Hello and welcome to a new week, fellow nonfiction fans! It feels like we’re in a bit of a lull for new releases, or at least not quite in the deluge we have been the last month or so. This week I’ve got books about exploring creativity, dying languages, and understanding menopause. Let’s dive in!
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In 1621, fifty-six young women left their homes and boarded ships bound for Virginia. Their ages ranged from sixteen to twenty-eight, and they were deemed “young and uncorrupt.” Each had a bride price of 150 pounds of tobacco set by the Virginia Company, which funded their voyage. Though the women had all gone of their own free will, they were to be sold into marriage, generating a profit for investors and helping ensure the colony’s long-term viability. In The Jamestown Brides, Jennifer Potter spins a fascinating tale of courage and survival, exploring their lives in England and experiences in Jamestown.
Broken Places and Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected by Nnedi Okorafor – After waking up from back surgery to discover she can’t move her legs, Nnedi Okorafor’s entire sense of self began to feel fluid. This formative experience also bled into her writing, and led her to this manifesto about how “what we perceive as limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths.”
Further Reading: Marie Claire interviewed Okorafor (who’s probably best known for her science fiction writing) about writing African superheroes for comics and television.
A Death in the Rainforest: How a Language and a Way of Life Came to an End in Papua New Guinea by Don Kulick – As a young anthropologist, Don Kulick wanted to document the death of a native language in New Guinea. Over a thirty-year period, Kulick returned to the village of Gapun many times as he tried to understand the language and the daily lives of the people who spoke it. This book is a look at the remote, isolated village of 200 people and “why this anthropologist realized finally that he had to give up his study of this language and this village.”
More Recommendations: TIME Magazine included this book on their list of best books of summer 2019, which is a pretty impressive list.
Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life by Darcey Steinke – When menopause hit Darcey Steinke, she quickly discovered that a culture of silence and sexism made this period of life especially difficult and misunderstood. In this book, she explores different aspects of menopause “including the changing gender landscape that reduced levels of hormones brings, the actualities of transforming desires, and the realities of prejudice against older women.”
Further Listening: NPR’s All Things Considered interviewed Steinke as part of its “Let’s Talk about Sex” series where she talked about “navigating a new sexual life after menopause.”
And before I close, three other books that caught my eye this week:
- The Hidden Power of F*cking Up by Try Guys
- The Best People: Trump’s Cabinet and the Siege on Washington by Alexander Nazaryan
- My Seditious Heart: Collected Nonfiction by Arundhati Roy
You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, on email at kim@riotnewmedia.com, and co-hosting the For Real podcasthere at Book Riot. Happy reading! – Kim