This year was an exercise in uncertainty. A lot of questions. A lot of doubts. A lot of FOMO. I’m still figuring things out. Along the way, I read 7 books. Not much. But two of them stood out.
Elon Musk #
I only discovered Walter Isaacson recently, and I regret that. His skill at writing biographies is remarkable. I immediately bought three more of his books. Highly recommended.
As for the book itself, whether you like Elon Musk or not doesn’t really matter. What’s undeniable is the scale of his business achievements. They’re extraordinary. That’s the only thing I chose to focus on. Not the controversies. Not the Nazi salute.
I read this book around April - May, which was probably the first lowest point of my year. A lot was happening at once. I spent time reflecting on my choices and quietly recalibrating.
Mémoires d’une Amazone des temps modernes: Pour l’histoire des femmes et du Bénin #
It’s Rosine Soglo’s memoir. There’s a lot to unpack here, but I’ll limit myself to a few points.
Rosine Soglo was one of the most influential political women in Benin. Her memoir illustrates both her personal path and the dynamics of politics in the country.
One thing that stood out: how many politicians’ children believe they’re entitled to power simply because their parents once held it. You see this everywhere. The Soglo family never really moved on from Nicéphore Soglo’s defeat in 1996. Decades later, his children are still trying to run the country.
The recent failed coup attempt in December opened my eyes even more to what’s happening in West Africa. It’s a disturbing mix of chaos and dysfunction: jihadist terrorism, empty pan-African rhetoric, scripted elections, politicians with no real ideology, and an “opposition” that only exists during campaign season. The horizon here feels too close.
Taken together, these books reflected the uncertainties and questions that defined my year. One forcing me to rethink ambition, work, and resilience; the other confronting me with power, legacy, and political disillusionment.
Both uncomfortable. Both necessary.
Goals for 2026 #
In 2026, I’m going to do something different. As I often say, I need to build or work on something new to feel something again. And of course read more books.