Sponsored by Oxford University Press.
America’s World War II military was a force of unalloyed good. While saving the world from Nazism, it also unified a famously fractious American people. At least that’s the story many Americans have long told themselves. Divisions offers a different view. Prizewinning historian Thomas A. Guglielmo draws together more than a decade of extensive research to tell sweeping yet personal stories of race and the military; of high command and ordinary GIs; and of African Americans, white Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. Guglielmo argues that the military built not one color line, but a complex tangle of them.
Happiest of Fridays, fellow nonfiction nerds! The long weekend I wrote about last week was such a delight. I caught up on chores around the house, finished two books, and managed to get myself a little bit organized before the sprint to the end of the year.
The end of the year means it’s also awards season! In this edition, I’ve got news about three different awards that have been given, finalized, or opened to voting.
But before we get into it, one quick note: We’re hiring an Advertising Sales Manager! Do you like books and comics? Does helping advertisers reach an enthusiastic community of book and comics lovers intrigue you? This might be your job. Apply by December 5, 2021.
The winners of the National Book Awards were announced on Wednesday! This is one of my favorite awards to follow – I feel like the winners always suggest something interesting about what is happening in the world at any given time. This year’s winner in nonfiction is All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles. I am so jazzed about this – and I happen to have it checked out from the library right now. Weekend reading, here I come!
The finalists for the 2022 Carnegie Awards have been announced! These awards, given annually by the American Library Association, recognize top fiction and nonfiction titles. The finalists in nonfiction are:
- Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain
- A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
- Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke
The winners will be announced in a virtual event on Sunday, January 23, 2022.
Voting is open in the first round of the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards! I always feel a little mixed about these awards. One the one hand, I love how they dig into lots of different genres, which helps elevate a ton of interesting books. On the other hand, it feels like the winners are usually books that have already generated a ton of buzz… which is interesting if you’re not a deeply bookish person, but kind of blah if you’re connected at all. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
One Thing I Like
Turns out I’m not reading enough to tell you about a new book every week. Instead, I’m going to use this last bit of the newsletter to feature a thing that I like – hopefully with a nonfiction connection.
This week I want to highlight an episode of author Adam Grant’s podcast WorkLife (or maybe it’s called Taken For Granted – I can’t totally tell). Anyway! In this episode, he interviews Lin-Manuel Miranda and his father, Luis Miranda, about “finding harmony between creativity and productivity.” The interview is from back in July, around the time In the Heights was entering movie theaters, but it’s all evergreen content about creative process, family, and advocacy.
The nonfiction connection? Adam Grant is the author of several books. His most recent is called Think Again and is all about the ability to rethink and unlearn and know what we don’t know. All of that is so important right now.
For more nonfiction reads, head over to the podcast service of your choice and download For Real, which I co-host with my dear friend Alice. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @kimthedork. Happy weekend!