“We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. We’ve got to go through it!” These immortal words of Michael Rosen’s classic children’s book are exactly how we felt about this past year with all its highs and lows — and there were a lot of lows. Tertulia’s spin on the ritual of the year-in-review is to look at the world through reading glasses.

The Orphanage: A Novel by Serhiy Zhadan

It’s hard to believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was less than a year ago. We've seen so many great recommendations on Tertulia for how one might better understand the conflict like Hannah Arendt on understanding the rise of authoritarianism or Anne Applebaum on Stalin's legacy in the country. We learned about the celebrated "punk rock poet" Serhiy Zhadan, whose The Orphanage was selected by The New York Times in their best books to read for context on Ukraine.

This novel of historical fiction is a highly accessible way to get a window into the devastation of Ukrainians trying to live their lives in the midst of conflict.  In an inspiring profile of Zhadan in the New York Review of Books, Sophie Pinkham explains that his novels, rock songs and activism have made him "a builder of bridges in Ukraine, an essential figure in a bitterly divided landscape."

Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus by David Quammen

We’re all running out of gas in coping with COVID as we hit the third anniversary of the pandemic. But we remain in awe of the scientists who have helped us understand and survive this scourge – and in awe of David Quammen’s ambitious attempt to explain their quest. When it was short-listed for the National Book Award, the judges called it "a richly illuminating and marvelously informed account of the wide array of scientists and officials from across the globe reckoning with a virus whose aftermath is still being determined. Deeply engaging and at times harrowing, Breathless clarifies where the science stands thus far on the virus..."

Sea of Tranquility: A Novel by Emily St. John Mandel

A longing to transcend the trauma of COVID-19 through travel is a feeling familiar to many of us. It was that yearning to escape during lockdown that inspired Emily St. John Mandel’s novel that incorporates space and time travel during a pandemic. While this acclaimed book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction, it is a book that resonates for so many readers regardless of their taste for sci-fi. 

Happening by Annie Ernaux

The Nobel Committee responsible for the literature prize insists that laureates are selected based on “literary quality first of all.” But honoring this year’s laureate, French author Annie Ernaux, feels especially timely as a socio-political signal in America, where women and men are processing the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

A stark account of her illicit abortion in college, this book by Ernaux is acclaimed for its writing and inventive form — but it is also an exquisite political act that makes her work so relevant and necessary.  Writer and editor Madelaine Lucas tweeted, "One of the writers I work with is an OBGYN and she told me she gives this book to her mentees. It should be required reading everywhere."

Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur

Following the killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the morality police in Iran, protests and resulting executions have left many of us wondering about how and when the Iranian opposition might topple the regime. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and history, this novel about women escaping the narrow confines of their daily lives is a timely allegory of life in modern Iran. 

Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith

On a positive note… If there was a moment of collective effervescence in 2022, it was the release of Beyoncé's Renaissance album. If anyone understands the cultural forebears who primed our world for Bey’s genius, it’s journalist Danyel Smith. Shine Bright is our go-to music book pick this year for its mini-biographies in homage to the most influential and often underrated Black women in American culture.

Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke

A watch phrase of the year, “quiet quitting” describes burnt-out employees who decide to do the minimum amount of work required to keep their jobs rather than join the “great resignation,” with the threat of a looming recession. Perhaps this classic by Herman Melville is the OG book on quiet quitting. But Annie Duke’s book about knowing when to quit was a perfectly timed release this year to help those of us deciding whether or not to throw in the towel. 

Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor by Kim Kelly

Another trend in our work lives in 2022 is the rise of unionization. Unions got the highest approval from Americans in polls since 1965, according to a Gallup survey. As a backdrop to the high-profile union drama this year at companies like Amazon and Starbucks (and in the book world, Harper Collins), we loved this captivating read on labor history. Singer Billy Bragg said, "this brilliant history of union activism has been the ideal companion on a tour infused with picket lines and protests." Kelly was also a first author interviewee when we launched Tertulia!

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman

The January 6 Capitol attack investigation has been a throughline of the year as a subpoena of former President Trump electrified the debate over whether his intent was to incite violence, and subsequently, deceive the public about the election. From Rep. Jamie Raskin’s telling his eyewitness account of the insurrection to this gripping deep dive on how far-right extremists rose to prominence, there are countless books trying to capture this moment.

The January 6 Report will be released as a bound edition available in January. Another book likely to go down in history as a primary source is this biography by The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman who who had unprecedented access to Trump. 

The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach by Sarah Stodola 

The darkness of the political climate is outshadowed only by the demise of our actual climate which has hit us viscerally this year with a number of extreme weather events. When you’re planning your next getaway to beat the deep freeze or the heat, consider a look at Sarah Stodola’s fascinating history of the vacation resort and its hidden environmental toll. 

Apollo Remastered: The Ultimate Photographic Record by Andy Saunders

So far, the only true escapism from planet Earth is through space travel, so it is not a coincidence that 2022 will be remembered for a re-start of the Space Race. We also will remember forever dropping our jaws at the new Webb telescope images that shared the deepest view of the cosmos to date. The wonders of these images are captured in this new photographic treasure — the definitive record of all Apollo missions. 

Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation by Kevin Roose

The recent release of Chat GPT, a powerful AI chatbot that is open and free to all, was a milestone for the sweeping changes that AI is bringing to how we live. Whether this particular tool is a true tipping point for AI or an overhyped fad, there’s no doubt that the general field of AI is shaping the human experience. Journalist Kevin Roose’s book is a primer on how to maintain our focus on being human and do the kinds of inspiring things that AI cannot. 

How to Read Now: Essays by Elaine Castillo   

If your new year’s resolutions include reading more books (always!) and thinking more critically, reading this book is a great way to punctuate 2022.  Elaine Castillo (named one of the 30 Most Exciting Young People by the Financial Times) has written a guide to the question: how should we read? Her timely and provocative book of essays debunks the glib assumption that “reading build[s] empathy,” challenges the cult of Joan Didion and urges us to understand the historical context of Jane Austen. 

Inciting Joy: Essays by Ross Gay

And finally… It’s hard not to have the 2022 blues when reflecting on multiple crises of rising inflation, an extended war in Ukraine, mass shootings, extreme weather and the list goes on. It’s only fitting that we end with a recommended reading antidote. Let this collection of essays by poet Ross Gay be a balm to 2022’s disappointments.