5 Must-read books recommended by the CREDO team

It’s been a cold winter in the Bay Area – sometimes it gets down to 35 degrees at night, and other times it will rain (not at the same time, thankfully). Us Californians aren’t cut out for this, and all I want to do until April is curl up with a good book.

I took to Slack to ask my CREDO teammates for book recommendations, and here’s what they had to say:

Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer by Dean Baker
Suggested by Rob, Sr. Director of Business Intelligence
Nonfiction, Economics
About the book: “Baker explains how rules on trade, patents, copyrights, corporate governance and macroeconomic policy were rigged to make income flow upward.”
What Rob says: “Dean Baker does an excellent job explaining how the political choices we make have led to inequality.”

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Suggested by Bethany, Design Director
Nonfiction, Race
About the book: A beautifully written letter from a father to his son about growing up Black in America.
What Bethany says: “As a parent, I found it moving and powerful, and as an American (especially in this time of persistent racism), essential reading.”

White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Suggested by Elizabeth, Proofreader
Fiction
About the book: Written during the author’s final year at Cambridge, the plot centers around the families and relationships of two English and Bangladeshi friends.
What Elizabeth says: “Though published in 2000, the novel touches on issues of race, immigration and assimilation that make it feel current and relevant in 2016.”

Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit
Suggested by Sue, Finance Director
Nonfiction, Political Science
About the book: A short, uplifting series of essays on political activism.
What Sue says: “This book is a great antidote for the awful feeling that we’re headed toward a Trump-era apocalypse. Chronicling our recent history of transformative social activism, Solnit reminds us that every act of resistance, however small or seemingly without impact, can lead to unexpected victories down the road.”

And here’s my suggestion:

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Fiction
About the book: A novel about a young Nigerian immigrant to America, Adichie explores what it’s like to be Black in the United States through a 20-something’s experience.

Here’s why I’m recommending it: While I will never fully understand the racism experienced by Black people in the United States, this book enriched my perspective on it.

These informative books let you experience new things without leaving the comfort of your own home. Happy reading this winter!