Here in the American South, we are enjoying the last of the spring breezes before the heat of summer sinks over the region. We took the Corgis to the park to play with their friends (Gwen) and play endless rounds of fetch (Dylan), and we definitely felt the heat. I even got a headstart on my Chaco tan. I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I’m always diving into nonfiction books that delve into ideas around parts of society that the author wants to bring to light. Sometimes, it’s wheat harvesters moving across the heartland, while at other times, I’m learning about class dynamics in the United States. So today, I’ve chosen a couple of past favorites to share with you. But first, bookish goods!
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Bookish Goods
Library Custom Metal Sign by smittenware
I love metal wall art, and this is perfect for folks wanting to personalize their library. $52
New Releases
Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire, edited by Alice Wong
Disability rights activist Alice Wong is back with another anthology, this time about disabled people’s experiences with intimacy. The selections include a wide range of experiences: platonic, sexual, and everything in between.
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
With The Demon of Unrest, narrative history bestseller Erik Larson looks at the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War. Larson moves back and forth between the political unrest, chaos, and outbreaks of violence that started the horrific war that divided the nation. With Larson’s eye for detail and attention to storytelling, this is sure to be one of the most beloved history books of the year.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Afford America by Alissa Quart
Alissa Quart follows several different working-class and lower-middle-class families as they try to navigate a world growing more and more expensive. From childcare to healthcare, American families can barely afford the necessities, let alone anything “extra” that might come up. Quart really pushes the idea that our country should better value caregiving, both for early childhood and for seniors. You can really tell a lot about a country by how it treats its less wealthy citizens, and for America, it’s not always looking good.
American Harvest: God, Country, and Farming in the Heartland by Marie Mutsuki Mockett
Marie Mutsuki Mockett is a biracial Japanese American writer whose family has been farming in Nebraska for generations. So, Mockett decides to follow the migrating wheat harvesters on their journey through Texas, Oklahoma, and eventually back to her family’s farm in Nebraska. As someone who has spent most of her life in urban centers, Mockett begins to reevaluate the assumptions that she has about the wheat harvesters. She begins to realize that there is a lot more to these men and women than she first thought.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, 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