Patrik Henry Bass of Essence Magazine checks out the Best Books of 2016 in NY1's The Book Reader.
At last, 2016 is finally coming to a close. Before we move forward into a new year, let us take a look back at the Best Books of this year — in my humble opinion.
Susan Faludi continues to stay one-step ahead of the zeitgeist. Like she did with Backlash, her now classic feminist blueprint, In the Darkroom (Metropolitan Books), her memoir takes your breath away. This is the story of her grandfather who decides to have a sex-change operation at 76.
NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is as winning with a pen as he has been with a basketball. It is evident by his work, Writings on the Wall (Liberty Street). This soaring essay collection is a mash-up of politics, race, and popular culture that provides plenty food for thought.
After you read Victoria, The Queen: An Intimate Biography of The Woman Who Ruled An Empire (Random House), you’ll rethink everything you thought that you knew about England’s second longest reigning monarch. Author Julia Baird peels back the layers of one of royalty’s most multi-faceted rulers.
Longtime People en Español-editor Armando Lucas Correa takes us on a compelling journey through World War II in The German Girl (Atria), which is his debut novel which signals the beginning of a wonderful connection with book lovers.
Finally, before you see the film about the crackerjack team of the black female NASA mathematicians featuring stellar performances by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, I strongly recommend that you read Hidden Figures (William Morrow) by Margot Lee Shetterly.