October 2020 Reads

In October of 2020 I read five books. Three of them were nonfiction, and two were fiction.

No Name in the Street, by James Baldwin:
My September review contains my thoughts on this book. 75/100

The Spook Who Sat By The Door, by Sam Greenlee
This book was excellent. Every character is a caricature, which makes the satire clear. Very misogynous; part of that is the satire and part is the era, but some of it was still tough to read. It’s clear why this is a defining book of the era, and I look forward to watching the movie. From what I have read, it seems the movie is a faithful representation, so it will be interesting to watch. 85/100

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
One of my favorite books of the year. Experienced so much life despite being cut down too early. Watching his development as his life progresses is amazing; he changes his mind but is no worse off for it. I wish he were still alive to see where he finally settled intellectually, if he ever settled. You don’t need to agree with him to see the power of him.

Until this book, I had never read any criticism of the March on Washington. I was taught it as a defining, shining moment in the Civil Rights era. I knew the story of John Lewis being forced to temper his fire, but didn’t know there was a population that thought it was a coopted, white-washed farce. I think we see the parallels today in activism; the corporatism of some acts of protest renders them impotent. I am looking forward to reading a book called Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall, which we have on the shelf, and which (I think) makes the argument that the modern feminist movement has left out major populations, and sacrifices meaningful help and change for a sense of intellectual comfort. Maybe I have got it all wrong from what little I know of it, but look forward to it.

Malcolm’s autobiography also reveals a central tension between the sense of self, and self-development. People hold staggering confidence in “who they are” despite the fact that many of us would also say we are very different people than we were ten years ago. Malcolm is rarely portrayed as less than 100% confident that where he is and what he is doing are just as they should be, despite the fact that his views on the world shift radically throughout his life.

I find this incredibly applicable to the modern political landscape; people are unwilling to change or develop, for fear they will be seen as weak or giving in. Overarching principles should inform specific solutions, and with more information, we should not fear updating our views on the solution landscape. 90/100

The Deficit Myth, by Stephanie Kelton
Recommended to me by two friends, this book changes my view on fiscal policy. I think the central tension for me is the chapter about crowding out, which I don’t understand well. I will read more about Modern Monetary Theory and maybe be convinced that crowding out doesn’t occur, but even without that, this reframing allows me to see the budgetary situation in a whole new way. And it certainly aligns with outcomes I want to see, which I am sure makes it more convincing to me. I think everyone should read this book, it cuts to the heart of complicated economic matters, in a startlingly readable way. 85/100

The Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Dare
A conflicted rating here. I really didn’t love the beginning of this book, but cared about the characters by the end and enjoyed it. My first struggle with the book was that the protagonist’s broken English seems to be used to make her more shallow at the beginning. Some of that is intentional, I believe, as the communication challenges are a part of the difficulty with expressing thoughts and emotions, but it seemed deeper than that to me. I also think the author threw too much in there; I think it would have been stronger had it been tighter. But like I said, I still ended up engaged, so who am I to say. 58/100