Books I read in 2020 and the ones, I am reading...
One of the books I very much loved reading and only took the time to do so now was Zadie Smith's Swing Time! It allowed me to dive into the worlds and the upbringings of two friends and dancers, I was able to get lost in this book – amidst anxiety filled days, Covid tests, activism, community building and work. Thank you again Aisha for taking me to the book launch back in December 2016 in Brooklyn, NY!
Also, some time ago, I told myself that I wanted to read more. I remember that my undergrad student days [this was 2012-2016] really overwhelmed me with all the academic literature I had to review in media studies as well as English/American studies. So, sometime during my first full-time job, I said to myself: "Just start again and maybe you'll get to reading 10 books or so in a year. Maybe even one book per month. Even if not, just keep at it. You can always pick it up again." It might not seem a lot to some of you, but it was a lot for me! Therefore, finishing 15+ books and keeping a somewhat consistent reading ritual in the mornings or evenings, really makes me happy. I find this practice incredibly nourishing especially for days when I just don't want to do anything else but lie in bed and read. Perhaps there is something interesting for you, too! ENJOY :)
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong ✅
How to cure a ghost by Fariha Róisín ✅
Murakami - Von Beruf Schriftsteller ✅
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen ✅
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen ✅
Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown ✅
Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown ✅
Chicken by the Sea by Thi Bui, Hien Bui-Stafford, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Ellison Nguyen ✅ (recommend this children's book if you need a gift :))
Citizen by Claudia Rankine (for school) ✅
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison ✅
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy ✅
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai ✅
Kindred by Octavia Butler [translated by Mirjam Nuenning + foreword by Sharon Dodua Otoo] ✅
Grand Union by Zadie Smith ✅
Swing Time by Zadie Smith ✅
This is what I know about art by Kimberly Drew ✅
Die Haut meiner Seele by dear friend Muna AnNisa Aikins ✅
Your Silence Will Not Protect You by audre lorde ✅
+
Other Moons – Vietnamese Short Stories of the American War (first ever translation into English) [translated and edited by Quan Manh Ha and Joseph Babcock. Foreword by Bao Ninh]
Why I am no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
A Promised Land by Obama
Living a feminist life by Sara Ahmed
Black Futures edited by Kimberly Drew, Jenna Wortham
Black Performance Theory edited Thomas DeFrantz, Anita Gonzalez
Black looks: Popkultur - Medien - Rassismus by bell hooks