Month: January 2022

With this year looking to be one of big change for me with my college career finished for the foreseeable future and full time work coming around the corner I have found myself facing a lot of questions about what exactly the right next steps are, and if they are the right steps then how I will know that they are. In a sense, I know generally the kind of life I want to live, what my interests are, and perhaps most importantly what my interests generally aren’t, but moving from step to step can be a big unknown. I’ll often find that while I’m working on some task to get me closer towards one thing(getting my resume sent out to as many places as I can), I might also be thinking that perhaps I am completely ignoring something else I should be doing to get me close to something even more important(seeking a totally different career path?). It’s funny how at each stage of life you are eager to get to the next one(grade school to high school, high school to college, college to graduation)only to realize that once you’re there you kind of miss being in the previous stage in some sense; missing that feeling of guided direction, routine, or knowing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. If I’m being honest, however, the feeling of opportunity and an open future brings more hopeful anticipation than nostalgia, making the anxieties of the coming unknown a lot easier to deal with.

One quote that I have been keeping in the back of my mind during this transition period, and that has helped to give me this greater sense of excitement than fear, is by the ever quotable Marcus Aurelius(2nd century Roman Emperor) from his world-wide known work, Meditations, a book I have mentioned a few times before. In this relatively short book that is literally full of quotable lines, one that has especially stuck with me comes from the seventh “book,” roughly halfway through the work. It reads: “Consider yourself to be dead, and to have completed your life up to the present time; and live, according to nature, the remainder that is allowed you.” Closely related to the major theme in the book overall about doing your best at what you can control and not worrying about the rest, I have found this quote to speak to me in so many ways when my future is uncertain. Studying the work of Marcus Aurelius, a major historical figure, puts me in a historical mindset and leads me to think about how many regular people throughout history would have done anything to have the opportunities that I have right now; opportunities that evaded them for any number of reasons ranging from an early death of violence or disease, or simply because of the life that they were born into. Having the opportunity to make anything I want of my life is a gift that I should appreciate everyday.

While moving away from my life of routine and the predicability of a college schedule is in many ways daunting, thinking about the future as a gift, if nothing else, makes me want to embrace it to the best of my ability. If I found out that today was my last day and in a few minuets I would be gone, what would I wish I had embarked to do had I had years and years left on Earth? The best part is I do have years and years left on Earth to live the remainder that is allowed me the best I can.

Here is my personal book list(no class books) for 2022. Despite not having quite as much free time compared to 2020, I really tried to keep my daily(mostly, haha) reading as consistent as possible, and get a good variety of books read. Here it is!

Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy. A few years ago I bought three of Russia’s most well-known literary works – War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, and this one, and have read one of them per year. While I still think I liked War and Peace the most out of the three due to its historical nature of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, Anna Karenina is just as impressive of a novel. Following many characters lives during late 19th century Russian Empire, this novel was, yes, very complex but also incredibly enjoyable to journey through.

Marco Polo, by John Man. This was a really interesting biography of the thirteenth century Italian explorer who traveled all the way to the the capital of the Mongol Empire, meeting Kublai Khan himself. Using Marco Polo’s Travels(his notes that he took on his journey) as the basis, Man describes this incredible historical journey, trying to parse the exaggerations and inconsistencies that are prevalent in Polo’s descriptions and write an accurate account, in part by traveling to China himself and walking in the footsteps of where Marco Polo would have been. Marco Polo, through this journey, introduced the Western world to this unknown but vast empire in the East.

Grateful American, by Gary Sinise. While most people probably know Gary Sinise from his many movies and television shows, he has increasingly dedicated much of his time in more recent years to giving back to U.S servicemembers. In the book, he describes how after the attacks of September 11, 2001 he developed a strong sense of duty to our country to support it in any way that he could. In the years since, he has traveled the country and the world to meet active duty troops as well as veterans, including playing shows for them with his band, and in 2011 he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation which supports the nation’s wounded veterans. Overall, an inspiring book, and I was honored to get my book signed by Sinise in September.

Has China Won?, by Kishore Mahbubani. China’s immense rise as a global power since the reforms of the 1980’s has for years been an interest of mine, especially with regards to what its relationship will look like with the U.S. if it ever surpasses it. While this book doesn’t directly answer the question the title poses, Mahbubani argues that contrary to the views of some, China generally wants to rejunivate its own country and population, not dominate the world. Essentially, what he hopes for is that both counties can grow, and prosper together, without any kind of conflict down the line. I’m still by no means an expert on this subject, but I find these kinds of world affairs books really interesting, and I absorb fascinating information nonetheless.

The Strange Career of William Ellis, by Karl Jacoby. This was actually a book that I read large portions of for one of my classes, but I found it so fascinating that a few months later I came back to it and read the whole thing. William Ellis was born into slavery in a small town in Texas just prior to the end of the American Civil War. Throughout his life, Ellis engages in the tactic of “passing” as a Mexican man to avoid segregation and discrimination, and through incredible determination, confidence, and skill rises to incredible heights in American society and beyond. I’m still amazed by this story months after finishing this book.

On the House, by John Boehner. This is the memoir of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. Although he was speaker before I really followed politics very closely, I always found Boehner to have a likable personality. In addition, I figured his perspective on some of the major events of the Obama years would give me a good different point of view, so I figured why not read the book for those two reasons. It was packed full of interesting stories of his experiences, and I found myself giggling at many points from his sense of humor. While not necessarily a groundbreaking book, it is definitely an enjoyable read for those interested in some inside stories from the world of politics.

Descent, by Tim Johnston. I wanted to read a few thrillers this year, and one that I picked was Descent. For the most part, it was the standard formula for a thriller novel with all the usual aspects. However, something about this one just didn’t hold my interest for large portions of it. It definitely got more exciting towards the end, but during the middle I was admittedly somewhat bored. I don’t mean to knock the book or the author, just giving my honest opinion 🙂

SPQR, by Mary Beard. This was a really good history of the Roman Empire from the earliest beginnings to around the third century. While I love basically all periods of history, Greek and Roman history holds a special place for me, and it’s probably no wonder why “Gladiator” is by far my favorite movie. Overall, if you want a comprehensive history of Ancient Rome, Mary Beard’s biography is a great one. SPQR means “The Senate and People of Rome,” and she does a great job intertwining both of them into a concise but complete history.

Putin’s World, by Angela Stent. This book presents a look into Russia under Vladimir Putin and how it interacts with the rest of the world. The U.S. has had a very rough relationship with Russia, despite three attempted “resets,” and right now at the end of 2021 this could hardly be clearer. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Russia’s fall from a prominent place in world politics in the 90’s, Putin, when he took over after Boris Yeltsin, sought to turn this around. He views the former Soviet Union states as being within Russia’s historical sphere of influence, and wants to see Russia ascend to a being a great world power again. How the U.S. and Russia, the “rivals,” deal with each other going forward is incredibly important.

Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I read this book after listening to an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, The Martyrmade Podcast with Darryl Cooper. In this 5 hour episode called “The Underground Spirit,” Cooper compares and contrasts the lives of Dostoyevsky and Nietzsche, two existentialist authors of the nineteenth century, and mentions this novel as one of his favorite all time books. I picked it up for pretty cheap, and found it to be an intriguing work from the author of The Brothers Karamazov; at times rambling, but offering a fascinating look into the thought processes of the author.

Washington, by Ron Chernow. Ron Chernow is probably my favorite biographer, and I have read his biography of Alexander Hamilton and Ullysses S. Grant in recent years as well. This was either the longest or second longest book I read this year(after or before Anna Karenina) and I really enjoyed every page of it. Its amazing how after reading this biography, you realize how normal of a person George Washington really was… he wasn’t the best speaker, philosophizer, or politician, but a humble, soft-spoken man who was often times uncomfortable in his position of authority. A theme in the book was how very oftentimes when he would be away at war, or governing in New York or Philadelphia, he constantly longed to get back to his wife and quiet farm life at Mount Vernon, a place I have had the opportunity to visit twice now. I really hope Chernow writes another biography so I can add it to a future reading list.

The Archer’s Tale, by Bernard Cornwell. Cornwell is an author that I became familiar with in the last two years who writes historical fiction. This one is the first in a series known as the Grail Quest series that takes place during the Hundred Years War between England and France, and despite its gory and violent scenes, I imagine I’ll be reading a lot more of his books in the future.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. Apparently loosely based on historical context and events in the mid-1800’s United States-Mexico borderlands, this novel follows a runaway teenager from Tennessee who heads out west, and after getting put in prison, gets released to join a scalp-hunting gang. This novel deals with some gruesome, uncomfortable material, but has become known as a great American novel since its release in 1985.

The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas à Kempis. I reread this book after including it on my reading list in 2018, and is one of a few books which I can see myself reading every few years or so. It was written in the early 1400’s, and has become one of the most read books in the world. Essentially, the message of the book is as the title suggests, living a life that reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ in the gospels.

Favorite book of the year: The Strange Career of William Ellis.

Runner up: Anna Karenina.