Here’s a list of the books I read in 2016, in chronological order:

• Interactive Data Visualization for the Web, Scott Murray
• Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Jon Meacham
• The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution, Walter Isaacson (first part)
• The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why, Arthur Benjamin
• The English and Their History, Robert Tombs (first half)
• Project Future: The Inside Story Behind the Creation of Disney World, Chad Denver Emerson
• Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church, The Investigative Staff of the Boston Globe
• Three Years in Wonderland: The Disney Brothers, C. V. Wood, and the Making of the Great American Theme Park, Todd James Pierce (first few chapters)
• The Oxford History of the French Revolution, William Doyle
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari
• Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, Simon Baker
• John Quincy Adams: Militant Spirit, James Traub
• America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union, Fergus M. Bordewich
• Test-Driven Development with Python, Harry Percival (most of it)
• Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939, Volker Ullrich
• The Nix, Nathan Hill
• Death’s End, Cixin Liu
• Time Travel: A History, James Gleick
• Herbert Hoover: A Life, Glen Jeansonne
• Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency, Charles Rappleye
• The Framers’ Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution, Michael J. Klarman
• Moonglow, Michael Chabon
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
• Jefferson the Virginian (Jefferson and His Time, Vol. 1), Dumas Malone
• Jefferson and the Rights of Man (Jefferson and His Time, Vol. 2), Dumas Malone

Sorry, Trumpolini, you can’t win me over by saying that you believe same-sex marriage is “settled,” for three reasons.

(1) You’re a pathological liar who will say anything and change any position if it gives you what you want, which is power.

(2) You’ll appoint right-wing judges.

(3) You can’t divide your enemies by giving some of us crumbs and hoping you’ll peel us off. Even if I were a straight white Christian male with a large estate, you’d still disgust me because of what you’re going to do to immigrants, Muslims, people of color, people without means, people who need birth control, people who need abortions for reasons that are not ours to judge, and others.

Nice try.

My therapist hosted a group session today for any of his clients that wanted to discuss how they’re feeling about the election. I went. There were five of us there, and it was really helpful.

He said he’d decided to do this special session because in his 26 years of practice, he’d never experienced a week with his clients like this one. Not even after 9/11. People have been upset, scared, worried, and depressed, and he thought it would be helpful to get folks together to share their thoughts and feelings.

I met some nice, interesting guys, and it was cathartic to hear how they’ve been dealing with the last few days.

As for me, what I took away from the session was that I don’t have to feel bad about feeling miserable about what’s happened. Some people are emotionally resilient and can easily compartmentalize their thoughts. That kind of thing is a little harder for me. Some people are moving immediately to anger and protest. I’m not really up for that right now. It will take me as long as it takes to return to normalcy, and that’s okay. You have to be who you are and you have to know what you need. As they say on airplanes, you should put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.

My therapist decided that in lieu of a fee for the session, we’d pay him whatever we wanted, and we’d collectively choose a charity to give the money to. We’ve decided to give it to a Muslim rights group – not sure which one yet.

I’m really glad he did this.