Books.
It’s late on a Monday night and I should be doing, well, not this, and I just can’t stop thinking about BOOKS and how they helped form my worldview and shaped my personality. All links go to Goodreads so you can choose your consumption platform of choice, but I recommend your local library or the Libby app (requires a library card only).
This is not exhaustive. Just the ones since I started tracking in 2018 and that I could think of so late on a school night. I’ll try and keep this updated as I can with new additions at the top.
As of January 2026:
Books I read when I heard “rape culture” and didn’t get what it meant.
Know My Name. This was one of the hardest books I think I’ve ever read. It’s about Chanel Miller’s experience as a sexual assault victim and the aftermath. Every. Single. Human. Being. Who. Knows. Or. Loves. A. Human. With. A. Vagina. Must. Read. This. The internalized and overt misogyny that is our system - UGH it’s uncomfortable to confront, which is why we have to do it. Also, Pure.
Books I read for pure entertainment, but then learned some things by accident.
Pretty much anything by Jodi Picoult, especially her older work. The thing about Jodi’s books is they have some really hot theme. Something controversial. Something nuanced and deeply troubling. And then she dissects it from multi perspectives. And before you know it you’re seeing the story from the view of the person who performed the school shooting, the parents of that kid, the victims, and the community. Suddenly you feel yourself feeling for people you are normally quick to judge and dismiss. I’m pretty sure there was a 1-2 year period where the only books I read were Jodi’s. I simply couldn’t get enough of the nuance and character development.
The Nightingale and Four Winds. Woof. Historical fiction has a way of terrifying and comforting me. Like, okay. I get it. This has all happened before. There’s nothing new under the sun. History is bound to repeat itself. Etcetera. That really makes me sad. And it makes me sad that as a society we haven’t learned. As a people we still make the same mistakes. But also, we survive. Similarly, All the Light We Cannot See, Fifty Words for Rain, Lilac Girls, and Lost Roses.
The Fourth Wing and Throne of Glass series. First of all, I had no idea I loved dragons. I was also very late to this game. But, what I love about these series is that they highlight the nuances and complexities of a society, war, interpersonal conflict, with woke protagonists and purposefully, but not forced, inclusivity. [ Please note, I haven’t yet read any other of Maas’ series. I’m not excluding any on purpose; just late to the fantasy hype :) ]
Books I read when I realized I didn’t understand what “systemic racism” meant.
The New Jim Crow. I was late to the game understanding racism in America. I thought we had improved. I was in my bubble mostly unaware. I was also a math major with very few history and poli-sci classes. I need supplemental materials. This book was full of things that hadn’t reached me via school or the news in any way that I had properly understood. I also read When They Call You a Terrorist, The Light We Carry, and White Fragility.
Books I read because I thought they’d make me a better data scientist, but they actually made me realize the risks of data.
Automating Inequality. Data matters. More on this later. I don’t have the mental space in this exact moment of writing. But our data, how it’s collected, used, deleted (or in reality, not), and the digital footprint we create can and will be used against us in a lot of ways. This impacts marginalized communities the most. Similarly, Data Feminism and Super Intelligence.
