Sponsored by Born to Fly by Steve Sheinkin
A few short years after American women finally got the right to vote, a group of trailblazers soared to new heights in the first women’s air race across the U.S. Follow the lives of legend Amelia Earhart, who has captivated generations; Marvel Crosson, who built a plane before she learned how to fly; Louise Thaden, who shattered altitude records; and Elinor Smith, who made headlines when she flew under the Brooklyn Bridge at 17. These awe-inspiring stories culminate in a suspenseful, nail-biting race that brings to life the glory and grit of the early days of flying, expertly told by the master of nonfiction history, Steve Sheinkin.
Hello and happy September, nonfiction friends! As sad as I am to see this summer start to wind down, there’s been something very soothing about the slide into fall this year. The air feels crisp, I’m eating a lot of apples, and the fall publishing season is kicking off.
This week, I have 10 interesting new books to put on your radar. Let’s go!
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education by Jennine Capó Crucet – A collection of essays on being an “accidental” American and “her family’s attempts to fit in with white American culture.”
Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin – A look at “the ways we understand the traumas we inherit and the systems that sustain them.”
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems by Randall Munroe – The creator of the webcomic xkcd is back with an “entertaining and useless” self-help guide of ridiculous solutions to common problems.
Elements of Fiction by Walter Mosley – A guide to writing fiction that “transcends convention and truly stands out.”
Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic by Ben Westhoff – An investigation into the world of synthetic drugs, from factories in China to dealers in the United States, and how they’re part of the next wave of the opioid crisis.
The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You by Dina Nayeri – A memoir by a refugee that also shares “the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys.”
Scan Artist: How Evelyn Wood Convinced the World that Speed-Reading Worked by Marcia Biederman – A true-life con story about a woman with no background in education and little classroom experience who became a renowned teacher of speed reading.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber by Mike Isaac – An inside peek at Uber during 2017, a dramatic year when the company rose to the top of the tech world and removed its CEO in a boardroom coup.
Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied the Nazis in the World’s Most Dangerous Horse Race by Richard Askwith – “The courageous and heartbreaking story of a Czech countess who defied the Nazis in a legendary horse race” in 1937.
Whose Story Is This?: Old Conflicts, New Chapters by Rebecca Solnit – New essays from Rebecca Solnit! This collection explores who gets to shape the narrative of our times.
One last thing for this week: Don’t forget to enter our giveaway of the year’s 10 best mystery/thrillers so far! It’s such a good list!
You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, on email at kim@riotnewmedia.com, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. In this week’s episode, Alice and I chatted about books about school. Happy reading! – Kim