February 17, 2019 by Philip Lewenstein

My Books Cover Variety of Topics

The past few years, I have expanded my reading of print books. Often, I will learn of books from  reviews in newspapers and magazines or from suggestions by one of my children.

I rarely select a book that I don’t like. Each book contains some value. My favorite may be the book I am currently reading. I am continually amazed by the excellent writing and editing by a plethora of authors.

Books reflect my interests such as sports, politics, and history. Reading these books informs me, entertains me, and sometimes persuades me. I have gained understanding and many insights on people, past and current events, and a variety of issues. For example, over the past two years, I have gained knowledge about the lives of sports celebrities, journalists, the 2016 election, the opioid crisis, the Vietnam War, education issues, slavery, the FBI, women’s rights, gratitude, and leadership.

I recently finished reading The Library Book by Susan Orlean and am getting geared up to read Arthur Ashe, A Life by Raymond Arsenault (2018). It is a 629-page biography of a pioneering athlete in tennis who, after breaking the color barrier, became an influential civil-rights activist and public intellectual. The book is supplemented by 10 pages of acknowledgments, 5 pages of Ashe’s tennis statistics, a 6-page note on archival sources and interviews, and 71 pages of notes. This book will occupy me for a long time.

While headlines claim books are dying, the research says we are a nation of readers, says Lisa Lucas, director of the National Book Foundation (“Because we are a nation of readers,” Time, February 18-25, 2019). Lucas reports that book sales have increased every year since 2013.

“Each day, more books are being published that speak to every kind of person, from every kind of place,” Lucas says.

Following is my reading list from the past two years:

Sports

Tiger Woods by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian (2018)—a biography based on reporting and interviews with more than 250 people, it seeks to answer who really is Tiger Woods.

The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters at the End by Gary Pomerantz (2018)—about the relationship between Boston Celtic Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Bill Russell and Cousy’s attempt to close the circle with his great partner.

The Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times by Mark Leibovich (2018)—in-depth, funny look at the National Football League as a dominant economic and cultural force.

Ali by Jonathan Eig (2017)—complete unauthorized biography of Muhammad Ali, providing new light on his politics, religion, personal life, and neurological condition.

Lesley Visser: Sometimes You Have to Cross When It Says Don’t Walk: A Memoir of Breaking Barriers by Lesley Visser (2017)—story of a woman’s 40 years of sports journalism, overcoming barriers and challenges to establish a presence in men’s professional sports from locker room to the field through passion, perseverance, and dedication.

Golden Days: West’s Lakers, Steph’s Warriors and the California Dreamer Who Reinvented Basketball by Jack McCollum (2017)—interconnected stories of the champion Warriors and early 70s Lakers, the main link being Jerry West.

Basketball: Great Writing about America’s Game, Alexander Wolff, editor (2018)—anthology of the best stories about basketball.

Made in Minnesota by Pat Borzi (2018)—background on more than three dozen of Minnesota’s accomplished athletes, coaches, broadcasters, and executives in search of the answer to what shapes the careers and values of the state’s most successful athletes and sports figures.

Politics

Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership: A Memoir by James Comey (2018)—former FBI director’s experiences from several high-stakes situations in his career over the past 20 years.

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis (2018)—narration of negative effects and risks posed as a result of ignorance and disinterest by the Trump administration in several key governmental agencies and departments.

The Browns of California by Miriam Pawel (2018)—history of California told through the lens of the Brown dynasty, governors Pat and Jerry Brown, who led the state for nearly a quarter century.

When Republicans Were Progressive by Dave Durenberger with Lori Sturdevant (2018)—history of the dramatic change in Minnesota’s Republican party as recounted by former U.S. senator Durenberger: party came to power in 1938, had its heyday in the middle of the twentieth century, and faded into near obscurity by the century’s end.

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken (2017)—memoir of Minnesota comedian who decided to run for office, survived lengthy recount, and was elected (later to resign) to the U.S. Senate.

Amy Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, A Memoir from the Heartland (2016)—life story of Minnesota’s senior senator from immigrant grandparents to middle-class, suburban upbringing to rise in American politics (autographed copy).

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward (2018)—detail of debates and decision making chaos of Trump White House.

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (2017)—Clinton’s description of mistakes she made in 2016 campaign, how she coped with devastating loss, and how she found strength to pick herself back up.

Shattered, Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnas (2017)—how Clinton lost the 2016 election to Trump with a focus on how she made victory an uphill battle.

The Front Runner by Matt Bai (2014)—story of fall from grace of l987 Democratic front-runner, Senator Gary Hart, amid rumors of infidelity and newspaper reporters’ stakeout of his house, marking major change in how political media cover candidates.

Hubert Humphrey: The Conscience of the Country by Arnold A. Offner (2018)—biography of one of America’s great political figures including previously unknown details of his fractious relationship with Lyndon Johnson and major legislative achievements after his return to the Senate in 1970.

History

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2018)—award-winning historian’s study of four (Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson) presidents and how they tackled some of the nation’s biggest crises.

Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam by Mark Bowden (2017)—story of centerpiece of Tet Offensive and a turning point of American War in Vietnam: narration of each bloody stage of crucial battle told via multiple viewpoints.

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw by Mark Bowden (2015)—story of violent rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, head of Columbia Medellin cocaine cartel.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (2017)—twisting, turning, true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history and how the FBI solved it.

Baracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neile Hurston (2018)—true story of one of last-known survivors of Atlantic slave trade, abducted from Africa on the last “Black Cargo” ship to arrive in the United States: based on author’s interviews with Cudjo Lewis.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean (2018)—investigation of disastrous fire in l986 in Los Angeles Public Library that tells broader story of libraries and librarians; the book chronicles the evolution and important role of libraries in our lives.

Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018)—memoir chronicling experience that shaped Michelle Obama from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to years balancing executive work and motherhood to her years as First Lady in the White House.

Education

How Schools Work: An Inside Account of Failure and Success by One of the Nation’s Longest Serving Secretaries of Education by Arne Duncan (2018)—expose of status quo that helps maintain a broken system at the expense of our kids’ education and threatens our nation’s future.

Educated: A Memoir narrated by Julia Whelan (2018)—Tara Westover’s journey from an isolated Idaho childhood with survivalist parents to Cambridge University.

Fiction

The President’s Plane Is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton (2018)—political thriller as uncertainty and fear grab the nation with whispers of cyberterrorism, espionage, and a traitor in the cabinet.

The Reckoning by John Grisham (2018)—murder mystery taking reader from Jim Crow South to jungles of Philippines in World War II, to insane asylum filled with secrets, to Clanton, Mississippi, courtroom.

The Rooster Bar by John Grisham (2018)—novel about three third-year law students who borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school, getting caught up in the Great Law School Scam only to find way to escape debt and expose scam and bank at the heart of it.

Camino Island by John Grisham (2017)—tale of gang of thieves who stage a daring heist from a vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library and a woman’s effort to get close to the ringleader and discover his secrets.

The Whistler by John Grisham (2016)—novel about judicial corruption in Florida.

The Annie Year by Stephanie Wilbur Ash (2016)—debut comic novel by Minnesota author is a character study and exploration about the personal costs of living in a dwindling farming town increasingly marred by meth abuse.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016)—gripping tale of one woman’s escape from bondage on plantation via Underground Railroad.

When the Men Were Gone by Marjorie Herrera Lewis (2018)—story of how a woman coached a high school football team during World War II in a small Texas town, based on a true story.

Beartown by Frederik Backman (2017)—novel about small town nestled deep in the forest with a big dream for success of its junior hockey team; semifinal match is catalyst for violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil.

Current Issues and Other Topics

Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America’s Fifty-Year Fall—and Those Fighting to Reverse It by Steven Brill (2018)—story of how decline in America’s core values—meritocracy, innovation, due process, … and even democracy—have led to a broken system; however, some are working quietly and effectively to repair it.

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy (2018)—report on how greed led to the opioid crisis.

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (2018)—story of a fraudulent tech company, Theranos.

The Captain Class: A New Theory of Leadership by Sam Walker (2017)—a new theory drawn from elite captains throughout sports; 17 of the most dominant teams in sports history had one thing in common—each employed the same type of captain, a singular leader with an unconventional set of skills and tendencies.

Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the World’s Fittest Athletes by Ben Bergeron (2017)—exploration of step-by-step process of achieving excellence and unique set of positive character traits needed for leveling up to world class.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (2018)—haunting true story of serial rapist and murderer who terrorized California during the l970s and l980s and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.

Reporter, A Memoir by Seymour M. Hersh (2018)—revealing recollections of a reporting career by one of the greatest investigative journalists of his time.

Her Honor: Rosalie Wahl and the Minnesota Women’s Movement by Lori Sturdevant (2014)—story of first woman on the Minnesota Supreme Court and how she changed the way her fellow judges saw cases they decided—and how with sharp intelligence and hard work she overcame childhood tragedy and a difficult marriage to become a defense attorney and mentor to many.

Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey by A. J. Jacobs (2018)—discovery of how gratitude can change us all through effort to thank every person involved in producing the author’s morning cup of coffee.

Hillbilly Elegy, A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance (2016)—personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans: story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck

The Good Girls Revolt, How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace by Lynn Povich (2012)—story of how in the 1970s 46 Newsweek women charged the magazine with discrimination in hiring and promotion; it was the first female class-action lawsuit—first by women journalists—and it inspired other women in the media to quickly follow suit.