I wonder if there’ll ever be a world where people release short biographies of famous white men. I’ve been looking for a decent biography of Ulysses S. Grant and the audiobooks at the library are all about 40 hours long, because sure. Why not do that. I need like 200 pages, MAYBE 250. When I was in college, I picked up a slim volume about George Gordon, Lord Byron that started in his famous years. It was great. I don’t need to read about where he was born or other things he wouldn’t remember!
Anyway, I’m on my seventh Lincoln audiobook and after this, I’m gonna have to start buying them, because I have run out at the library. It’s fine. We’ll all get through this.
Let’s look at new releases!
Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst
From the author of The Hidden Life of Trees comes another book about trees. Hurray! As the title says, this is about walking in the forest and learning “how to be a forest detective.” Forest detective! It tells you how to understand the nature around you and awaken to “the ancient past and thrilling present of the ecosystem around you.” I love it.
Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis
Extremely acclaimed actress Viola Davis tells her story of growing up in poverty with an abusive and alcoholic father, being inspired by Cicely Tyson, finding her feet in acting, and fighting against the harmful, stereotypical roles offered her by Hollywood. We talked about this on For Real and can you believe the breadth of Davis’s work? As Kim suggested, this is probably going to be great on audio.
Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Lim
Author Lim was raised in Hong Kong with Chinese and English parents. After being a reporter there for over ten years, she writes a history of the city, including “the British takeover in 1842, the negotiations over the 1997 return to China, and the future Beijing seeks to impose.” Also she talks about guerrilla calligraphers? Which is so cool.
Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers, Raven E. Heavy Runner (Foreword by)
A history of gender and sexuality in Native North America! “Two-Spirits” is “an umbrella term denoting feminine and masculine qualities in one person.” When Europeans came to America and forced changes to the Indigenous ways of life, this cultural understanding was at risk of disappearing. Smithers traces its history from early Spanish invasion to the present day. Another excellent release from Beacon Press!
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
For more nonfiction reads, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.