Favorite Book Of The Month: ITS A TIE!
Favorite Book Of The Month: Pachinko
Asian historical fiction pieces have kind of been my thing this year. There have been so many new books released over the past few years that highlight experiences within the Pan-Asian diaspora over the past 100 years. This family saga deserves a spot on my best books of the year list. Pachinko tells the story of a Korean family’s migration to Japan starting in the early 1900s. The storytelling is woven in such a way to highlight the beauty of the pains life and how cultural, religious and national norms can mold generational decisions. And of course, there’s multiple love components – and each one is unique in its own beautiful and in some cases painful way.
Must Read: Educated
True story alert. This book is about: the power of education, how mental illness can lead to abuse, overcoming the odds, and how much we yearn for love, affirmation and acceptance from our family. Tara Westover’s memoir is so twisted and seemingly set so far back in time, that its hard to believe that she’s only about 5 years older than me. Alas, if you want to know more about how Tara survived in the mountains in the home of a crazy mormon survivalist dad with no formal education until college – put “Educated” on your list.
Just A Little Bizarre: Small Fry
Lisa Brennan-Jobs is Steve Jobs’ first biological daughter – this is her memoir. And you guessed it – it’s weird. If you are a fan of apple and Steve Job’s work and legacy, this is an interesting viewpoint on who he was as a father – or moreso wasn’t as a father. Just as Tara Westover wanted acceptance and validation from her parents, so did Lisa – that yearning shaped her life as you will come to find out.
If You Want To Think Differently: AIQ
This book was assigned by my statistics professor, and it is surprisingly incredibly interesting! It puts statistics in a different light and context by taking current technologies and overarching statistical formulas / ideas and explaining them through a historical lens without all of the math. Stories range from how Netflix generates recommendations to how the government found lost submarines during WWII. Great read for all you nerds all there.
Learn Some American History: Farewell To Manzanar
If you did not know that Japanese and Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps on the West Coast during WWII, then you should probably check out this quick read ( technically another memoir). Many people do not know or recognize some of the atrocities that our government has committed. As we look at what is currently happening to our Mexican brethren, this is a great dive back into history to see that this is not the first time that this has happened in our country. Luckily, America for the most part believed in keeping familys together back then…
MBA: The Blog 