Powerful stories do great things to our psyche and spirit. They enable us to grow and dream and know and experience; they induce awareness and empathy. From Scot Jurek’s journey across the Appalachian Trail to Barry Cohen’s jaunt across America via Greyhound in Shteyngart’s Lake Success, I am grateful for the expeditions written words afford me and obliged to these amazing authors for their perseverance in the daily grind of writing to create literary magic. When I am reading a good book, the hours I am away from it are too long; this year, that sentiment prevailed.
I hope you enjoy my top picks for 2018 – each one of them enriched my life.
FICTION
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
In her stunning debut novel, 26-year-old Fatima Farheen Mirza presents us with a rich portrait of immigrant family life that pulls the reader in almost immediately. The novel opens at the wedding of Dr. Hadia, who is jubilant that her vanished brother, Amar, has made an appearance. The wedding ceremony is revisited throughout, as the novel, which does not concern itself with chronology, weaves together the threads of each of the family members’ experiences with love, loss, and acceptance.
Narrated from different points of view, the novel explores the family’s history and how moments from the past – poignant and painful at times – inform their relationships. Mirza provides a lens into the world of a faithful Muslim family, and through Hadia and her sister, probes what it means to accept tradition while charting a new Western way of living as Muslims. In the case of Amar, his clash with faith creates a barrier between him and his family and leads him down a route of self-destruction and guilt. In lyrical and subtle prose, Mirza creates a story of family love and strife that lingers way beyond the pages of her novel.
Gone So Long by Andre Dubus III
It’s no secret that Andre Dubus II is one of my most revered authors, but his son Andre Dubus III is an incredible talent in his own right. Gone So Long is a powerful exploration of the intricate relationship of family, anger, and regret, and how the unresolved past impacts the people we become. Dubus complex characters unfold through a series of flashbacks and memoir excerpts.
The novel alternates between three points of view: Susan, a troubled daughter, at times removed and distant, writes her way back into her life, and it is through her flashbacks that we learn about her promiscuity and her father’s time in jail. Daniel, Susan’s father, served 15 years in prison for murdering Susan’s mother, and did his best to transform his life; out of prison and living in Boston, he drives elderly people to doctor’s appointments. His desire to reconnect with his daughter, who lives in Florida, is what sets the story in motion. Add to the mix Lois, the maternal grandmother who raised Susan, for whom forgiveness is impossible. The thought of Daniel still living is unbearable to her. As Daniel drives from Massachusetts to Florida for his premeditated meeting with his daughter, the tension rises, until they are all in one state: Daniel, Susan, and Louis. Infused with tension, empathy, and ultimately, hope, this is a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Hunter’s novel spans three generations of the Kurc family, whom the reader meets in the spring of 1939, in Radom, Poland, the looming war the backdrop for their family Seders, which are alive with babies crying and the excitement of blooming romances. Over the course of the novel, the horrors that encompass Europe set the family members off on their own journeys, with each one desperate to survive another day. While some struggle to escape death sentences, one struggles to flee the continent for a new life, and another is forced into exile.
We Were the Lucky Ones, with its lyrical and vivid prose, is a tour de force of the will to survive, unwavering hope, and the power of the human spirit against evil and destruction. The novel’s unifying theme is love, which eventually leads family members, against all odds, back to one another. Hunter’s novel is both haunting and gorgeous and brings a piercing human element into a critical and bleak historical event.
Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart
Shteyngart’s newest novel, Lake Success, features forty-something year-old Barry Cohen, a self-made hedge fund millionaire who, unable to deal with all the issues affecting his life – the Feds are opening an investigation into his hedge fund, This Side of Capital, which has lost a billion dollars; his three-year-old son is severely autistic; his exotic and intelligent wife is losing interest in him and thinks he’s a terrible father – jumps on a Greyhound bus to find his romanticized college girlfriend, who over twenty years back, he shared a passion for creative writing with when they both attended Princeton University. As he embarks on his “on the road” style adventure, Barry ditches his Black Amex – with its unlimited access to money – and his cell phone, but clings to his collection of better-than-Rolex watches, which he packs away in a roller-board.
With his usual wit and insight, Shteyngart weaves a story of loss and longing, possibility, and perhaps self-acceptance. Cohen, with his insecurities and imperfections, eventually embraces fatherhood, and as he puts his prized possession – a beloved watch – back together from the inside out, one cannot help but to believe he has in some way recreated himself, too.
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (Winner of the National Book Award)
Nunez’s novel pulled me in the moment Apollo, the grieving Great Dane, entered. The Friend is the story of a woman who loses her lifelong best friend and mentor and is given charge of the enormous 180-pound dog he left behind by his third wife, who does not want him. Apollo, traumatized by the disappearance of his owner, moves to the home of the woman who lives in a rent-controlled Manhattan apartment that forbids dogs. As eviction looms and her friends worry over her depression and grief, the woman becomes obsessed with Apollo’s care. As she mourns the loss of her human friend, she befriends the dog, attempting to read his mind and heart as she fights her own isolation and despair. The novel is both empathic and deeply touching in a way that makes one think about possibility and the nature and depths of love – both human and canine.
Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
Greer’s Less introduces readers to a failed novelist who’s about to turn fifty and receives a wedding invitation from his long-time boyfriend, who is about to marry someone else. When Arthur Less realizes that attending the wedding is simply too complicated considering all the emotions involved, he opts to embark on a journey out of the country by accepting invitations to a series of literary events around the globe.
Over the course of his turning-fifty journey, Arthur Less almost falls in love in Paris, almost falls to his death in Berlin, survives a Saharan sandstorm in Morocco, and ends up at a Christian Retreat Center in India, where he attempts to write; ultimately, he arrives on a desert island in the Arabian Sea and ends up face to face with a person he had wished to avoid. Through mishaps, adventure, comedy, and pain, too, Less, in its satirical and intensely human way, emerges as a love story worth the journey.
Forest Dark by Nicole Kraus
Kraus’ novel weaves together the stories of two individuals, a young novelist and an elderly lawyer, who, both in search of something beyond their daily existences, end up in the same Israeli desert. The lawyer, Jules Epstein, at 68-years old, is in the midst of a transformation. Having lost his parents, recently divorced his long-time wife, and retired from his New York law firm, Jules is on a mission to give away his wealth and honor his parents.
The novelist, who is seemingly well known in Israel, leaves her family in Brooklyn behind to embark on a trip to Israel which she hopes will help her to overcome writer’s block and make sense of her failing marriage. She checks into the Tel Aviv Hilton, which she has visited yearly since her birth, and shortly after, encounters a retired literature professor who entices her with a project she cannot resist. Brimming with introspection and humor, Kraus’ novel is rich with possibility and humanity.
Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
My first encounter with Andre Aciman was in 1997, when I read his riveting short story, “Cat’s Cradle,” in The New Yorker. I’ve reread that story a few times a year since that first reading. I had read Call Me by Your Name back in 2008 when it was originally published, but all the hoopla from the recent movie version of it elicited my re-reading.
Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name is a love story which begins, somewhat recklessly, one restless summer at a cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. The adolescent boy and the summer guest of his parents fall deeply into intimacy, and as the story evolves, the two become intertwined in ways they can never replicate. Aciman’s novel is a coming of age story as much as it’s a coming to life story, which explores how and why we fall in love, what that love leads to, and probes if we ever recover from our first love affair.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I first read Atwood’s novel when it came out in 1985 and chose to re-read it this year due to the buzz about the series of the same name, which I have not watched. Atwood’s futurist fable of the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, exposes a far-right monotheocratic government. In her tale, women are controlled, unable to work or possess money, and assigned to various classes: childless Wives (the chaste), Martha’s (housekeepers), and reproductive Handmaids, whose offspring are offered to the “morally fit” Wives. Atwood’s tale, which is narrated by Offred (Of Fred) is both haunting and addictive; the author creates a vivid and devasting world, whose protagonist’s determination to survive keeps the reader riveted.
NONFICTION
North by Scott Jurek and Jenny Jurek
As an ultrarunner, Scott Jurek has long been one of my idols, so when his latest book chronicling his Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt on the Appalachian Trail came out, I bought it the day it launched. North is the story of the 2,189-mile trek that nearly broke Jurek and his tireless crew chief and wife, Jenny.
Complete with details of his daily adventures through punishing terrain, storms, and the injuries that come along with running and hiking nearly 50 miles a day for seven weeks, North embraces the physical and emotional hardships of a daunting journey both from Scott’s point of view, and that of his tireless crew chief, Jenny. With its blend of grit and grace, Jurek’s inspiring story of perseverance is a tour de force for runners and non-runners alike.
Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
If you’re in search of personal or professional development, Dr. Brene Brown is the go-to guru when it comes to emotional growth. I listen to Brown’s The Power of Vulnerability teachings at least once a month. In her latest book, Dare to Lead, the researcher explores the question that organizational leaders seek answers to: how do you cultivate daring leaders who embody courage? Brown’s research confirms that courage can be taught and developed over time, and in her book, she breaks down the four skill sets that comprise courage along with the twenty-eight behaviors that support it. Brown champions that to lead greatly, it requires a commitment to hard work, curiosity, accountability, vulnerability, empathy, an openness to tough conversations, and showing up daily with whole hearts. Step by step, Brown provides methods to put her learnings into practice, so that professionals can actively choose courage over comfort and become great leaders.
Supernormal: The Untold Story of Adversity and Resilience by Meg Jay
Meg Jay’s The Defining Decade, which explores how the choices young adults make in their twenties are critical to their personal and professional success, has been a long-time favorite of mine. Every student to embark on a college course with me over the last five years has sat through Jay’s Ted Talk “Why 30 Is Not the New 20,” which covers the same territory.
In her new book, Supernormal, Jay exposes that nearly 75% of us experience various forms of adversity prior to age twenty. Death, divorce, abuse, mental illness amongst other adversities are commonalities for many of us, although our experiences and battles to overcome these hurdles are often kept secret. Jay narrates tales of what she considers “extraordinary” people who have spent their lives overcoming severe obstacles and somehow became lawyers, doctors, parents, and artists – in short, the people all around us. She probes not only how these “supernormals” overcome their adversity, but how they feel about it. Jay’s powerful book sheds light on what it means to be resilient and leads us to consider if in the end, we are all capable of overcoming adversity.
Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
Hutchinson’s new book peaked my interest from its title alone. Hutchinson, the longtime “Sweat Science” columnist for Outside and Runner’s World, is a former national-team long-distance runner and Cambridge-trained physicist, aside from being an award-winning journalist. He was one of two reporters granted access to Nike’s top-secret training project to break the two-hour marathon barrier, which he discusses throughout the book.
The author’s research for the book stems from shadowing elite athletes and visiting labs around the world. He defines endurance as “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop,” and asks the question, what if we can all push harder and achieve more than we think is possible? Endure explores the possibility that the barriers athletes encounter are set by their brains versus their bodies, which insinuates that performance is more variable than we thought. Alongside mental capacity, Hutchinson also discusses physical limits tied to pain, oxygen, and muscles. The book is a must read for those who practice or aspire to endurance sports.
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
I’ve long been a fan of Simon Sinek and ascribe to his daily inspirations. I’ve read Start with Why in the past, when I was at a different point in my career, and felt the need to revisit it this year. I was glad I did. In his book, Sinek ponders why some people and organizations are more innovative and influential than others, not to mention more profitable. He examines why success is not always repeatable, and why some organizations and people achieve greater loyalty than others. Sinek exposes that great leaders start with why – the purpose behind their products or services – before they get to how and what, and that why is what leads to their success.
Give and Take by Adam Grant
When Grant’s Originals came out, I devoured it, and reread sections of it over and over. When Option B came out, his collaboration with Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, I read that immediately, too. Somehow, I had missed Grant’s earlier book, Give and Take, which explores how interactions help us on our path to success.
We often learn that the path to success emanates from individual drivers: hard work, focus, talent. Grant, an award-winning researcher and top-rated Wharton professor, adds to that mix the importance of our interactions with others. In Give and Take, the author explores how our reciprocity positively impacts our success. Grant examines the differences of takers versus givers, and exposes that while some givers are exploited, most of them achieve great results across various careers. This is a must read for professionals eager to delve into effective leadership skills, such as networking, collaboration, and negotiation.
Special
mention: Financial Fitness: The Journey from wall Street to Badwater 135
by William Corley
While I was involved in the writing of this book, it’s a wonderful exploration of the human spirit and the desire to succeed – both in the sports realm as well as in the financial realm. Full of tips to embark on your athletic and financial journeys alike, Corley’s book is sure to encourage and inspire readers who wish to jump start the new year by lacing up their running shoes and investing in their financial well-being.