Thursday, January 7, 2021

My Favorite Books of 2020

My Favorite Books of 2020

The following is a review of the favorite books that I completed last year. Some  started the year before, or even earlier, but they go in for this year if I completed them this year. And, of course, I started some books in 2020 that I've yet to finish. I include most of the books that I read last year. There are two reasons for this. One, I read even more news articles and essays than usual to keep up with current events (and my goodness it was a busy year on that account). And, two, I'm a very selective reader. I usually won't start a book unless I'm confident that I'll be getting something worthwhile out of taking the time and effort to read it. Most of the books I will cite I've reviewed, although a couple of late reads haven't been reviewed yet and I don't tend to review well-known fiction. 

So, on to the list. 


Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

This was an outstanding book, at once uplifting and horrifying. Uplifting as we read about Stevenson and his colleagues and clients struggling for justice. Horrifying as I read about the South (mostly) in the 1990s maintaining a legal system that seems little different than of Jim Crow days. One would have thought that the world of To Kill a Mockingbird would be long past, but not with many of Stevenson's cases. 



The Principles of History and Other Writings in Philosophy of History

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