Author: Kendra Winchester

Lab Girl is a memoir by botanist Hope Jahren. This book is like a meditation on plants and how Jahren’s life has been influenced by her work in the scientific field studying and cataloging plants. She also shares what it’s been like for her, as a woman, to work in a male-dominated field. And the prose of this book is incredible, making it a joy to read.

In Braiding Sweetgrass, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer combines her background in science and the traditions of her Indigenous heritage to write this beautiful book that focuses on the wisdom of plants. Her incredible prose and her depth of knowledge combine to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

Marie Mutsuki Mockett’s family owns a wheat farm in Nebraska, and every year, a crew of wheat harvesters arrive. One year, Mockett decides to follow the wheat harvesters on their yearly journey across the heartland to harvest that year’s crop. As a progressive biracial Japanese American, Mockett didn’t think she’d have much in common with the harvesters. But during their journey, Mockett gets to know the team of harvesters, having conversations with them about their faith.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eric Eyre broke the story about how drug companies sent over 12 million opioid pills into Kermit, West Virginia over a 12-year period. The town had a population of under 400. His book, Death in Mud Lick, shares the story of his reporting and gives more in-depth information about the opioid crisis in West Virginia. His work is another example of why we need local journalism, even in isolated, rural places like Appalachia.

Growing up in New York City did not prepare Emma for her summer working as an intern for a nonprofit located in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. She falls in love with the area and decides to stay on as permanent staff after her internship is over. A large part of this book focuses on Emma’s research into the murder of two women several decades before. But soon she learns there was a mysterious third rainbow girl, and no one knows what happened to her. This book threads together history, true crime, and memoir, and the different threads of this book combine to create something truly unique.

In this memoir, Brian Broome tells the story of his life growing up as a young, gay Black man in Appalachian Ohio. Broome has stated in interviews that he wanted to write this book for other poor, queer kids who feel they never see themselves and their life experiences in books. Eventually, Broome moves to Pittsburgh, making his home in urban Appalachia. His writing is vibrant and engrossing, so prepare a block of time for this book because once you start reading, you may find you’ve lost all track of time.

David Chang is known as an incredible restaurateur and has opened restaurants around the world. But he didn’t start out that way. He grew up as the son of Korean immigrants, and started out working as a line cook in a wide range of restaurants. He started his business and received a lot of early success. But the entire time, he was hiding his struggle with mental illness. This memoir follows his experience with anxiety and depression from a young age through his decorated career as a celebrity chef.

Long Litt Woon moved from Malaysia to Norway, married her husband, and made a life for herself as an anthropologist. But when Woon’s husband dies, she doesn’t know how to move through life without him. Then she discovers the mushroom community, which helps bring her new joy. The book is filled with all sorts of mushroom facts, giving readers a detailed account of what mushrooming looks like in Norway.

I always love a good cult book, and Amanda Montell’s is one of the best. Only, it’s not about one cult. It’s about the language of cults and how everyday exposure to this language influences how people view the world. Through her skill at narrative storytelling and incredible research skills, Montell takes us deep into the influence of cults and the words that help build them.

In the Dream House is a Book Riot favorite for a reason. Machado writes about her relationship with her girlfriend. As her girlfriend becomes more and more controlling and abusive, Machado realizes she needs to leave the relationship. The book is made up of chapters that each start with “The Dream House as…”  This experimental structure lends itself to the story and the unique narrative that Machado is weaving in this memoir.

Darrel’s mother escapes a residency school where the nuns were incredibly abusive to the Native children there, adding to the generational trauma that Darrel’s family had already experienced. The majority of the memoir focuses on his own childhood and adolescence, including moving around from house to house as his mother struggles with addiction and he discovers more about his sexuality. Just as a heads up, there is violence and sexual assault of women and children in this memoir.

This book is one of my favorite hidden gems. It won the Stella Prize a few years ago but has somehow still flown under the radar. I especially love the Australian audiobook, which Vicki Laveau-Harvie performs herself. The Erratics follows Vicki Laveau-Harvie as she flies back home to Canada to care for her elderly parents after her mother’s fall. When she arrives, Vicki discovers that her mother has been starving her father. What follows is her account of trying to navigate care for her parents while coming to terms with her difficult childhood.

Westover grew up in a very conservative Mormon family. Her father believed in living separate from the world, refusing to let his family go to the hospital and choosing to not educate his children in any real way. Tara survives her childhood and, with the encouragement of her older brother, studies and takes her exams to get into college. Westover shares her experience of enduring emotional and physical abuse while still loving her family very deeply.

Danielle Geller starts off the memoir with her mother’s death from alcohol withdrawal. As Geller sorts belongings, she begins to piece together her mother’s life. She learns how decisions her mother made stemmed from numerous challenges she faced throughout her life. Eventually, Geller heads to her mother’s homeland, the Navajo Nation, to reconnect with the community and culture. Full of discussions around mothers and daughters and the inheritance our parents leave behind, Dog Flowers is a beautiful testament of her mother’s life.