A Year In Books

2024 has been a long year for me.

There are seven days to close up this year. 2024 has been a long year for me.

Recently, I saw a post on Facebook asking why all the foreign books at our bookstores in Nigeria are best sellers. Let me explain.

More than 2.2 million books are published every year, published only, not printed. That number is more than the total number of books in most Nigerian bookshops. Only about 0.5% of authors become bestsellers. The market is highly competitive, and only a very small percentage of the market becomes bestsellers and ends up on this side of the world. The more popular a book is, the more chances it has of moving around the world. It is no surprise, therefore, that most of the books you find in bookstores are bestsellers.

Another thing worth saying is that bestsellers are categorizations organized by publishing and media houses. Anyone can decide to organize a bestseller list. This is why you have the New York Times bestseller list, Amazon bestseller list, etc. There have been accusations that some media houses are manipulating bestseller lists to promote books that fit their agenda. Whether true or not, it tells you how the whole bestseller thing is organized. Although most media houses use a number of books sold, the factors are not fixed in stone across media houses.

Next time you see a bestselling book in a bookstore, I hope you understand why it got there.

This is the year that I read the least number of books. Just 38 books. Last year, I read 50. My book count has been reducing consistently. Is there a reason? For one, I am now reading fat books majorly. Secondly, life is demanding more of me. Third, I now have a daughter- She is a full-time responsibility. Parents will understand, but singles will not. For the singles, all I can tell is to read as much as you can now that you are single; when you are married, you will remember that I told you this.

So, what did I read?

Will Durant and Ariel Durant

These two deserve a stand-alone post. If I eat enough Christmas meat, I will do one. This year, I read all of Will and Ariel Durant's "The Story of Civilization". It is an 11-volume work that covers the story of civilization from prehistoric times to the time of Napoleon; as you can guess, it focuses on Europe. The earlier parts have excellent chapters on China, India, and all the previous Asian empires that preceded them. Will and Ariel are crisp, succinct, and highly engaging. This is a work of nearly 11,000 pages with over 4 million words. It is a series that should take years to read. I collapsed everything to read it in 6 months. It was worth it. I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in development, politics, history, and governance. I took so many notes and shared my thoughts here.

I began reading the works of Will and Ariel by reading their short books. They include Heroes of History, The Lessons of History, Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God, and The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time. I also read The Story of Philosophy. They are all very good. Begin with the short ones. They will soak you and make you ready for the long ones. Will and Ariel are addictive.

Biographies/ Memoirs

Most of my other reads were biographies and memoirs. Biographies help you personalize the problems of the world. Rather than read a big overview of the Second World War, which is complex, one can begin with Churchill's biography. I read Andrew Robert's "Churchill: Walking With Destiny", which is acclaimed as the best bio of the man. Andrew has an eye for small details, fluid narration, and deep research. In Churchill, he blends all three beautifully. An excellent book about an imperfect man who chose to do great things when it mattered most for his country. Alice Schroeder's The Snowball: Warren Buffet and The Business of Life is a book I will certainly come back to again. The book is so good that Warren Buffet refused to see Alice after it was published. King: A Life by Jonathan Eig is a wonderful addition to the treasury of King's life. You cannot exhaust talking about the man's life, for he was better than all of us, yet he was the worst of us. A frail man can rise to greatness. One interesting thing I found in this book was how King was fond of arriving late for meetings and never missing a great meal, even for important occasions. Thank you for giving me a defence, Dr King. Timothy Keller died on May 19, last year. He was one of the most influential preachers of the 21st Century. His life, his preaching, his cancer diagnosis, the whole process and even his death made a big impact on me. He wrote his funeral service, and he told his family he didn't want any eulogies. They should sing songs, praise God and celebrate the gift of heaven! What a man. Of course, I went ahead to read his bio. Timothy Keller by Colin Hansen is a gift for all those who love Tim. It is not a typical biography. It is a biography of how Tim became the man he was. Very good stuff.

Every year, I read one Lincoln bio; for this year, it was Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. I can't stop loving the man. Lincoln was a great man. A truly great man! He has so many lessons for leaders. Troubled By Rob Henderson is a book that every boy should read. It will save you a lot of trouble and help you understand how a boy can go from hopeless to one of the most clear thinkers today. The last parts focus on American issues, but it is good stuff to think about.

I finally read Thomas Sowell's A Personal Odyssey. It is a bit dry. But I enjoyed learning about Thomas Sowell's story. I have some thoughts I could add or, rather, question, but you see, that's the thing about memoirs; it is someone's story. Can you challenge someone's story? The most important thing is that it helped me make a comparison with some of Thomas Sowell's theories and ideas. If you are not a true Sowell fan, you will not enjoy this one. It is better you read Maverick by Jason Riley, a bio on Sowell.

Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha is a definitive bio of the great man. I did not know how the British viewed Gandhi when he was alive; I was surprised to find that in this book. Gandhi's greatness was only widely acknowledged after his death. Guha's biography is nothing like a Western biography; that's the more reason why I loved it. Fighting against oppressors is hard, but fighting them with nonviolence is even more difficult. Gandhi fought against the most powerful empire in human history, not with weapons but with nonviolence. Every city should have Gandhi's stature. We will never see another like man. Here was a saint who insisted on being a politician and succeeded remarkably.

Students of American politics will be familiar with the name “Ronald Reagan”; he looms large. This bio, Reagan: The Life by HW Brands, is very good. He was a vote-getter. In 1980, he won the election in an unprecedented landslide. 489 electoral votes to his opponent, 49 electoral votes, Jimmy Carter. This was the highest margin of victory in US history. But Reagan was not done. 4 years later, he beat his own record by winning 525 electoral votes to his opponent's 13 electoral votes. The highest ever in US history. Americans are proud of Reagan; they celebrate him so much. He did a lot for them. As a human being, I can admire him. As an African, I dislike him. He supported the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Nelson and Winnie: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinberg is a book that tore me apart. It is indeed a deep portrait of a marriage, but it is a cautionary tale about what a marriage should never become. Apartheid was so evil. I hate it.

On Writing is a part memoir and part How to Write by Stephen King. If you are a writer, you should definitely read this one. Seriously.

History and Social Issues

Yuval Harari returned again with another masterpiece, Nexus. I had given up on Yuval. I didn't think he would be able to produce another top book. I am glad to be wrong. As usual, he forces you to think. He doesn't claim to be indifferent. He has opinions, and he backs them up with facts. In the age of AI, this is important. You will find a lot to disagree with, but you will come out wiser and more informed.

Killers of The Flower Moon by David Grann was the first book I read this year. It shattered me. I will always remain sceptical of those in authority. Always. It is generally good. This is a story of a rich tribal group that was killed by the very people who were supposedly assigned to protect them. It is heart-wrenching. Another example of what Europeans did to native Americans.

The US, as all empires have done through the ages, always thinks it can bring about its will on foreign nations. Losing The Long Game by Philip Gordon is a reckoning of how US has failed in its effort for regime change in the Middle East. Will it ever stop? I don't know. Empires are loath to learn from mistakes.

"Empire" is the word that most Americans don't want to associate with their country, and the US government has done a lot to fight against any perception that it is an empire. However, that has not stopped its critics from using the word regularly. In "How To Hide An Empire", Daniel Immerwahr shows that, indeed, the United States is an empire. He does not do this with the fire and brimstone of Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky but records from the United States itself.

The Shortest History of Europe is a brilliant overview. John Hirst wrote a book that lived up to its title. Another book that lived up to its title is The Shortest History of Economics by Andrew Leigh. Good one.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a gruesome attack on the state of Israel. Israel has responded with all its might. The conflict is old. This book tells the story. This conflict is complex and filled with biases. It is hard to be indifferent, but at least don't be less informed. Enemies and Neighbours by Ian Black will add to your knowledge database.

I reread Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. I much respect Uncle Achebe. Much respect.

I read other short titles that are worthy of mention, Jesus by Paul Johnson, a short book about Jesus. You will only appreciate it if you haven't read the New Testament through and through. Gratitude by Oliver Sacks is good reflection material. Adoniram Judson by John Piper is the kind of book you read to set your heart on fire. Charles Spurgeon was also a good read. I learned about how depression was a constant battle for this man who poured his heart into God.