If you are wondering what to read next, look no further than Vital Strategies staff recommendations from 2019. Our team reviewed a varied selection of books—some directly related to our work, such as “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America” by Beth Macy; others, inspirational works such as Michelle Obama’s “Becoming”; and some just for fun, like “The Witching Tree” by Tana French, a twisty whodunit that will keep you reading way too late into the night.
The Sarawack Report: The Inside Story of the 1MDB Exposé by Clare Rewcastle Brown
To Be a Slave by Julius Lester
“Feels like it should be mandatory reading for everyone in the US and maybe elsewhere.” —Dorian Block, Senior Writer, Policy, Advocacy and Communication
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
“Tara has a harrowing yet redemptive story of self-discovery that can serve as inspiration for even the most cynical among us.”—Ishmael Qawiy, Pharmacist, Research and Development
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes by Katya Andersen
“It provides valuable insight into the successful formulas that corporates adopt to sell everything from socks to cigarettes, and how these can be applied in the NGO world.” —Aanchal Medta, Communication Lead, Environmental Health
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles C. Mann
Monkey Business: Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle By John Rolfe and Peter Troob
Freedom is an Inside Job: Owning Our Darkness and Our Light to Heal Ourselves and the World by Zainab Salbi
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy) by Amitav Ghosh
“Sea of Poppies” is a chronicle of the opium wars told through a set of interconnected characters across multiple continents. It is interesting for people here, because we work in India and China, and it provides a helpful background for understanding how colonialism impacted the region and how the effects of that can still be seen today.” —Laura Cobb, Director, Nutrition and Surveillance, Cardiovascular Health, Resolve to Save Lives
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Rage by Brittany Cooper
The Truth About Animals by Lucy Cooke
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
“NoViolet Bulawayo does an amazing job of capturing the voice of a young woman from age 10 to 18. You see what is going on in Zimbabwe and in her community through her eyes. And then, when she moves to Michigan, you see America from her eyes. The perspective feels new and the contrast is striking.” –Karen Schmidt, Editorial Director, Policy, Advocacy and Communication
The Witch Elm by Tana French