These are the books Indigo's CEO thinks you should snap up this winter

LIFESTYLE

These are the books Indigo's CEO thinks you should snap up this winter

Published Tuesday, November 17, 2020 5:30PM EST

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TORONTO -- A woman who leaves her twin sister behind to craft a fake identity; a Muslim writer whose father cherishes the period of his life where he was Donald Trump鈥檚 doctor; the life of America鈥檚 first Black president, as told by the man himself 鈥� these are the stories sure to capture readers across Canada this winter, according to Heather Reisman, founder and CEO of Indigo.

As the holiday season approaches, many are looking for their next literary world to dive into, or to give as a gift to distract from 2020.

These are a few of Reisman鈥檚 favourite picks for your next book buy.

Top of her list is a book that only just hit the shelves: former U.S. president Barack Obama鈥檚 memoir, 鈥淎 Promised Land.鈥�

According to Reisman, it is gripping enough to keep her reading until 4 a.m.

鈥淚鈥檓 only about a third of the way through, and it is phenomenal so far,鈥� Reisman told 麻豆影视 Channel on Tuesday. 鈥淵ou just fall into his ability to tell his story against the backdrop of the world, against the backdrop of his presidency.

鈥淗e鈥檚 introspective, you can feel the kind of person he is, that we know him to be,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e puts incidents and events in context of his belief that the arc of history is long and that we are making progress.

鈥淭his is the book, this holiday season. If you鈥檙e going to read a biography, the Barack Obama biography is the book to read."

Canadian poet Rupi Kaur also made Reisman鈥檚 list with her third poetry collection, 鈥渉ome body鈥�, which also was released Tuesday.

鈥淚 just love the way she writes,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just quite amazing how, in a couple of sentences 鈥� which, of course, is what makes poets special 鈥� she just conveys so much truth. And it just feels right for now.

鈥淟iterally, this is the book I would give to anybody and everybody,鈥� she added.

When it came to fiction, Reisman had more than one standout novel for readers to dig into.

Brit Bennett鈥檚 bestselling 鈥淭he Vanishing Half鈥� was her 鈥渆scape read鈥� this year, she said.

鈥淵ou just want to leave the world and just fall into a story that is just a fantastic story. This is 鈥淭he Vanishing Half鈥�,鈥� Reisman said, adding that it was the number one pick for Indigo as a whole this year.

The book, told through multiple perspectives, centres around two twin sisters who are both light-skinned Black women, and the shattering reverberations throughout both of their lives when one twin decides to pass as a white woman, a decision that requires she leave behind her family and her true identity.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just absolutely an incredible story,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淎nybody who likes to read fiction of any kind is going to love this book.鈥�

One of her other fiction recommendations is a genre-bending novel called 鈥淗omeland Elegies,鈥� by Ayad Akhtar.

鈥淭his book landed on my desk unexpectedly,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淣obody said to me to read it. This is the most unusual kind of book: it is a fiction which is actually a memoir and historical.鈥�

The narrative within the book follows a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who is also named Ayad Akhtar, but the content is fiction 鈥� a fictionalized autobiography.

鈥淚t is essentially inspired by his life in the real sense, but it is a piece of fiction,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淎nd this is about the life of a young Muslim in post-911 America.

鈥淵ou want to make this book the first book you read.鈥�

Of course, Reisman isn鈥檛 the only person behind the book recommendations that Indigo puts out every year. She admitted that she hasn鈥檛 yet read 鈥淢oonflower Murders,鈥� a suspense novel by Anthony Horowitz, but has been told by her team that it is a necessity for mystery lovers this year.

It features a twisting tale of intrigue that involves crime authors, disappearances and clues left behind in the pages of detective books themselves.

鈥淢y entire book team said 鈥楳oonflower Murders? That鈥檚 the book for anybody who likes mysteries.鈥�,鈥� Reisman said.

Some of the books that Reisman is highlighting do deal with the important topics of 2020. She recommends two books that deal with racism, one an in-depth non-fiction for adults, and one written for teenagers.

鈥淐aste鈥� by Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson, is 鈥渢he book to read if you want to actually understand racism in America,鈥� Reisman said.

It is an examination of the unspoken caste system in America that has affected countless lives throughout the country鈥檚 history and today.

鈥淵ou must read this book,鈥� Reisman said. 鈥淓verybody must read 鈥淐aste.鈥濃€�

Three years after Ibram X. Kendi put out his groundbreaking book, 鈥淪tamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,鈥� he鈥檚 joined forces with Jason Reynolds to put out a 鈥渞emix鈥� of the book for teenagers, called 鈥淪tamped: Racism, Antiracism, And You.鈥�

鈥淭his is a teen book that excavates the whole issue of racism in a way that is completely approachable,鈥� Reisman said. She recommended this book last June as well. "It is a spectacularly good read."

The pandemic also rears its head in some of Reisman鈥檚 2020 recommendations.

One book, Fareed Zakaria鈥檚鈥淭en Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World,鈥� promises some concrete answers in an uncertain time.

鈥淚 was at dinner with some good friends, one of whom I respect enormously, and he said 鈥楬ow could anybody have a view on the post-pandemic world already?鈥欌€� Reisman said.

鈥淭his book, it doesn鈥檛 start with the pandemic. What it does is it looks at critical trends happening in the world and how the pandemic has accelerated. Let me just say, for a non-fiction reader who wants to understand what鈥檚 happening and where we鈥檙e going 鈥� 鈥淭en Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World.鈥� It鈥檚 great.鈥�

On the other side of the spectrum, Tomos Robert addresses the pandemic through a picture book for children, which has its beginning as a poem performed on his YouTube channel in a video with more than six million views.

鈥淭his book is so beautiful,鈥� Reisman said, praising both the words and the illustrations. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a four-year-old, five-year-old, six-year-old, I鈥檓 just telling you, give [them] this book.

鈥淚t essentially talks about the world we鈥檙e living through right now and where we鈥檙e going, in a way for children [to understand].鈥�

The full list of Reisman鈥檚 top picks also includes a new cookbook by Ina Garten, a picture book written by a prima ballerina, and an award-winning graphic novel about a kid trying to fit in at a new school where diversity is low 鈥� plenty of variety for all of your reading needs this winter.