I know many folks consider the Labor Day holiday weekend the end of summer, but I want to hang on to those carefree vibes a little longer… no pumpkin spice lattes for me just yet!
That all said, I do love the feel of transition that comes with back to school and the slide into fall. With that in mind, I’m excited to share some books that will bring you back to class, along with new nonfiction from a favorite actress and a favorite subgenre. Onwards!
Bookish Goods
Library Style Solid Marble Bookends from VADCADStore
These marble bookends shaped like actual books are a splurge (and would have to be deployed carefully – heavy!), but they’re just so beautiful I had to highlight them. $85
New Releases
Walking in My Joy: In These Streets by Jennifer Lewis
I’m most familiar with actress Jennifer Lewis from her work on Black-ish, but she’s had a long and successful Hollywood career. This book is a collection of stories from her life, covering everything from travels around the world to finding joy in everyday encounters and taking down a conman. In addition to acting, Lewis is an activist and mental health advocate, so her book is also about how to deflect negative people and find joy in your own life. I bet this one will be stellar as an audiobook.
Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream by Alissa Quart
I’m not sure if you’d call “books that interrogate the American Dream” a nonfiction subgenre or not, but they are always interesting to me. In this book, journalist Alissa Quart looks at how the American foundational belief that individualism and self-sufficiency can lead to success has hobbled us and put together a system of half-solutions to social ills. She connects this story to everything from hyper-capitalist philanthropy to GoFundMe to the increasing debt burden faced by young people. I’m here for this.
Riot Recommendations
Since September is traditionally back to school season, I’m going to focus my recommendations for this month on subjects you might study in school. Up first is one of the most challenging topics for me, math!
The Art of Logic in an Illogical World by Eugenia Cheng
In a world increasingly filled with misinformation and confusion, we can all use some time thinking about thinking. In this book mathemetician Eugenia Cheng looks at how we need both logical and emotional reasoning to live in the world. She looks at how logic works, some of its limitations, and the role of emotion in thinking and communication. I love that combination!
Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data by Charles Wheelan
One of the classes I regret never taking in high school or college is statistics because it seems like stats comes up nearly everywhere. In this book, Charles Wheelan pulls back the “archane and technical details” of statistics to explain the intuition that drives statistical analysis. He clarifies key terms, reveals how statistics can be used for manipulation, and shows some of the key insights being pulled from current statistics experiments. I am jazzed to pick this one up!
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 or send an email to kim@riotnewmedia.com. Happy weekend!