1. When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

This non-fiction graphic novel narrates the real-life experience of a Somali refugee’s growing up years in a refugee camp. It emphasises on the difficulties of everyday life at the camp, the struggles of identifying with the idea of a home and a sense of belonging amidst adverse situations. The story of two brothers is a moving narration of sorrow and joy, hope and holding on through difficult times, interspersed with laughter.

2. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

The year that saw systemic racism embedded in society in its most brutal state, with armed force atrocities and loss of lives that shook the world, this book is an important and metamorphic read that explores racism and antiracism in America. Not written like a historical account and with a certain vigour, the book informs us about the past, the present, its relation with power politics and how deep the construct of racism runs in the land, almost immanent in everything. It helps us make informed choices about the future.

3. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Wilkerson in her thoroughly researched book brings contemporary lived experiences of many communities together, where she extensively talks about the social menaces of race and caste hierarchy. Intertwining it with personal experiences, her writing on inequality resonates with readers. With all its merits and demerits, the book is surely a window into a crucial aspect prevailing in the society, affecting lives adversely for ages.

4. Together by Vivek H. Murthy

The author, a doctor himself, talks about the importance of social ties and forging connections in order to battle the demon of loneliness engulfing people worldwide. He elaborates on the despairing situation of high rates of mortality due to suicide and the deterioration of mental health as results of the lack of social or community connections, and discusses it from a medicinal and psychological perspective too. The book incorporates the Covid-19 situation, and is scattered with numerous personal experiences, making it easier for people to understand this universal problem.

5. A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Obama’s words, be it in speech or writing, have always touched people’s hearts. The 44th US president’s memoir is a self-critical, shrewd and panache-filled account of his term as a president, along with his take on the nation, its problems and solutions. Emphasising mostly on his political journey right from his campaigning up to his term till 2011, that marks the year of Osma bin Laden’s death, it also gives us a peek into his years of aspiring to engage with politics. The book has drawn huge attention for his critical descriptions of various world leaders too, whom he met during his term. His practical approach and ruminations get well reflected in his writing, providing readers with an all-encompassing understanding of the land in contemporary times.

6. Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir by Natasha Trethewey

This empowering, beautifully worded, painful memoir is a daughter’s shattering recount about her mother’s murder by her former stepfather, her struggle with the trauma and the resulting artistic expression out of it. The horrifying incident is sprinkled with memories of her growing up years and an account of how her experiences of feeling uprooted for being born out of miscegenation shaped her. While narrating a deeply personal and heartbreaking story of losing a dear one, she gives a social perspective too by addressing the issues of domestic abuse and racism in her writing.

7. More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys co-written with Michelle Burford

The memoir recounts the 15-times Grammy-winning musician’s journey of discovering her true self. It is an inspiring soul-searching journey towards self-acceptance, where she learnt to be comfortable in her own skin. She recounts her days of struggle in dealing with a troubled relationship with her father, her romantic life being under the public gaze, motherhood, keeping up with everybody’s expectations during the initial days of her career and trying to match up to the set expectations of being a woman. At times one needs to pause and look how far one has come... Alicia’s book does the same where she deservingly celebrates herself.

8. Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedeman

Based on business tycoon Adam Neumann and his innovative and remarkable company WeWork, this fast-paced, straightforward non-fiction novel narrated in the manner of an entertaining thriller is an interesting read. From Neumann’s efforts to bring about a cool transformation to the American workplace culture and captivating the attention of the biggest investors to expanding the real estate business encouraged by Masayoshi Son into a multi-business venture and its resulting fall — the book accounts it all in an easy-read style. Wiedeman’s book offers perspective to young entrepreneurs and gives an idea of the American business scenario during Trump’s initial years as the president, when WeWork flourished as a modern co-working place, leading up to the ultimate collapse of the great American dream with a botched-up IPO.

9. The City Makers by Bijal Brahmbhatt and Renana Jhabvala

The book is an incredible narrative of how inclusivity of women in the society and economy, and providing them with the right facilities and ambience for growth, can bring about a positive change in the country’s progress. When the world is going gaga over “sustainability” in every sphere of life, this powerful story about the underprivileged urban society’s women living in settlements under extreme pressure — bringing about a transformation in their lives through their efforts with the aid of The Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, and reclaiming their rights of better living — is a story of true inspiration. It gives an account of a better way of city-building with equal rights, opportunities and participation of all.

10. Becoming Wild by Carl Safina

Coming from the award-winning science writer, ecologist and professor, this book helps us to understand our coexisters of the planet better. The author gives us a glimpse of wild animals’ inside kingdom, telling us facts and trivias about their culture, communication process, sense of belongingness in their community and power politics. A thoroughly interesting read, Safina once again effortlessly brings nature and humans closer with the sheer magic of his words, research and experience.

11. The Battle of Belonging by Shashi Tharoor

Pertinent to the turmoils of contemporary India, the ideas of identity that people are grappling with, the questions they are facing and the demands of proving such ideas that left the people of the country sleepless and many, till today, homeless, are explained in Tharoor’s book with his in-depth research and practical and sensible vision. He takes up the subjects of nationalism, anti-nationalism, patriotism, citizenship and belongingness and explores it eruditely from the very scratch, providing insight into its historical purview and modern scopes. Written with his usual flair, he argues passionately about the country’s history, its promises as an independent nation and its valuable future supported with historical fact, academic and personal judgement.

12. The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harper

An unusual, extraordinary account of an emergency room physician’s journey towards self-healing that she undertook while picking up lessons throughout her profession through her patient encounters. Starting out on her noble career with her own painful journey of separation, she goes through various realisations of how brokenness is universal, applicable to each of us and how healing is a process that begins with the recognition of that fact.

In the book, she emphasises on the art of compassion and through her own story and the stories of her patients evokes a sense of awareness in the readers about coming to terms with our own hell of the past and moving on in life.