I was able to devour more poetry and drama during the year along with a fair amount of fiction – both current and classics. Here are the works that stood out:
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
One of the best love stories ever composed and relevant today because, sadly, not much has changed in the way African-Americans are treated in today’s society.
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
A raw, courageous work on the lives of an African-American family living in Louisiana. The story covers the time surrounding Hurricane Katrina and the ways in which this family prepares and deals with the aftermath.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
A remarkable tale surrounding a young man during the Vietnam War, offering a lens into the conflict within the Vietnamese people. Sad, gripping, visceral portrayal.
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
If this book about the treatment of African Americans by our prison system in the US does not get you angry check your pulse because you lack a heart. Brutally honest with the right level of details balanced with portraits of how tragic events unfolded.
Millenium Approaches by Tony Kushner
Maybe the best play written in my generation, tackling the early days of the AIDS crisis and the unveiling of gay culture in America in contrast with the rise of popularity of Ronald Reagan. Flippant, incredibly funny, poignant with some wild dream sequences and folding of multiple story lines.
The Commentaries of Shawn Aebi 