Category: True Story

Leslie Jamison has a way of writing a sentence that reads like magic. And this time, she’s writing about the birth of her daughter and her divorce from her daughter’s father. Splinters looks at Jamison’s splintered identity — as a daughter, mother, wife, girlfriend, artist, academic, writer — and how these many facets of who she is have informed her art. The memoir is divided up into different sections, each examining a state of mind or a phase in Jamison’s life. They build on one another, giving us a more complete picture of Jamison’s lived experience.

I love Ashley C. Ford’s writing, and back in 2021, I couldn’t get my hands on her memoir fast enough. Ford grows up feeling isolated and misunderstood. Her family says she’s overly sensitive, but her dad gets her. Except, her dad is in prison, and she’s not sure how he got there. This beautiful memoir of working through one’s trauma, learning to let go, and making a new, better life for oneself is incredible. Ford’s insights and observations invite readers to view the world and their own lives in a whole new way.

I adore Sam Maggs’ quirky sense of style in her illustrations, which makes this book so delightful. This adorable little book features so many incredible women throughout history. Wonder Women features scientists, adventurers, engineers, athletes, and so many more. I wish I’d had a book like this when I was a girl. It would have sparked my imagination, giving me a chance to see myself in so many different professions, so many possible futures. But even reading this for the first time in my late 20s, I felt so encouraged by how far women have come. Even with so far to go, I was so proud of all the things we have accomplished so far.

I love Ann Shen’s illustrations. I first found her on Instagram, so when I learned she had a book coming out, I knew I had to get my hot little hands on a copy. It’s a beautifully illustrated book featuring dozens of women who changed the world. Women who have bucked the system and fought for change have long been described as “bad girls.” Shen turns this label on its head, featuring women who used their talents to change the world for the better. If you are looking for the perfect beautiful book, this one is definitely a fantastic option.

I adored Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account. It’s one of my favorite pieces of historical fiction. So when I heard she was publishing a collection of essays, I knew I needed to get a hold of them as quickly as possible. Lalami’s essays examine her experience of moving to the US from Morocco to pursue the American Dream. She’d heard so much about the success one could achieve in America. But when she finally got here, and as she followed her path to U.S. citizenship, she began to rethink her initial assumptions. She starts to think that the American Dream is really only available for certain kinds of immigrants. Lalami is an incredible prose stylist with such sharp observational skills. I love how she crafts each essay to be its own unique gem, but they all add to the overarching theme of the collection.

Samra Habib grew up as an Ahmadi Muslim in Pakistan, eventually fleeing violence against people from their sect and finding refuge in Canada. At first, Habib thought that all their problems might be solved, but in their new country, they faced racism and Islamophobia. And as they grew up, they began to realize that they weren’t exactly straight. Habib writes their memoir with no fear of presenting themself as a messy, very flawed human being. They work through their sexuality and faith throughout their story, eventually coming to a place that works for them. Their story doesn’t end wrapped up in a pretty bow. Instead, it’s more untidy, glorious in its own imperfections. This is a queer memoir unlike anything I’ve ever read and definitely worth your time.

First up, Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper discusses the role of Black women’s anger in American culture. She also gives examples of what role her anger played in her own life and in the lives of Black women icons of popular culture. Her writing is full of the wisdom given to her by older Black women and what she wants to share with the next generation. She also reads the audiobook edition, creating an incredible listening experience as she narrates her writing in such a personal way that invites listeners to just sit down and have a seat as she drops some wisdom on us.

In her take on women’s anger, Chemaly looks at different aspects of women’s rage and how it has been treated throughout history. Each chapter examines a different topic around women’s anger — how it affects women’s health, how angry women have been treated throughout history, etc. Her writing is so clear and well-researched; there’s something new to learn in every chapter.

Lyz Lenz grew up in a conservative evangelical family and believed that if she did everything that she was told a “good” woman should do — stay “pure” until marriage, get married and obey her husband, have kids, etc. —that everything would work out for the best. But that’s not how her life went. Lenz writes how she was intensely unhappy in her marriage, and she stayed for all the wrong reasons. But once she got divorced and started life as a single mom, she found freedom. As Lenz tells us her story, she also includes research on divorce in America, asking why it is that 70% of divorces are instigated by women? And why are women pushed to get married in the first place? Lenz also launched a podcast to promote the book, which will give you a preview of the many different ideas that she presents in it.

And for our backlist nature writing title, we’re exploring the landscape of Taiwan. Jessica J. Lee’s mother immigrated from Taiwan to Canada, but Lee grew up knowing little about her mother’s family or their past. In her memoir, Lee travels back to Taiwan to learn more about how her mother’s family fled mainland China for Taiwan. Lee blends nature writing about the island along with her investigation into Taiwan’s history. She describes the unique animals and plant species that call the island their home. By researching her grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ lives, she learns more about her own origin story, better understanding herself along the way.

Saidiya Hartman writes incredibly beautiful prose. She describes the lives of young, urban Black women as they go about their lives. Hartman wanted to tell the story of the Black women she read about who were mentioned in passing or who appeared unnamed in photographs. She investigates their lives, researches their pasts, and invites readers to bear witness to these women all too often lost from history. This book is incredibly captivating and intricately crafted. I found myself mesmerized while wandering through the past.

I’ve read a lot of Leslie Jamison’s essays. Her sentences are incredibly well crafted, and her narrative voice draws me in like few others. So when I saw she had a full-length memoir/contemplation of the nature of alcoholism and art, I knew I had to read it. In The Recovering, she describes her experience with alcoholism, her slow acceptance that she needed to get sober, and the understanding that she couldn’t do it on her own. She examines so many moving parts; I wondered how she would stick the landing. But she does. And like so much of her writing that has stayed with me, The Recovering will as well.

From the first essay that I listened to Irby read, I knew she was going to be one of my favorite writers. Her essays are hilarious but still filled with more serious topics, like growing up with a disabled mom and a dad who died far too soon. Yes, Irby uses humor to cope with the difficult things, but she also uses humor to express the bright spots in her life. She describes meeting her wife and falling in love with such tenderness and laugh-out-loud anecdotes.

I love movies and TV. There’s just something about watching a story that taps into universal feelings that we all hold close to our chest. But I also love essays, so when I heard Lindy West had an essay collection all about modern cinema, I downloaded that audiobook so fast. And Sh*t, Actually is a delight. West is known for her over-the-top way of expressing herself, which lends itself to writing about movies. I laughed so much. I can’t recommend it enough if you just need something ridiculous (in the absolute best possible way) to read/listen to as a pick-me-up.

Now that bell hooks’ backlist has been turned into audiobooks, I’m finally getting the chance to read them for the first time. My latest pick is Ain’t I A Woman, which pulls together a lot of hooks’ early writing about how white feminists and the Black men of the Civil Rights Movement ignore the intersectional experience of Black women. bell hooks reiterates over and over that as people who live with both sexism and racism, Black women’s experiences are unique. As hooks describes at the end of her book, a truly inclusive feminist movement is an intersectional one.

Mikki Kendall discusses how modern-day feminist movements have huge gaps in their organizing efforts. Kendall argues that feminism, particularly white feminism, fails to address issues like food insecurity, safe housing, disability, access to education, and the ability to earn a living wage. Each essay discusses a different area that modern feminism could improve upon, providing an intersectional approach to her writing. Kendall makes so many incredible points as she calls out feminism’s weaknesses and the areas where it could improve. If feminism is to continue to improve the lives of women, it must evolve.

In her short collection of essays, queer Singaporean author Tania De Rozario shares her experience growing up as a fat, biracial girl during a time when Singapore required children with a “high” BMI to participate in food restriction and extra exercise. Much of the novel follows De Rozario as she begins her journey of self-acceptance, embracing her body and sexuality as they are, not as society tells her they should be.

Editor Mariam Khan has gathered together a stunning group of Muslim women writers who all share their experiences. In 2016, Mariam Khan heard David Cameron had linked the radicalization of Muslim men to the “traditional submissiveness” of Muslim women. Appalled, Khan decided to push back with a collection of essays of Muslim women from around the world. They discuss issues around family, marriage, sex, gender, and so much more. This is such an incredible collection with so many different views and perspectives. A must-read for any nonfiction lover.

Cartoonist Kate Beaton heads to western Canada to work in the oil sands, taking advantage of the oil rush to help her save money so she can more fully dedicate herself to her art. But out west, she’s confronted with the harsh realities of working in the small communities popping up because of the oil industry. In these sort of episodic-like snippets, she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at her life, pointing out the many issues — sexism and violence towards women in particular — that are common in these communities.

I discovered Persepolis, a modern classic of the genre, during one of my very first Women In Translation Month celebrations. This graphic memoir follows Marjane Satrapi through the Iranian Revolution and her flight to France. She goes to school in Paris for a few years, but eventually, she returns home to Iran. She finds it completely changed. Satrapi’s illustrations capture your attention from the first page, and her memoir is a testament to her love of Persian culture and the grief she experiences as she can no longer live in her home country.