2021 Reading List
A list of some of my favorite books read in 2021
Loosely categorized, and listed in no particular order, plus my one sentence recollection of the book
Fiction
The Three-Body Problem (three book series), by Liu Cixin
Book 1: The Three-Body Problem
Book 2: The Dark Forest
Book 3: Death’s End
My favorite books during 2021, which impacted my views on time and space, and you know, aliens
The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen
A tragic yet comedic story about one mole’s journey after the fall of Saigon
The Paper Menagerie (and Other Stories), by Ken Liu
Entertaining, thought-provoking, and creative short stories
Interior Chinatown, by Charles Yu
From a writer on the show Westworld, a harsh and relatable story about being Asian American
Learning
The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach, by Howard Gardner
A commentary (perhaps controversial one) on education, and a better path forward
How Toddlers Thrive: What Parents Can Do Today for Children Ages 2-5 to Plant the Seeds of Lifelong Success, by Tovah Klein
I don’t remember what it’s like to be a toddler, which means parenting a toddler can be kind of hard
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, by Alexander Chee
Memoir (sort of) deconstructing and synthesizing the intersection of learning, society, and the self
Range: Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein
Breadth is cool, too
Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection, by Marissa King
Helped me understand my relative relationships with my network
That’s Not What I Meant: How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships, by Deborah Tannen
I found this book more about empathy than anything else, and this, has made conversations easier
History(-ish)
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Explain Everything about the World, by Tim Marshall
I love geopolitics so this was a fun read for me
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, by Dava Sobel
Watch lovers and history buffs should enjoy this
The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity
In case you need a reason to feel pessimistic about our future, pick this up
Biography of the Dollar: How the Mighty Buck Conquered the World and Why It's Under Siege by, Craig Karmin
Fun historical anecdotes about currency and financial markets, particularly fun as blockchain and cryptocurrency become more mainstream
Mental Health
Trauma, the Invisible Epidemic: How Trauma Works and How We Can Heal From It, by Paul Conti
Learning about the long-term impacts of trauma is one step towards recovery
Culture and Society
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, by Cathy Park Hong
This one cuts deep
Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, by Chenxing Han
Very relatable as a second-generation American raised in a Buddhist household
The Making of Asian America, Erika Lee
For me this was like an update to Asian American Dreams by Helen Zia
The Loneliest Americans, by Jay Caspian Kang
More Asian American history, written like a memoir
Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes, by Elizabeth Lesser
If history were told by women
Honorable Mentions
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement, by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass Sunstein
Not quite as ground-breaking as Thinking, Fast and Slow, but still a fun read about decision making
Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro
A sometimes almost-icky story about our relationship with technology
The Committed, by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The sequel to The Sympathizer, another satirical take on a spy’s journey after the Fall of Saigon
Up next (or in progress)
The Age of AI: And our Human Future, by Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher
Ten Great Ideas about Chance, by Persi Diaconis
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race, by Beverly Daniel Tatum
A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine
Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thoughts, by Barbara Tversky
Check out my list from last year here.