Hi,
The fourth and final installment of my 2020 reading review.
2021 reading goals
My reading goals for 2021 are no different than they were in 2020 - I'm aiming for between 60 and 72 books, distributed across a wide range of topics, genres, and authors. In terms of each book, the basic idea is to learn two or three things from each read, though of course this may not be an appropriate expectation in all cases.
2021 reading preview
Here are a few books I'm looking forward to reading in 2021:
Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz
It's unusual for me to look forward to what's likely a Business Bro special but this book has some hints that it might break my skepticism - it has an unusually high Goodreads rating (I've learned there's a massive difference between 4.2 and 4.4), the book seems to draw significantly from relevant personal experience, and it isn't the author's first book. The most important factor is the likelihood that the book will avoid the most common downfall of the genre - ignoring the reality that most situations are almost entirely constrained by fixed barriers, and are therefore incapable of applying in practice what sounds so good in the theory of slideshows, flowcharts, and multi-step action plans. What I am hoping for from this book, in other words, are a few insights from someone who knows how to work within an existing system in such a way that short-term successes fuel the evolution of that system toward a better future iteration.
Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin
My hope is that, in addition to being informative about the ways technology can reinforce racist systems, this book will also arm me with additional ways to explain the importance of diversity to the skeptics I encounter on a regular (and disappointing, and alarming, and exhausting) basis. This wish is based on a hunch that the racial problems amplified by certain technologies are explained in part by the homogeneity of its designers, which I suspect represents a cross-section of traditionally powerful demographic groups.
Python for Kids by Jason Briggs
My initial experiences teaching computer programming in the workplace were limited to colleagues with an appropriate academic background, which perhaps inflated self-perceptions of my teaching ability. I'm hoping this book, which breaks down the basics of Python - a language I am familiar with from one college semester - will improve my capacity for relating to students and, in the process, make me a better teacher.
How to Make the World Add Up by Tim Harford
Longtime TOA readers will recall that Tim Harford is one of my favorite writers, podcasters, and economists, a fandom that goes back over a decade. I'm looking forward to this book as an enjoyable way to reinforce my good habits as it comes to interpreting, analyzing, and questioning numbers, though of course I expect to learn a few new things on the way.
The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt
This is a book for which I have no expectations - I've simply found Arendt's work to be a priceless addition to my reading routine and I've made it a priority to read all of her work.
