My Books of 2019
In what has become a ritual, I open this article by once again lamenting about how I read far fewer books than I would have loved to. This was not due to a lack of books (as I have loads of print and electronic books begging to be read) but lack of time.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, it is hard to have a full-time, hectic job and read so many books with all the gazillion distractions” is my iron-clad excuse.
As a result, I read a total of 14 books, almost evenly split between fiction and non-fiction books. Unlike previous editions, I will write about the books by theme and not chronologically as I read them.
Books about Nigeria
I first read Karl Maier's This House Has Fallen in 2009, and it was a very incisive analysis of Nigeria, especially when looked at from the perspectives of the different sectional groups that make it up. When I got the opportunity to purchase a personal copy, I did not hesitate. Reading it the second time makes the book seem prescient as a lot of its projections came to pass over the last ten years since I read it. Also, a lot of the issues continue to persist, and will likely be so unless deliberate action is taken to solve them.
On the other hand, Michael Peel’s A Swamp Full of Dollars was quite underwhelming, in my opinion. It felt like a foreign reporter trying to forcefully show understanding of the issues of the Niger Delta and the militancy which was at its height in 2008–2010 when the book was written. In trying to trace the conflict to corruption in the oil sector, Peel ended up grasping at straws on issues beyond the region that did not quite connect.
The World Beyond Nigeria
Judi Rever did a brave thing with In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front in writing against one of Africa’s most beloved leaders, Paul Kagame who rose to power in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. These rumors have been around for decades, especially through the prism of the endless violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but this was the first time I had read the accusations in such graphic detail. The most important thing about the book is that it presents a different perspective of history, as it is not only one account.
Edward Snowden’s Permanent Record is not just an autobiography, but it also explains his political ideology with regards to privacy and state surveillance which led him to expose the Big Brother antics of the United Staes Government. It is an easy read, with the geeky terms explained such that you will find yourself more knowledgeable about the vast world of IT.
Economics
I started reading this book as part of the recommended material of an online course I enrolled in, and I was drawn in by their real-life experiences in pioneering randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as part of testing what ideas and approaches to fighting poverty are more likely to work. While their approach has its criticisms (inevitably), this Indian-French couple is quite the leading lights in development economics today and won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2019 for their efforts.
Football
As always, I read a book about football yearly, and this year’s choice was The Club, this brilliant book by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg on how the English Premier League has become not just the dominant football league in the world but can contest to be the dominant sport in the world by itself.
The book is so darn good that I can say it was my best book of the year 2019 — it detailed all the politics that led to the Premier League being formed from the English Football League and the business deals that led to its growth. I had many “ooh ahh” moments, especially when it mentioned how things we take for granted while watching the league today were controversial when they were first introduced. For example, live television broadcasting of the matches, or the scoreline that is always visible on the screen. Who would have thought actually?
If you are a football lover (which means you love the English Premier League — Barcelona fan here, but the La Liga is nowhere as competitive and exciting as the EPL), you should definitely pick this book up.
Nigerian Fiction
This was a reading goal for 2019 that I did achieve — read more Nigerian fiction, and I read a whopping (yes, whopping) six novels. Of these, I am torn between Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities and Eghosa Imasuen’s Fine Boys as my favorite — the latter had me immersed in university culture, especially having attended a university with a totally different culture. An Orchestra of Minorities is quite steeped in Igbo mythology and had twists of a romance story, which was a nice combination.
My Sister the Serial Killer and Toni Kan’s The Carnivorous City will make for good urban thrillers. They had fast-paced scenes that got my heart racing and with plenty of suspense.
City of Memories was a book that reimagined the Jos riots as a love story between two young persons across ethnic and religious lines and whose parents were political foes. However, in many parts, the book zigged and zagged and I feel it would have been better off using real names for all the places rather than for just some, which had me cracking my brain trying to decipher where the fictional places really referred to.
Nine Hours Till Five is a motivational fiction book if there is any such thing — barely concealed in the story is the intention to motivate the reader towards striving towards their goals against all odds. It is not a bad attempt for a first-time writer, and self-published as well.
Non-Nigerian Fiction
Dan Brown continues to be one of my best novelists ever, and he did not disappoint in any way with his latest book, Origin. Fast-paced, thrilling and with numerous twists, the book also immersed me in the city of Barcelona and the architecture of Antoni Gaudi (thanks to the book, I can sound smart talking about him).
It is quite the book that once you pick up, you will struggle to put down.
What Am I Reading This Year?
My DNF List
The problem with having many options, for me, is that my attention span becomes short — if a book does not hold my attention for half an hour, I move on to another book. As a result, I end up with a long ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) list.
Top on my list are books like One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment and The Accidental Superpower.
I am also reading The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty and The Innovator’s Dilemma, both by Clayton Christensen, the renowned business academic and expert on innovation.
New and To-Be Acquired Books
I have been singing that I will get Max Siollun’s Soldiers of Fortune: The Abacha and Obasanjo Years since it came out towards the end of last year, but I happen to be good at procrastination as well.
I also intend to read Protestants: The Faith that Made the Modern World, especially as the book has been collecting dust on my shelf.
I have become smarter at not setting targets, but as time permits, the idea is to read as much as I can.
So here is to a 2020 filled with books and acquiring knowledge.
