musicals that no more give one instructions on how to create a show from scratch than describing a cake teaches one how to bake.
**Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music by Andy Hill — a detailed, yet never tedious, analysis of major film scores and film scoring technique. Hill’s passion for the subject is infectious, and the way he uncovers the harmonic language of film music is akin to a magician revealing a trick: the magic remains, only now in the form of mastery. Definitely a technical read and will not be suitable for the music illiterate.
Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein — a truly fascinating and fairly brisk read, Klein describes what so many of us know to already be true — the country is polarized into parties, and the parties act in two very distinct and antithetical ways. But his explanation as to why that’s the case, and even more importantly how logical it is, is fascinating and worthwhile. I found myself feeling relieved at finally being able to put words to the phenomena I witnessed daily in the news. You’re not crazy, it really is happening, and Klein tells us why, and even suggests what we might try to do about it.
El Alquimista: Una Fabula Para Seguir Tus Sueños by Paulo Coelho — hadn’t read this book since High School, and decided to re-read in Spanish in effort to help me progress with the language. I was struck again by the layered nuance that this seemingly simple parable contains. It’s the epic story of a young shepherd in Spain who dreams of a buried treasure at the Pyramids in Egypt. Within the tale of a young man following his dreams is the lesson of a life fully lived, at one with Soul of the World and trusting in your Personal Story.
**How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi — Kendi’s book should be required reading for high school students (and anyone out of high school) across America. What makes his book so effective is the simplicity with which he defines his terms (racist vs. anti-racist, etc), and the disarming choice to use his own racist thoughts and upbringing as an example. What could easily be a touchy subject for many is wrapped cleverly within the coming-of-age journey of a young Black man. Kendi brings his reader to a new understanding about the pervasive stranglehold of racist ideas, its connection to racist policies, and the simple change in perspective required to become an anti-racist.