Last year I finally decided that I was going to share all my book recommendations from one year together in one article, instead of writing a separate article about every book. I think this adds more value for you, the reader. And at the same time, this saves me time as well. Last year this led to me sharing an article with 14 books in total, my book recommendations from 2023. Not per se books that came out in 2023, but the ones I read that year. 2024 was not such a good reading year for me as 2023 was, I read less books in general. Therefore I only have 4 book recommendations for you. But nevertheless, they are fantastic books and I want to share them. So here are my book recommendations from 2024.
1 | Beginnen over het einde by Henk Blanken (2019)
One in three women eventually suffers from dementia. For men this number is one in seven. Many people don’t want to suffer from dementia, as they lose most of their memories and may likely not be themselves anymore. That’s why these people write a special paper, stating that they want euthanasia when it comes to this point. Euthanasia is legal in The Netherlands, yet barely any doctor helps people who suffer from dementia to actually get it, as the patient is no longer competent at that point. This brings a horrible dilemma. In Beginnen over het eind (translated as: to begin about the end) Henk Blanken discusses this dilemma. Blanken has a high risk of dementia himself and he wants to discover what is possible and what is not. I find the book extremely helpful for what to do when the situation arises.
2 | De goede mama by Dipsaus (2023)
De goede mama (translated as: the good mom) is a small book that holds several individual stories by different mothers. Each chapter therefore stands alone. De goede mama is a book that showcases the experiences of mothers of color, a point of view that is often left out. As a white person, I think it can teach you something. Because the stories show that mothers of color usually have a different experience than white women. They unfortunately have to worry and think about different things than white women do. But don’t worry, this is not a book focussed on the misery caused by racism. Most of all, it’s giving women of color a platform to tell their motherhood stories. Stories all mothers have. The book was a initiative of the Dipsaus podcast, I’ve recommended their podcast on here once before. The three owners really do a great job at publishing both books and podcasts.
3 | Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman and Jesse Frederik (2016)
Rutger Bregman and Jesse Frederik are my favorite duo. The both work for a membership-based journalism platform I am a member of: De Correspondent. Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers translates into Why garbage men earn more than bankers. It’s a plea to put our ethics into our economic system. Right now in The Netherlands the market decides which professions earn most money. That brings us crazy situations, where bankers earn much more money than people who pick up our garbage. In our current system, people who contribute very little to society can earn a lot of money. Bregman and Frederik state that is wrong. We as a society should decide which professions are valuable and make sure that the people who are essential to our economy get paid more. People working in healthcare, in education, people who pick up the garbage, they all earn a very low wage and that’s extremely unfair. This books made me look differently at economics.
4 | How migration really works by Hein de Haas (2023)
I have to be honest: this book took me more than 4 months to read. It is therefore one of the reasons I read so little books in 2024 haha. It’s non-fiction and has about 400 pages, so that’s understandable. But even though it took me long to read, I think it’s an extremely good book. De Haas debunks 22 myths about migration in How migration really works. Migration is a topic everybody has an opinion about, but nobody really knows the facts and historic trends. That’s why it’s such a controversial subject, because politicians play with the facts. After reading this book, you really know all there is to know about migration. And in a way, it felt repetitive to me. But that’s because facts about migration aren’t that spectacular. It’s a subject taken out of proportion. In essence, migration doesn’t really have such a big effect on society as a whole. But even more importantly: you can’t do that much to stop it. I think it’s time we as a society focus on real problems we have, instead of worrying about migration.
Those were my book recommendations from 2024.
Yours sincerely,
Romee