Books That’ll Make You Woke

From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman

This book was my introduction to woke-ness, my awakening. Thomas L. Friedman recounts his experience as a journalist in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War and in Jerusalem during the first Palestinian uprising against Israel. Friedman’s anecdotes are incredibly moving and do a wonderful job of illustrating the violence that makes its way into civilian life. If you’re looking to educate yourself more on complicated Middle Eastern relations, this is a great book to start you off.

Hillbilly Elegey by J.D. Vance

This is the book for those of you who cannot fathom why anybody would vote for Trump. J.D. Vance tells the enlightening story of his childhood in rural Ohio and Kentucky. Vance includes stories of his triumphs at Yale Law School and devastations like his mom’s opiate abuse. Not only is this book’s content one of a kind, but Vance offers a perspective that students at a liberal arts college might not get if they don’t read it.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration by Michelle Alexander

The New Jim Crow is the book I’ve read most recently, but I finished it in about a day. I was familiar with the data and belief that African Americans are disproportionately incarcerated, but was very unaware of the post-lockup aftermath. The idea that mass incarceration creates a new “caste system” with ex-convicts at the bottom was something I had never thought about before and the theses and evidence presented in this book is a must-read for anybody living in the 21st century.

The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine by Ben Ehrenreich

I was lucky enough to meet Ben Ehrenreich when he spoke at a bookstore just a few blocks from my house so you can imagine how eager I was to get my hands on his latest book. Ehrenreich actually lived in the West Bank and this book is a collection of stories all centered around people in the resistance and affected by the resistance. I have never read anything more sobering than Ehrenreich’s account of all the devastation he has witnessed. While I wouldn’t consider this book a “light beach read,” it is definitely worth looking into.