I just started to unpack my nonfiction TBR from my move, and it was like receiving a colossal order of some of my most anticipated releases over the past few years. Since I have so many unread books, I’m thinking I should “shop my own shelves,” as it were, and find some of my next reads there. I actually just started an essay collection by Dorothy Allison today! In this issue of the newsletter, we’re continuing our theme of women in science.
But first, bookish goods and reminder of our 2023 Read Harder Challenge. The challenge is in its ninth year and exists to help you reach your reading goals. Sign up here for a newsletter with reading suggestions for each of the 24 prompts. And thanks to Thriftbooks for sponsoring!
Bookish Goods
Women in Science: Patricia Bell by Rachel Ignotofsky
Since we are talking about women in science this week, I wanted to include some illustrations by one of the authors I’m featuring today, Rachel Ignotofsky. You can find this print and more in her store. $22+
New Releases
Black Women Writers at Work by Claudia Tate
In this reissued text, Claudia Tate has collected different interviews with Black women writers discussing their craft and how they work. The writers featured include Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alexis De Veaux, Nikki Giovanni, Kristin Hunter, Gayl Jones, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Sonia Sanchez, Ntozake Shange, Alice Walker, Margaret Walker, and Sherley Anne Williams.
Bloodbath Nation by Paul Auster
Paul Auster dives into the topic of gun violence in America, following the history of gun regulation to the present crisis of mass shootings and stagnant progress in better gun safety laws. Plus, a portion of proceeds from this book will be donated to the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit organization working to stop gun death and injury through research, education, and advocacy.
Looking for more new releases? Check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Okay, let’s talk about women in science!
The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s The Disordered Cosmos took the world by storm when it was released in 2021. This book also received a delightfully ridiculous number of accolades, including being the winner of the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science & Technology, winner of the 2022 Phi Beta Kappa Book Award in Science, winner of the 2022 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, and a finalist position for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein dives into ideas around physics from her perspective as a Black woman scientist. She discusses how science, like other fields, contains an intense amount of sexism, racism, and other kinds of oppression. I really appreciate her viewpoint, and she deftly explains a scientific field that I have zero background in. There’s something about Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s enthusiasm for the topic that is infectious.
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
I’m always looking to learn more about prominent women in history, especially key figures in traditionally male dominated fields. So I love Rachel Ignotofsky’s books about women from history. The first one is about women in science. Each woman is featured on a beautiful two-page spread filled with her biography, fun facts, and incredible illustrations. And if you love this one, there’s also Women in Sports and Women in Art. Yes, I do indeed own them all and would recommend them to anyone and everyone.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra