Favorite Books of 2019: The First two

It's not December yet, but I don't think it's too early to start making end-of-year lists. Since I'd like to write little blurbs about each, I figured I'd describe two books at a time through the end of the year. While I don't agree with every book that will appear in these posts, I found each one challenging or educational in some way. These are in no particular order.