10+1 great summer reads

A special issue of the Weekly Filet newsletter 🏝☀️

David Bauer

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What follows is a highly subjective selection of books, the only criterion for inclusion being: I have read them in 2020 and wholeheartedly recommend reading them (except for one, which is the +1).

Difficult Women — Helen Lewis

Our daughter is still a little too young, but I can’t wait to tell her about these “difficult women”. Women who fought for their right to divorce, to vote, to work, to take control over their time. What’s great about this “History of feminism in 11 fights” is that it depicts the protagonists not as inspirational heroines, but as complicated, imperfect, difficult women — determined to shake things up.

Competing Against Luck — Clayton M. Christensen

Christensen has shaped my understanding of user centered journalism more than anyone else. His “Jobs to be done” theory is an eye-opener for anyone who wants to reach people and customers. When Christensen died in late January this year, I re-read one of his key books -worth every minute.

How to Be an Antiracist — Ibram X. Kendi

To me, the most impactful read of 2020, full of clarity and force. Kendi’s key point: You cannot oppose racism by not being racist. You have to be antiracist. The book is both a guide to understanding how racism permeates societies, and a helpful instruction manual on how to be antiracist — what anti-racist actions every individual can take, and what anti-racist institutions would look like.

The Night of the Gun — David Carr

Published in 2008, David Carr’s autobiography had been on my reading list for way too long. He writes about his fight against addiction and inner demons, and his path from complete mess to highly respected journalist at the New York Times. Carr uses his extraordinary reporting skills to investigate his own past — to tell his story, which his memory had left distorted and full of gaps. Gripping, extremely well written, and an inspiration (of sorts).

Why We’re Polarized — Ezra Klein

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