Books to See Off the Old Year: The December Brilliant Reading List (#3 Will Make You a Stronger Debater…)
So, 2020 has been…interesting, to say the least. We’ve had global pandemics, violent protests, controversial elections, economic disasters, and more.
But we’ve also had quiet angels among us, who have selflessly helped their neighbors, tended the sick, kept on living and caring and being a light to their communities.
That’s why, to mimic this mix of dark and light, depression and inspiration, I have a hodgepodge of recommendations for you, to see off this challenging year.
From a book that is all about books that screwed up the world, to a book about changing your life using a well-known but not-always-well-understood Japanese word…from a book about the dark side of human nature to a book about a real-life spy couple whose work was all about saving lives from darkness, deceit, and death, this month’s booklist should keep you busy for a while :)
10 Books That Screwed Up the World by Benjamin Wiker
How can you resist reading a book with a title like 10 Books That Screwed Up the World? When I saw this book on a list, I nabbed it just because of that title. Because unlike the moms of my peers back when I was a child, (who wanted their kids to read anything at all, if they would only just READ) my mom had always taught me that not all books are good books.
By which I mean, not just in the sense of whether or not books are well-written, but whether or not they help you live a better life. In fact, the 10 books in Wiker’s list are all well-written, penned by authors who are famous to this day for their wit and persuasive powers. But it is precisely BECAUSE they were such skilled writers that their works did so much damage.
I listened to this audiobook while working on other projects, and was distracted more than once by the crazy tales I heard about the bad, the ugly, and the downright darkness…
