Best Reads of 2020

2020 fell short in so many ways. But, not in the books category. 

Book after book after book that I read this year was EXCELLENT. I AGONIZED over what to include in this list. This year, I've written up longer descriptions for the four books that (I think) were my favorites. I then recommend another large handful of runners-up.

Note: Over the years, I've become more and more committed to diversifying my reading (i.e. more authors of color, non-Americans, women). In 2020, I was inspired to see many, many people commit to reading more books by people of color, especially Black authors. Here are some excellent reads to encourage your commitment. The vast majority of these authors are people of color and over half are women.

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Description: A fictional account of a Baptist minister who moves his family to the Belgian Congo in the 1950s to be missionaries. The story is told from the perspective of his wife and four daughters.

Why I liked it: I first read this book about ten years ago and was deeply moved. So I read it again this fall. It is long, 500+ pages, so you get to really settle into the story and the characters. Kingsolver masterfully develops the main characters by writing the story from the wife and daughters' perspectives, changing the narrator with every chapter. She nails their different ages and personalities and quirks. This story is both gripping and at times heart-wrenching. It explores many themes -- colonialism, missions, mental health, physical disability, poverty, race, etc. This book will make you think about things worth thinking about.

"Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi

Description: Two sisters are born in Africa's Gold Coast in the 1700s - one sister marries a wealthy Englishman and stays and the other sister becomes enslaved in the US. This fictional story follows the lives of their descendants up to the present day.

Why I liked it: The author, Yaa Gyasi, is a young, Ghanaian-American woman who grew up in both Ghana and the US. This is her debut novel and, my goodness, it's stunning. Every chapter alternates between the two lines of the family, one in Ghana and one in the United States moving chapter by chapter down the lineage of each of the sisters. Gyasi touches many landmark events in the history of Ghana and the US. The themes of heritage, home, and identity were strong and poignant throughout this beautiful novel.

"The Cross and the Lynching Tree" by James Cone

Lots of triggering, emotionally heavy thoughts below. Feel free to skip.

Description: James Cone, a prominent African American theologian, explores two of the most charged symbols for Black Americans - the cross and the lynching tree. 

Why I liked it: I began reading The Cross and the Lynching Tree early in 2020 and finished it in June against the backdrop of the nation (and the world) in uproar over the murder of George Floyd. I had never considered the similarities between Christ's crucifixion and the lynching of Black people - Christ was a young, brown man from a minority people who, though he was innocent, was killed on a tree. Now, when I look at the faces of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, I see Christ.

The Bible

Description: It's the Bible. Do I need to describe?

Why I liked it: This summer, I did a "Bible shred" where you read/skim the whole book in 30 days. It took me about two months. I'm normally the slowest Scripture reader on the planet. I'll often reflect on a passage for days (or even months!) It was new experience to inhale massive amounts of the Bible in such a short time. I saw big themes and patterns in ways that I had never seen before. What stuck out the most to me? The theme of God exalting the humble and humbling the exalted was everywhere and said in so many different ways. Shout out to The Voice, my new favorite version of the Bible. And shout out to the Bible Project book summary videos for helping me along the way.

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Now for the runners up. I kid you not: in another year many of these excellent reads would've made it into the top. The competition was stiff this year. So many good books here:

"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson - The author's memoir, written completely in poetry form. I've never read anything like it - beautiful and multi-award winning.

"Between Midnight and Dawn" by Sara Arthur - A feast of Scripture, poetry, and excerpts from literature to guide your Lent through Eastertide. This grounded me during March-May 2020.

"The Color of Compromise" by Jemar Tisby - A historical survey of the white American church's complicity in racism from early US history to the present day. There were so many times we could've courageously chosen a different way, but we didn't.

"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett - This brand new, New York Times bestselling novel is a page turner. Explores themes of race and identity through the story of twin sisters who choose to lead divergent lives.

"The Very Good Gospel" by Lisa Sharon Harper - The author is one of my favorite Christian speakers, thinkers, leaders and this book offers such a whole and hopeful look at the good news of Jesus.

"Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya - This novel, which follows the life story of an Indian peasant woman, is loosely based on the author's life, was written 65 years ago to critical acclaim, and has sold over a million copies since.

"The Next Evangelicalism" by Soong Chan Rah - I felt like the author was in my head and reading my mind as he explored the future of the evangelical church in America.

"Between the World and Me" by Ta'Nahesi Coates - I listened to the audiobook and loved the experience. His writing style felt as if it veered into poetry at times as he so poignantly spoke of his life as a Black man in America.

Here are my top reads from previous years:

2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015