With frequent power outages, many long bus rides, and a lack of internet, I read quite a few books this past year. I wanted to share the list with everyone as most of them were quite good.

The Bang Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War (Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva) – A great book about 4 photo-journalists who took photos during the apartheid era in South Africa, and the impact their jobs had on them.

Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson) – A bestseller about a man who opens schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Invisible Cure (Helen Epstein) – Informative book about why HIV/aids in Africa is so rampant and what to do about it.

Dreams of My Father (Barack Obama)- Insight into our current president, and the childhood that shaped him into the person he is today.

Into Thin Air (Jon Krakauer) – A quick read about a deadly climb up Mt. Everest.

The Grass is Singing (Doris Lessing) – A waste of time….

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer) – An addictive but slightly strange book about a 9-year-old on a quest for answers. 

100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) – A classic book that is beautifully written, but I found it to be a bit dragged out.

Swahili for the Broken-hearted (Peter Moore) – An account of a traveler from Cape to Cairo with many opinionated observations stated as facts.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky (Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng) - A heart-wrenching, page-turner about two brothers and a cousins’ experiences of being lost boys of Sudan. The book is written by them.

When a Crocodile Eats the Sun (Peter Godwin) – A white Zimbabwean journalist writes about his life in the country under the oppressive Mugabe regime.

The End of Poverty (Jeffrey Sachs) – A must-read for anyone in development, but I personally don’t always agree with his ideas and found the book to be a bit dense.

The Constant Gardener (John le Carre) – Even better than the movie!

The Fate of Africa (Martin Meredith) – A historical account of Africa that is an essential read in order to understand Africa today.

Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers) – A mediocre fiction novel, which at some points is very comical. 

The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) – A beautifully written and engaging book about a missionary family to the Congo.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families (Philip Gourevitch) – A great and informative book about the Rwandan genocide.

Dead Aid (Dambisa Moyo) – A great book on why aid isn’t working in Africa and some alternative solutions to ending poverty.

Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts) – A fantastic book about a criminal fugitive who builds a life in Bombay, India.