海角大神

Regarding the Dec. 9, 2019 Monitor Weekly article, 鈥淏est nonfiction books of the year,鈥� it鈥檚 difficult to understand how you left off a few books that are both great and important, including 鈥淟ast Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II鈥� by Svetlana Alexievich (a heartbreaking book);听鈥淪ilver, Sword, and Stone鈥� by Marie Arana (a painful meditation on Latin American history); 鈥淢ind Fixers: Psychiatry鈥檚 Troubled Search for the Biology of Mental Illness鈥� by Anne Harrington (the most thoughtful, provocative, and well-informed book on psychiatry of the past decade); 鈥淭he Meritocracy Trap鈥� by Daniel Markovits; and Robert Caro鈥檚 wonderful memoir, 鈥淲辞谤办颈苍驳.鈥� How in the name of global warming could you leave 鈥淭he Uninhabitable Earth鈥� by David Wallace-Wells, the scariest, most cogently argued book on climate change by far, off your list?

Dee Wilson
Tacoma, Washington

I have long admired Marie Arana, whose 2019 book,听鈥淪ilver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story,鈥�听was recommended by historian David McCullough. Arana is a writer-at-large for The Washington Post and was appointed literary director of the Library of Congress in 2019.

Martha Barkley
Charleston, South Carolina听

鈥淏uilding a Better World in Your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys鈥� by Paul Wheaton and Shawn Klassen-Koop offers everyday solutions to environmental degradation that range from mildly to extremely effective. Sure, it would require some basic changes in our daily routines. But exploring and implementing such 鈥渘ew鈥� ideas is energizing compared with the guilt and hopelessness we often feel in the face of environmental crises.

Jerry McIntire
Boston

鈥淓谤耻辫迟颈辞苍鈥� by Steve Olson is an interesting and informative book about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state. The author discusses the history and science of this event, the economic effects at the local, state, and national levels, and tells the stories of those who died and those who survived.

William Curtis
Olympia, Washington

I just finished 鈥淎merican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America鈥� by Colin Woodard. It鈥檚 a 400-year look at the nations and cultures that shaped our continent, the migration of those cultural groups, and the resulting political and social outlooks that continue to affect our lives. For one thing, it reinforces the axiom that the personal is political. Well worth reading for anyone who aspires to run for office or help make decisions in our shared national life.听

Nancy Taylor Robson
Galena, Maryland听

I was given 鈥淲ilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm鈥� by Isabella Tree, and finished the book in eight days. Intensive farming of its 3,500 acres was driving the family bankrupt, so in 2000 the land was handed back to nature. She explains how it was done 鈥� with the challenges as well as the successes 鈥� until there were nightingales and turtledoves nesting there. I found it fascinating.

Merry Ann Peterson
Seattle

I practically teethed on Zane Grey, starting with 鈥淏etty Zane,鈥� so I wanted to read 鈥淶ane Grey鈥檚 Wild West: A Study of 31 Novels鈥� by Victor Carl Friesen as soon as I came across it. I enjoyed reading about each of the novels and remembering favorite characters and stories. There鈥檚 a lot of history here, including clashes with Native American tribes, building railroads, and the gold rush. It was a fascinating book with beautiful descriptions of the landscape and nature 鈥� and comparisons with Thoreau, Wordsworth, and others.听

Joy V. Smith
Lakeland, Florida听

I really enjoyed J枚rn Leonard鈥檚 鈥淧andora鈥檚 Box,鈥� a lengthy history of World War I. It is more fair-minded, well-informed, and insightful than any book on the Great War in recent decades.听

Dee Wilson
Tacoma, Washington

I just finished reading 鈥淪inking in the Swamp鈥� by two Daily Beast reporters, Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng. While admittedly critical of President Donald Trump, it provides a stark and frank look into the people that make up this administration. It also shows how difficult it is, in practice, to actually 鈥渄rain the swamp鈥� of the federal government, even when that is a primary goal of the president and his staff.

Rick Soule
Surprise, Arizona听

I鈥檓 reading 鈥淏raiding Sweetgrass鈥� by Robin Wall Kimmerer for the second time, and I already have plans to read it a third time. Kimmerer is an indigenous American, a botanist, and a poet. Her reverence for this planet and all living beings is provocative, heartwarming, and inspiring. This is a beautiful book. I will be giving it out as gifts until all my friends have it.

Jane Everham
Fort Collins, Colorado

It is gratifying to see that听鈥淭he Color of the Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America鈥� by historian Richard Rothstein is selling well three years after its publication. I was impressed with the knowledge he shared about our local, state, and federal laws making segregation possible for so long. Now it鈥檚 time to 鈥渓et justice roll down like waters鈥� for all.听

Martha F. Barkley
Belgrade Lakes, Maine听

I happened upon the book in which I鈥檓 currently engrossed, 鈥淭he Library Book鈥� by Susan Orlean, on RBdigital, through my local public library. The history genre has never been a great draw for me. Historical fiction is different, because it pulls me along in a way that straight-up history seldom does. This is an exception. One reason I decided to give this book a chance was the blurb by 海角大神, describing the book as 鈥渃aptivating鈥� and听 鈥渄elightful.鈥� And so it is.

Marsha Lynn Thomas
Spokane, Washington

Roberto Calasso鈥檚 鈥淭he Celestial Hunter鈥� deals with the mythology of hunting and sacrifice among ancient humans. Calasso may well be the most knowledgeable and insightful scholar in the world on comparative religion and mythology, and he鈥檚 one of the few original thinkers alive on a wide range of subjects. His book 鈥淎rdor鈥� is one of the few outstanding books published on a religious subject (i.e., the Vedas) in recent decades. Anyone interested in the origins of religion, mythology, and sacrifice in ancient societies will want to pick up Calasso鈥檚 book.

Dee Wilson
Tacoma, Washington听

I just finished Walter Isaacson鈥檚 鈥淭he Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution.鈥� I enjoyed it very much. I quite often read a couple of books at the same time. Why? I don鈥檛 know. With books like 鈥淗acking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity鈥� by Jamie Metzl, I have to take time to read something else for a while and then return. Presently I am reading Richard Dawkins鈥� 鈥淭he Magic of Reality鈥� and Neil R. Lightfoot鈥檚 鈥淗ow We Got the Bible.鈥� The latter is more for use in a Sunday school class as a teaching tool.

Gene Needham
Poolville, Texas

I have two books to recommend. In听鈥淪pecial Agent,鈥澨鼵andice DeLong describes tailing terrorists, going undercover against the mafia, and helping capture the Unabomber. It鈥檚 a dramatic true story of an extraordinary woman and her FBI career.听鈥淚n Harm鈥檚 Way鈥�听tells of the torpedoing and sinking of the battle cruiser USS Indianapolis on July 30, 1945. Nearly 900 men were cast into shark-infested waters. Doug Stanton weaves a tale of courage, sacrifice, and survival.

William Curtis
Olympia, Washington

鈥淩ace and Culture: A World View鈥� by Thomas Sowell could hardly be a more timely read in view of the current reexamination of attitudes about race in the United States. The subtitle 鈥淎 World View鈥� is key to how Sowell dispels some of the myths that have often guided public policy and popular perceptions on the subject. I was amazed at the breadth of scholarship and depth of analysis this book offers.

Jennifer Quinn
Gate City, Virginia

I just finished 鈥淲aiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration鈥� by Christine Montross, M.D. Wow! A psychiatrist who works with acutely mentally ill people and performs competency evaluations for the courts, she shows graphically how we not only imprison mentally ill people disproportionately, but we make their illness worse, often adding years to what should have been a minor sentence.听 She shows real people and how prison ruins lives. Late in the book she describes a visit to a maximum security facility in Norway, where 30 years ago the country had the same problems as the United States. Norway undertook a radical paradigm shift of its prison system, and now focuses entirely on preparing convicts to return to society. What would it take for the U.S. to undertake such reforms?

Melissa LeVine
Lexington, Kentucky

Editor's note: Reader recommendations are a regular feature in the Weekly magazine. Tell us what you're reading at听books@csmonitor.com.