On this final day of the year (and the decade), I thought it might be worth my while to remind myself of all the great books, movies, and TV I’ve experienced this year. Lucky for me, Goodreads collects an exhaustive list of what I read to jog my memory. As for the movies and TV, I’m just going to recall what pops up which may mean I miss a few from the spring. Here goes:
Books I Read (and Enjoyed) in 2019
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
I know the reason I enjoyed this one so much had more to do with the audiobook reader than the story itself (though the story kept me engaged). Dion Graham, a stage actor probably best known for his appearance in HBO’s The Wire, has won multiple Audie awards (that’s what they’re called!) and named to Audible’s Narrators Hall of Fame. Graham, more than a narrator, takes on so many diverse voices in this novel that I wanted our oral interpretation students to hear what he can do! The story follows an escaped slave from the West Indies to Nova Scotia and across the Atlantic to England where he becomes a well-respected naturalist. While the story seems far-fetched, the characters are not. Edugyan captures the humanity of a naive white man who attempts to save a slave who comes to read more than just the written word. Combining Edugyan’s words with Graham’s exceptional voice brought this story alive on my 15-minute commute everyday for a month!
Transtlantic by Colum McCann
I wrote about the experience of reading this last summer, so I won’t belabor the point. Let’s just say I would not have understood this book in the way McCann intends without listening to the audiobook and Geraldine Hughes’ narration. McCann first follows the stories of three historic moments and the men central to them: the first successful transtlantic flight, Frederick Douglass’ voyage to Ireland to promote his slave narrative, and George Mitchell’s efforts to broker the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. That in and of itself would have made a fine novel, but the second half of the book is where McCann shows off his talents to bring disparate characters and detached moments together in a way that highlights the crucial women in the backdrops of history. Once you get to that point in the novel, you also understand the genius of having a woman like Hughes’ read the story. Honestly, when I realized what was happening, it came to me as nothing short of a revelation.
The Overstory by Richard Powers
When I read the synopsis of this book, I thought Nope, can’t do it. How can a book about trees be that interesting. Then the book won the Pulitzer and eventually showed up on my hold shelf at the library, and I thought I had to try. You want to talk about revelation, well this is as close to a religious text for me as I can read. While the book is about trees, it’s also about our human connection with trees, how those trees connect with the rest of their environments, how humans tell stories like trees–digging roots into our past and branching upward to future generations. I loved this really long novel in the way I loved reading The Grapes of Wrath in 11th grade. The intersection of narrative and politics pushed me to see my place in the world differently. This book was selected for the NPR/New York Times book club in November, and the voluminous responses full of adulation and pictures of beautiful trees attests to the power of this book. All I can say is if you have the time, you should read it.
There, There by Tommy Orange
This debut novel by Native American writer Tommy Orange astounded me with his gift for language and character voice. He shifts through many different narrators, gathering a wider and more-comprehensive view of Native culture along the way. While he focuses on the urban native experience, his characters travel from the reservations of Oklahoma to the Southwest before all ending in Oakland at a pow-pow in the A’s stadium. I took a risk this year and asked some of my students to read this book. Some couldn’t stand it, but those who got it and invested some time in it found it to be one of the best books they’d read in their young lives. While the ending leaves a bit too much open to interpretation for my tastes, I can’t ignore Orange’s sheet talent, his fresh perspective, and his ability to capture the struggles of his people without evoking maudlin pity from the reader.
Honorable Mentions
The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
The River by Peter Heller
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
Circe by Madeline Miller
Movies I Watched (and Loved) in 2019
The Two Popes
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Booksmart
Ford v. Ferrari
TV Shows I Watched (and Binged) in 2019
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
While I didn’t enjoy every episode of season 3, there were enough moments of comedy and connection that I really did love the show. I hate when it’s over! I could have done without some of the Shy Baldwin singing, and I’m not sure the Sophie Lennon moments were as great when Susie wasn’t in them, but I get why they were included. Midge doing stand-up, her “date” with Lenny Bruce, any scene with Susie, especially her fish-out-of-water antics while learning to swim, will stand out for me.
The Crown
As I stalled to finish Mrs. Maisel, I interspersed my viewing with some high-brow culture in the form of The Crown’s third season. As my colleague and astute friend Ashley pointed out, much of this season seemed to focus on the men who orbit the Queen and come to terms with their roles on the outside of the crown. Namely, Prince Charles comes of age in the turbulent 60s only to learn the change doesn’t necessarily benefit him and what he wants from life. But, it was Prince Philip’s central role in episode 7, “Moondust” that took my breath away. I cannot think of a better hour of television that captures the restlessness and frustration of a middle-aged person coming to with the realities of life. After I watched it, I wanted to write about it, but I wasn’t convinced anything I wrote could measure up to the perfection of that 50 minutes of acting, writing, and setting.
Mr. Robot
I came to this show later than most, but I’ve been an ardent viewer ever since. While I’m still not sure I understood most of what Sam Esmail was doing in this sci-fi, near-future attack on our consumerist culture, but I did “get” and appreciate what he did with Elliot’s character in the final season. Everything pertinent to the storylines of the characters was revealed, but we were left with enough mystery to feel like you got you money’s worth in the end. Elliot’s relationship with Darlene became the central point of the series, as she gave Elliot his connection to reality. Every week, this show served as my antidote to the reality around me…I miss that inoculation.
Honorable Mentions
This Is Us
When They See Us
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Americans