Author: Kim Ukura

All the New Obama Nonfiction

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date July 12, 2018

Hello hello! My body is back from vacation, but my brain is still on cabin time thanks to my Fourth of July week break to a lake in the woods. I managed to read six books, swam every day, and did more day drinking that might be advisable. But hey, that’s what vacation is all about!

Diverse Summer Nonfiction Recommendations!

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date June 29, 2018

Hello, True Story readers! After a crazy few months at my day job, I’m taking a vacation “up North,” as we say here in Minnesota, for a week at my parent’s cabin in Wisconsin. I’ve got an entire bag devoted just to books (and another one for booze), which seems just about right for a full week off the grid. I cannot wait.

Just for Book Riot readers: sign up for an Audible account, and get two audiobooks free!

Truthfully, most of the books I’m bringing along are fiction. I love fantasy and young adult novels for reading by the beach, mostly because I don’t have to pay attention as carefully as I do otherwise. But never fear, a couple of memoirs have made their way to the stack – Don’t You Ever by Mary Carter Bishop (July 3 from Harper) and Stalking God by Anjali Kumar.

But before I am off on vacation, some bookish news and some new books for late June and early July:

Bookish has collected this summer’s must-read nonfiction, a pretty wide-ranging list of titles that includes everything from “a thriller-like trip to Shanghai” to “a heart-wrenching illness memoir.” I am not as on top of my 2018 nonfiction reading as I’d like to be, but several on this list are on my TBR.

If you want to add some more diversity to your summer reading, the African American Intellectual History Society put together a list of recommended nonfiction that “offer(s) valuable insights on the Black experience in the United States and across the globe.” I love that many of these are from small or university presses because that means they’ve probably slipped under my radar. Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper is on my shelf, and History Teaches Us to Resist by Mary Frances Berry just got added to the list.

Still not sure what nonfiction to read this summer? A few more general summer reading lists also have some nonfiction sections that might help:

Publisher’s Weekly has a full summer reading guide, including a relatively robust nonfiction section.
Newsweek’s summer reading guide is also good. You can find nonfiction in the sections labeled “Reality Bites” (biographies and memoirs), “Political Animals” (power and corruption), and “Natural Highs” (science and nature).
TIME’s summer reading guide includes “mind-expanding history” and “conversation-starting nonfiction” to peruse, with some good suggestions.

Finally, a few upcoming titles to keep your eyes open for:

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin (June 26 from William Morrow) – A collection focused on “illuminating the widespread obsession with women who are abused, killed, and disenfranchised, and whose bodies (dead and alive) are used as props to bolster men’s stories.” A couple readers I trust have highlighted this one, so I am in.

Empress by Ruby Lal (July 3 from W.W. Norton) – I’m obsessed with reading about queens, but need to branch out beyond Europe. Empress is a biography of Nur Jahan, who in 1611 married an emperor, becoming his partner and most cherished wife. Sold!

City of Devils by Paul French (July 3 from Picador) – I’m in the middle of this one, and so far really enjoying it. It’s a nice mash-up of history and true crime, all about the two gang leaders who ruled the underground scene in Shanghai in the lead up to World War II. The first section is written in a sort of 1930s newspaper style, which takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s fun.

And with that, I’m out for vacation – look for a guest editor of this newsletter next week! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

Harry Potter, YA Nonfiction, and Obama Books

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date June 22, 2018

Hello readers! This week’s newsletter is heavy on news and lighter on books, but it’s always good to have balance. Let’s dive in!

Book News!

Over a Book Riot, Cassandra offers an essential Anthony Bourdain reading list. Reading about all of his books, in an impressive array of genres, just makes me even more sad that he’s gone.

As part of Season 2 of our podcast series Annotated, we are giving away 10 of the best books about books of 2017. Go here to enter for a chance to win, or just click the image below:

Bustle has rounded up nine nonfiction books for fans of Harry Potter, which is a Harry Potter-related list that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. It has books about witches, activism, mythology, and more that definitely piqued my curiosity!

I very much enjoyed this Twitter thread about the considerations that go into writing a nonfiction book for kids/young adults by author Martha Brockenbrough. She’s currently working on a biography of Donald Trump – Unpresidented, out November 13 – and, in the thread, talks about writing a book that is both accurate, fair, and age appropriate. Admittedly, I don’t know the cultural conversation that prompted the thread, but I still thought it was interesting.

This is a little tangential to the world of books, but still interesting. Dr. Atul Gawande (author of excellent books like Being Mortal and Better) has been named CEO of a joint healthcare venture created by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan. The nonprofit organization is looking to find “ways to address healthcare for their U.S. employees, with the aim of improving employee satisfaction and reducing costs.” The scant details on the hiring process in the linked NPR are pretty intense!

Bustle again! This time, 20 books as inspiring as TED Talks, recommended by people who have given TED Talks. There’s a mix of fiction and nonfiction on this list, but I love all the nonfiction recommendations so it makes the newsletter!

Missing the Obamas as much as I am? Then I’ve got a couple of Book Riot posts for you. Yaasmeen offers a list of books to read while we wait for Michelle’s memoir, which isn’t coming out until November. If you want to read like Barack, then check out his recent reading list, which includes intriguing titles like The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti and Futureface by Alex Wagner.

Actress Priyanka Chopra is writing a memoir, set to be released in 2019. Unfinished, a collection of essays, stories, and observations, will be published simultaneously in the United States, India, and England.

Need a little quick inspiration or entertainment? These graduation speeches that are also books might just do the trick. Or, peruse this excellent list of 50 nonfiction audiobooks you can listen to in less than 10 hours.

New Books!

And finally, I’ll close out this newsletter with three quick takes on new books out this week:

Alone Time by Stephanie Rosenbloom – A look on the pleasures of solitude and the benefits of traveling alone, even in your own city, to boost creativity and mental space.

The Ambition Decisions by Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace – Female journalists dig into data and interviews to see what modern women feel like is the best course to navigate a big decisions that have been made possible by second wave feminism.

Old in Art School by Nell Painter – A memoir by a noted historian who decides to return to school in her sixties to earn a BFA and MFA in painting.

Thanks for checking in this week! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

The Impact of Anthony Bourdain

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date June 14, 2018

The deadline for last week’s edition of True Story came too early for me to include the sad news that author, tv host, and enthusiast Anthony Bourdain died by suicide last week at the age of 61.

For our purposes, Bourdain was the author of more than a dozen books connected in some way to the world of food, eight of them nonfiction. Not sure where to start? Esquire suggests six to get you started, including the two that I think are his most recognized – Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw. The New York Times has also collected some of his best work across genres and mediums, all worth reading, watching, or listening.

The Amazon, Alzheimer’s and More New Books of June

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date June 7, 2018

Hello, fellow humans! I decided to devote this first newsletter of June to a selection of the great new books that came out this week. These hardly even scratch the surface, but feature the Amazon jungle, refugees, Alzheimer’s disease, and British nobility.

Sponsored by Tonight I’m Someone Else, Chelsea Hodson. Published by Holt Paperbacks.

From graffiti gangs and Grand Theft Auto to sugar daddies, Schopenhauer, and a deadly game of Russian roulette, Chelsea Hodson probes her desires in these essays to examine where the physical and proprietary collide. She asks what our privacy, intimacy, and bodies are worth in the increasingly digital world of liking, linking, and sharing. This tender and jarring collection is relevant to anyone who’s ever searched for what the self is worth.

But before we get into the newsletter, a quick reminder that Book Riot is giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice. Think of all the books you could get with $500 – probably every one mentioned in this newsletter, plus more. Enter here!

Third Bank of the River by Chris Feliciano Arnold – This book is a history of the Amazon River, “from the arrival of the first Spanish flotilla to the drones that are now mapping unexplored parts of the forest.” It’s also an exploration of the conflict between the isolated tribes that live along the river, and the modern businesses and criminals who want to use the land and resources. I’ve read a lot of historical nonfiction about this area, but nothing contemporary, so I’m very curious.

Goodbye, Sweet Girl by Kelly Sundberg – In this memoir, Sundberg chronicles her marriage, tracing it from a love story to a terrifying look at domestic abuse. She writes about why she stayed in a violent relationship, the stories she told herself about their life together, how her childhood in an isolated Idaho town contributed to her feelings on marriage, and how she eventually left her husband. I am not sure I will be able to read this one, but it sounds really moving and important.

The Boy on the Beach by Tima Kurdi – Ever since I finished Exit West by Mohsin Hamid I’ve been keeping my eyes open for books about refugees and the refugee crisis to help me learn about it more. This memoir is about the family of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian boy who drowned while fleeing the country and, in death, became a symbol for the entire crisis. Tima Kurdi, living in Vancouver at the time, recognized her nephew and the journey he was trying to make. In this book she recounts her own emigration from Syria and her work as an advocate for the displaced.

Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchell – This is another one I may or may not be brave enough to actually read. In 2014, when she was just 58 years old, Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. In this memoir, she writes about her mental decline, her advocacy for people with this disease, and her efforts to “outwit” her Alzheimer’s as long as possible. Again, tough but important.

Sick by Porochista Khakpour – This book has been on many, many most-anticipated book lists, but it snuck up on me a little bit. For most of her adult life, Khakpour has been sick, but struggled to get a diagnosis for her condition. Feeling ill contributed to mental health problems and drug addictions, and cost her a lot of money, until she finally was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease. This book is about all of that, and the ways that the medical system fails to adequately address female illness.

Homelands by Alfredo Corchado – Corchado came to the United States from Mexico in 1987, and soon made a close group of friends at a local Mexican restaurant. Over the next 30 years, the friends meet regularly, “coming together of their shared Mexican roots and their love of tequila.” This book is a collection of their stories, told alongside the larger narrative of the last great Mexican migration during the 1970s and 1980s. This book seems particularly relevant in our current political climate.

Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth – When I saw the first movie trailer for BlacKkKlansman, I did not realize it was based on a book! This memoir is about the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, who poses as a white man and is invited to join the Ku Klux Klan. Since he obviously can’t go to meetings himself, he partners with a white police officer to infiltrate the KKK and sabotage the organization from within.

Those Wild Wyndhams by Claudia Renton – British aristocrats! I am still on a British bender thanks to the Royal Wedding, so of course this one caught my eye. This book is a “dazzling portrait of one of England’s grandest, noblest families,” focusing on four sisters who were “confidantes to British prime ministers, poets, writers, and artists, their lives entwined with the most celebrated and scandalous figures of the day.” In my head, this is sort of like rich, British, Little Women, but that could be totally off.

And with that, I’m out! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

3 New Nonfiction Books for Your Ears

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date May 31, 2018

Hello fellow nonfiction lovers – happy Friday and welcome to June! This week I want to highlight three new books that I think will be great as audiobooks, before jumping into a random assortment of nonfiction news.

We’re giving away $500 to spend at the bookstore of your choice! Click here, or on the image below to enter:

So Close to Being the Shit Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta (May 29 from St. Martin’s Press) – Parks and Recreation is my favorite television show, and essay collections from funny women are my favorite type of audiobooks… so of course I’m going to get excited about a book from Retta, who played Donna on the show. In this collection, she writes about “throwing her hard-working Liberian parents for a loop” by moving to Hollywood after graduating from Duke, and everything that came after. I get the sense there’s bits on imposter syndrome here, along with just some really funny, honest stories. I can’t wait!

Calypso by David Sedaris (May 29 from Little, Brown) – A new David Sedaris book is always something to celebrate. I love his weird humor and darkly strange way of looking at the world. It appeals to my not-so-secret grumpy and anti-social side, I think. In this collection of essays, Sedaris writes about “middle age and mortality” while enjoying time at his beach house on the Carolina coast. I always recommend Sedaris on audiobook – there’s something about his voice and delivery that really sells every story. I just don’t think it’s the same in print.

Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer (June 19 from Twelve) – Confession time… I planned out this three-on-a-theme newsletter assuming that Dan Pfeiffer’s new book about working in the Obama administration was coming out on June 5. Turns out not, but I’m forging ahead anyway! It’s just more upcoming than I thought. Anyway, this Obama staffer memoir is about navigating the world of Trump and how to forge a path ahead amidst the madness. Pfeiffer is the co-host of the political podcast Pod Save America, which makes me think this will be especially great if he’s the narrator.

Nonfiction News!

Overlooked is coming to television! The New York Times’ editorial project to write the obituaries of famous women who didn’t get an obituary when they died will become an anthology series where every episode is written and directed by women. Yes, please.

There’s another suspect for notorious hijacker D.B. Cooper! An 84-year-old pet sitter from Florida has written a memoir wherein he argues that a longtime friend committed the 1971 hijacking and theft (which is, to this point, unsolved). I’m a little skeptical, but curious to see if this theory goes anywhere.

This top nonfiction of 2017 list from Reading Group Choices is pretty great! It reminded me of several that I haven’t read yet, which I always appreciate.

More women are writing scientific memoirs, and we are all in for it over at Book Riot. This piece from Elizabeth is a little old, but interesting!

Speaking of memoirs, what do you think about the idea that we need more memoirs about surviving ordinary life? I tend to lean into the “stranger-than-fiction” memoirs that open this piece, but there’s definitely an argument to be made that a deep dive into everyday experiences can teach uf something too. There are a bunch of great recommendations at the end of the piece, so make sure to get all the way through.

Don’t forget, Book Riot is giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice. Think of all the books you could get with $500! I’m practically swooning at the thought. Anyway, enter here!

And with that, I’m out! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

True Stories of Military Service for Memorial Day

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date May 24, 2018

Hello, nonfiction readers! Memorial Day weekend always feels like a big one on the calendar. For some, it’s the first true weekend of summer, marked with BBQs and lakes and all that good stuff. For others, it’s a time to reflect on the sacrifices of men and women who have died while serving the military. And for many, it’s a time for both.

We’re giving away $500 to spend at the bookstore of your choice! Click here, or on the image below to enter:

This week I wanted to take a break from new books to recommend a couple of older titles I love that would make excellent reading this Memorial Day weekend, if you’re in a more reflective mood.

Thank You for Your Service by David Finkel – In the book, journalist David Finkel follows several soldiers returning home from a tour of duty on the front lines in Baghdad. Many of them are suffering from PTSD or other physical and mental injuries, and their struggle to adjust and reintegrate affects their families and the other professionals trying to help them. It’s a really compelling portrait about the sacrifices we ask from soldiers, and the less obvious sacrifices that a deployment can ask from others. I was just blown away at the honesty and depth of this book. While there were moments when Finkel relies on some linguistic flourishes that I didn’t think were necessary, overall this was a compelling, sobering, important book.

Ashley’s War by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon – In 2010, the United States Army began piloting a new program that would allow women to serve alongside Special Operations soldiers in Afghanistan. As part of Cultural Support Teams, these female soldiers went on raids out in the field with a specific focus on connecting with the women in insurgent compounds to look for weapons and gather intelligence. In this book, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon follows one of the first CST units through their recruitment, training, and first experiences in combat. This book was really stellar, and opened my eyes to some of the unique challenges and dangers facing female soldiers. Without spoiling too much, I’ll just say that the book is a heart-breaker that is a truly excellent read.

Nonfiction News You Can Use

Another group of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are publishing a book. We Say #NeverAgain will be a book for young readers, edited by high school journalism teachers Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner. The book includes “first-person accounts, richly researched and reported articles, and photographs by and about the students” who attend the school.

Masha Gessen’s epic look at totalitarianism in Russia, The Future is History has racked up another award. This week, Gessen was recognized with the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. Be sure to click through and check out the other finalists – there are some great titles there.

This one’s a little bit of a stretch, but hear me out. This week, lawyer/author Stacey Abrams became the “first black woman to be a major party nominee for governor of the United States.” She’ll be running for governor of Georgia this fall. Abrams recently published a memoir, Minority Leader, and previously published a series of romance novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery.

Last, but certainly not list, a giveaway alert! Book Riot is giving away $500 to the bookstore of your choice. Enter here!

And with that, I want to wish you a wonderful, relaxing, and reflective Memorial Day weekend. You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

More New Nonfiction Coming Out This Month!

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date May 17, 2018

Turns out, there are a lot of great books coming out in May! Because of that, this week’s newsletter is going to be another one focused heavily on new books – six new titles coming out this month, and a few pieces of news about books you can look for in the future!

Sponsored by The Myth of the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser

Leading executive and investor Fran Hauser offers practical advice to young women in business. She dispels harmful assumptions about being “nice,” proving that kindness is not a weakness. Instead, it can create powerful advantages that will lead to success in one’s career and beyond.

New Books

Tip of the Iceberg by Mark Adams – I love a good modern adventure story. In this book, Mark Adams sets out to trace an 1899 summer voyage in the wilds of Alaska that was organized by a railroad magnate. Edward Harriman’s journey was on a steamship he converted into a “floating university” for his distinguished. Adams’ journey is on Alaska’s contemporary public ferry system. It sounds… kind of hilarious.

Damnation Island by Stacy Horn – In the 19th Century, Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island) in New York City was home to a lunatic asylum, two prisons, a home for the poor, and multiple hospitals. This two-mile island was supposed to be an example of modern incarceration techniques… except it wasn’t. This book is a historical look at the island and everything that went wrong about it.

I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown – This memoir is about “growing up Black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America” and explores how to practice genuine diversity and inclusion in our institutions and communities. I think a book that looks at the intersections of race and religion is worth picking up right now.

Brothers of the Gun by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple – This book is a contemporary memoir about coming of age during the war in Syria, and the ways that this conflict shaped the lives of three young men who first participated together as student protesters. Hisham became a journalist, tweeting news from a war-torn city before joining the wave of refugees fleeing the conflict. The book includes ink illustrations, which I think will be a wonderful addition to an already powerful story.

The Trials of Nina McCall by Scott Stern – In 1918, 18-year-old Nina McCall was coerced into committing herself to a detention hospital after being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. Turns out, this was part of a larger policy in the United States from the 1910s to 1950s to target, jail, and “treat” women who were suspected prostitutes, had STIs, or were just promiscuous. The summary of this one has me all riled up already!

Rock Steady by Ellen Forney – Ellen Forney is back, with a new graphic memoir about her life as an artist with bipolar disorder. This book is a sequel/companion to her 2012 book, Marbles, and looks outward more offering advice and help for people who are struggling with similar issues or disorders. I think this seems like a great resource to pick up!

New Book News

Abbi Jacobson of Broad City will be releasing a book of essays this fall. I Regret This is scheduled for publication at the end of October.

Last week I included Not That Bad, a collection of essays on rape culture edited by Roxane Gay, in my new books section. I forgot to link to this interesting article from Entertainment Weekly about the “process and pressure” of putting together the anthology.

Two student survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, have sold a book to Random House. Seventeen-year-old David Hogg and his 14-year-old sister, Lauren, are the authors of #NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line, which will come out in June. That’s a fast turn around for a book, but I’m intrigued.

Until next week, find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

New Nonfiction for May!

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date May 10, 2018

It’s new books week here at the True Story newsletter! May is jam-packed month of new nonfiction, which all sounds pretty excellent. This week, I’ve rounded up seven titles from the first couple of weeks that I think are interesting. I’m hoping to do another round up next week as well. Yay, books!

Flatiron Books and The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

An intellectual and emotional thriller that is also a different kind of murder mystery, THE FACT OF A BODY is a book not only about how the story of one crime was constructed — but about how we grapple with our own personal histories.

Great American Outpost by Maya Rao – I used to live out on the prairie, close to the border of Minnesota and North Dakota, so news stories about the oil boom in cities like Williston and Dickinson were always catching my attention. This book is one of the first I’ve seen to try and cover this time and place, so I’m interested. In the book, journalist Maya Rao spent put boots on the ground to chronicle this “modern-day gold rush” and the people affected by it in both good and bad ways.

The Electric Woman by Tessa Fontaine – Of course I am going to get psyched about a memoir with the subtitle “a memoir in death-defying acts” that chronicles a woman’s relationship with her mother and her time on the the road as part of the last traveling American sideshow.

Chasing New Horizons by Alan Stern and David Grinspoon – Space nonfiction! This is a weakness of mine. This book is about the first mission to Pluto, when New Horizons made history capturing images of the distant planet, including the men and women inside and outside of NASA who helped make it happen.

Not That Bad, edited by Roxane Gay – This essay anthology of “dispatches from rape culture” is probably one of the most anticipated books of 2018, and for good reason. Contributors include writers, performers, critics, and more, writing about “what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face.” All of the contributors read their pieces for the audio book, so that may be a great format for this one.

Little Shoes by Pamela Everett – Historical true crime! After her father makes a cryptic comment about a tragedy in the family’s past, Everett starts digging. She uncovers 1937 triple murder in California that prompted a manhunt, the use of criminal profiling in court casts, and the beginning of modern sex offender laws. I appreciate true crime that connects with victims and families in a humane way, so I think this will be interesting.

Milk by Mark Kurlansky – Mark Kurlansky is back with another global food history! This time, he’s looking at milk, from Greek myths and the domestication of animals, to the industrial revolution and the food’s role in modern food politics. Salt, one of his previous books, has been on my TBR forever, but I’m almost more excited about picking this one up.

Gaslighting America by Amanda Carpenter – This book, written by a conservative former staff member to a competing presidential campaign, looks at Trump’s formula for lying and fabrication, and why it continues to work. As a former journalist, I’m interested in this perspective because I think the media is really struggling about what to do with a president and supporters who just don’t seem to care about the truth.

Old Books (and Stuff)!

But to keep this newsletter from being entirely new books, I’ve got a few links that will recommend some older titles you may have forgotten about:

Reading Group Choices has put together a list of their favorite nonfiction of 2017.
Over at Book Riot, Melody has rounded up six great ones that are now out in paperback. These would all be perfect for the Read Harder challenge!
During a week celebrating mysteries and thrillers, Goodreads put together a list of the top-rated true crime books on the site. The authors on the list are very male and very white, but there are still some interesting books on there.
And finally, Amiee put together an awesome list of 50 must-read books on nature and science for Book Riot. It’s excellent.

And that’s all the nonfiction I can fit in this newsletter this week. Until next week, find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

True Story

How Investigators Found the Golden State Killer

Post author By Kim Ukura
Post date May 3, 2018

Last week I sort of breezed over the news that the a suspect identified as the Golden State Killer has been arrested. Not this week! I’ve got a bunch of Golden State Killer links, plus some other odd news from the world of nonfiction. Let’s go!