Books I read in 2022: A recap

In 2022, I picked up my love for reading books again. And I can’t wait to read even more this year. Here’s a recap of most books I finished.

 

Bezonomics

by Brian Dumaine

Themes: Business, Amazon, artificial intelligence, capitalism

The major thing I got from Bezonomics is that every business is Amazon’s competition even if it’s not right now.

I read this book because it’s so interesting to go into the minds of innovative people, to see if they truly don’t have two heads.

Bezonomics chronicles everything that’s made this company; from Bezos’s background to Amazon’s strategies, the not-so-great stories that have plagued the company of late, and why every business should watch out for the giant.

Dumaine dives deep into the company’s artificial intelligence tool, its obsession with pleasing the customer, and the strategy of underpricing the competition out of the market and then dominating it.

The customer-centric approach is honestly impressive but also eerie. Eerie because as humans, we are insatiable and I wonder where the resultant expectation of convenience will leave us in many years.

Then there’s also the effect on workers and by extension the competition who have to constantly be on their toes, to keep striving for perfection. It’s laudable, we could certainly use more of that in these parts, but on another hand, I wonder if we’ll ever get to slow down. I know that’s not how the economy works, but I digress.

Another fascinating thing is that at the time this book was written, the author mentions that companies with a human touch like beauty and food spaces might be safe from Amazon’s “takeover” but some months ago, I saw a video on Tiktok of an Amazon Salon that even caters to Black hair in the UK, with low prices to boot. I joked that Alexa is going to be receiving premium tea, but I’m curious about what this means for the Black beauty space.

 

Formation: The making of Nigeria from Jihad to Amalgamation

by Feyi Fawehinmi and Fola Fagbule

Themes: History, Nigeria, Imperialism

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

This country is built on so much violence and no matter how some things change they remain the same. 

Formation recounts the poignant local and international events that led to the creation of Nigeria. It explores the audacity of the Brits, the relationships between former countries (now tribes) in the pre-colonial region we now know as Nigeria, and all the gray areas in between. 

What I appreciate about this book is that it connects all the stories that are usually told individually, whether it’s the discovery of the river Niger, Usman Dan Fodio and the caliphate, the formation of the Royal Niger company, the invasion of the Benin Kingdom, and tells how they led to 1914.

An interesting theme in these stories is the importance of visionary leaders and equally visionary successors. People who can see beyond what’s in front of them, who can see in 30-50-year timeframes are a gift. Even in the flawed and wicked administrations written about, it was never enough to have a “good” leader if there were no successors with the capacity and shared vision to continue the legacy. It was intriguing to see this failure play out time and again. And how it in fact led to where we are now.

I would have appreciated maps in the book and think it would make a fantastic documentary because some descriptions needed strong visualizations.

PS: Even though Frederick Lugard is the poster boy for the amalgamation, the person you should be looking for is George Taubman Goldie. 

 

Honey and Spice

by Bolu Babalola

Themes: Love, friendship, fake dating, ambition

I love a good rom-com, especially a slow-burn frenemies-to-lovers trope. And Honey & Spice delivers with this story of Kiki, who avoids relationships like the plague, and Malakai whom all the girlies want–two seeming opposites who have to fake-date to save their reputation.

In the beginning, the over-explanations stumped me. I think the audience could have been trusted to understand things contextually. I also thought the drama was more suited for high school than uni, but in a lot of ways it made sense.

Honey & Spice is very warm, and the dialogue is relatable. It has all the softness, humor, cheesiness, chemistry, banter, cliffhangers, and “troubled love interest”, that make romcoms so heart-gripping. It’s the kind of book you read on vacation, or on a lazy Saturday when you just want to soak in a bath with scented candles and a glass of your favorite bubbly.

And at the risk of having my Christian card revoked, I agree with Kiki that Thong Song is a romantic jam and I want my husband to sing it to me at my wedding.

Born on a Tuesday

by Elnathan John

Themes: Northern Nigeria, politics, friendship, extremism 

Born On A Tuesday is a coming-of-age story of Dantala, an almajiri in northern Nigeria who wasn’t quite like the others. We follow his story from a boy used as a political thug to a high official in his mosque, his curiosities and appetite for knowledge, his love, and many losses. The overarching theme of friendship and personal growth gets me the most. I didn’t know what to expect reading this but I came to care for Dantala and shed a few gangsta tears when things took an unexpected turn (no spoilers.)

I love how easy it was to read. And the excerpts from Dantala’s journal, where he tried to make sense of English words, were endearing and captured his meekness and childlike sense of wonder.

Crazy Love

by Francis Chan

Themes: The Church, Christianity, service, God’s love, God’s holiness

Crazy Love is Francis Chan’s attempt to get the church to wake up and love God for real. He focuses on the American church, but like Paul’s letters, there’s something every Christian can take away from it.

The book asks, “What would your life as a Christian look like if you really loved God in deed, in thought, in your relationship with the world?” He reminds us that we are called to service, not exactly to comfort. And he emphasized that this is not a book to read and be “convicted” by, but one that should lead to change.

One thing I love about this book is Chan’s humility. When it was written, he’d been a founding pastor of his church for 13 years. Yet, he writes with empathy, it’s not condescending or sarcastic. He doesn’t ever imply that he is somehow now perfect, unlike the rest of us. He often uses his shortcomings as an example, which is refreshing.

But even his manner of writing doesn’t take away from the uncomfortable truth. He holds up a mirror and forces the reader to look into it and determine what they want their life to be like–for God or not.

Second-class citizen

by Buchi Emecheta

Themes: Hustle, gender-based violence, immigration, marriage.

*Deep negro spiritual sigh* 

The first book by Emecheta I read was The Joys of Motherhood when I was preparing to write WAEC 13 years ago. That book was irony at its finest. So when I picked up Second-class Citizen, I knew that I was going to be faced with unbridled anguish, as harsh as real life can be. 

Second-class citizen is about the life of Adah, a hardworking Nigerian woman who moves to London in the 1960s with her husband and kids. It tells of Adah’s struggles balancing being the sole provider of her family, a present mother and wife to an unfaithful man in a racist society, and her journey to reclaiming her life.

Although it was written many years ago, it captures the present-day reality of a lot of women. 

 

The chiffon trenches

by Andre Leon Talley

Themes: Fashion, friendship, betrayal, LGBT, ambition, drugs

The Chiffon Trenches is a memoir of the late Andre Leon Talley’s ascension from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of European/American fashion. But it’s also more or less a crash history of the rise of fashion in these places. It peels back the layers and demystifies the life of famous fashion socialites and designers; the drama, betrayals, pettiness, addictions, and obscenities, told from ALT’s point of view. Some parts left my mouth agape at the sheer effrontery. 

I finished this book feeling sorry for the late ALT. Even though he accomplished a lot materially, he missed out on important things. It makes me uncomfortable to say that, to decide whether a person gained true happiness or not, especially as he’s no longer here. But it’s an undertone that’s present throughout this book. I talked a bit more about it here

 

Little fires everywhere

by Celeste Ng. 

Themes: classism, hustle, motherhood, adolescence

This one is a simple story. I liked the ease and flow of it. It’s about the Richardsons, a middle-class family in the suburbs, and how the arrival of Mia Wright and her daughter, Pearl, upends their seemingly perfect life in Shaker Heights.

In a sublime way, it’s about the sacrifices of motherhood and what that looks like to different people, but also about classism, fitting in, and the tumultuousness of adolescence.

It gave me the vibe of Desperate Housewives, but with only 1/4th of the drama in Wisteria Lane. 

Love your life

by Sophie Kinsella

Themes: Love, friendship, opposites attract trope

You might know Sophie Kinsella from the Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Love your life follows Ava and Matt, two strangers who meet at a writing retreat where they cannot divulge anything about their personal lives. Naturally, they fall in love with the personas they created at the retreat. But will their romance stand the test of time when faced with their real-life dissimilarities? Your guess is probably right.

I love chick-lit and I’ve read 10 of Kinsella’s but I couldn’t relate to the main character in this one. I wanted her to have more agency at times. It wasn’t really my vibe, but I’m going to read it again to be sure.