The 10 best non-fiction books I read in 2021
The reason I like the pronounced ‘sound’ of 2021 is that when you say ‘twenty-twenty-one’ you are saying 20 and 21 successively, like counting numbers. Like when we used to learn to count numbers in primary school, one after the other in a breath till the desired mark of 50, 100 or whatever we were asked to. We will have another one in 2122 as ‘twenty-one-twenty-two’, a hundred years later —call it a millennium if that catches your fancy!
2021 was extra-remarkable for me in terms of reading, not only because I read some absolute great fiction titles (check them out here!) but also because I stumbled upon good non-fiction books in all their glory. When I felt too dazzled by recent events around me, all the commotion of joy and the frenzy of pain — my mind wanted to ponder upon facts and opinions, essays and personal accounts — which will make me stand directly in conversation with those intelligent writers. And so I did. I made sure to incorporate a good number of non-fiction into my review lists of each month and in my personal reads, and in no time I had to pick my favourites from the year gone by.
1. ‘Things Are Against Us’ by Lucy Ellmann
Humour and sarcasm nailed directly into every page, Ellmann’s essays are a treat to read. Or should I say, devour? She is mostly seen to be lashing out in this book — about the issues and tactics that is shaping the world now, and how it makes her see things in a new light. Her criticism is sharp and her observations are witty, but the way she makes them satirical and sarcastic is truly the capability of a gifted writer.
2. ‘A Taste of My Life: A memoir in essays and recipes’ by Chitrita Banerji
One of my last reads of the year, this went on to evoke such warmth and mellowness within me, that I felt a surge of happiness. Banerji knows food’s language, the instincts marked by distinct culinary techniques, and so she brings out Bengali cuisine and late 80s Bengali living into a real, vivid, thriving picture that will make you want to cuddle up and gobble up home-cooked meals! Read my review here.
3. ‘Let me Tell you What I Mean’ by Joan Didion
Didion needs no introduction to the English speaking audience, neither does her words need conditioning or preludes. Through these essays she strikes again into the metaphysical ways of human existence, of everyday things with sparkling emotions, and into this dry, crude ways of interaction among us. She passed away recently, and this is her last book. My post is here.
4. ‘On Citizenship’
4 essays: meticulous, scholarly, erudite and factual. When the country is boiling with so many ideological extremism: leftism, rightism, vicious nationalism, communal-ism, that our citizenship can be easily misinterpreted and conveniently rephrased to suit agendas — this book becomes essential to grasp the true meaning of Indian citizenship, and how it has come to be. Read my blog post here.
5. ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi
Could be the most heart-wrenching book I read. Kalanithi’s words hit hard, makes you think about the transience of life but also fills you with a sweet sense of hope. By the time you are done with this book, you will have known Death in its most cruel yet humane of ways. ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ was published way before 2021, and I am sad it took me so long to get to this.
6. ‘The Bhagavad Gita for Milennials’ by Bibek Debroy
The Gita can be daunting, with its extra-sensoriness or its spiritual heaviness. But Debroy simplies it and extracts the prime essence of it to present a book suitable for someone who has just encountered the vibrance of The Bhagavad Gita, for the younger generation. Read my review here.
7. ‘Brown Baby: a memoir of Race, Family and Home’ by Nikesh Shukla
I was a brown baby, and I always will be — and maybe that’s why Shukla’s words touch close. He charts out brown living, about the infusion of Western and Indian culture, about diaspora living, race, colour and about all things that bring us home. A book that is touching, uplifting, motivating and bright. Read what I have to say here.
8. ‘A Taste of Time: a food history of Calcutta’ by Mohona Kanjilal
Calcutta’s relationship with food is exceptional, and to narrate its history through relics of food is both extraordinary and mouth-watering. Kanjilal’s book is impeccably detailed, enriched with culture and heritage and is a boon for someone even remotely interested in knowing the old footprints of this grand city.
9. ‘Ancient India: culture of contradictions’ by Upinder Singh
An urgent book from a historian’s perspective that puts forward India’s conflicting cultural representations, and therefore shatters the notion of an unified ‘Indian culture’ to combat any progressive thinking. Singh’s book is well researched, crisp, legible and fascinating. Read my post here.
10. ‘Gandhi in the Gallery’ by Sumathi Ramaswamy
A book to treasure. A book dripping with artistry and Art, in passionate craftsmanship and agile creativity. A book all about Art borne of Gandhi — artworks and sculptures of those who found the Mahatma to be their muse, and the cultural significance of what they created. Read my review here.
