Category: True Story

Hello, nonfiction readers! There are a lot of great books coming out this week, but I wanted to open this newsletter by talking about just one of them, The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

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Sponsored by Chronicle Books

The ultimate gift for book lovers, Bibliophile brims with literary treasures, all delightfully illustrated by beloved artist and founder of Ideal Bookshelf, Jane Mount. Readers will: • Tour the world’s most beautiful bookstores • Test their knowledge of the written word with quizzes • Find their next great read in lovingly curated stacks of books • Sample the most famous fictional meals • Peek inside the workspaces of their favorite authors … and much more! A source of endless inspiration, Bibliophile is sure to enchant any and all who identify as bookworms.

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The book, a look at a 1986 fire that nearly destroyed the Los Angeles Public Library, is fantastic. I’m a hardcore library advocate in both my personal and professional life, so of course this book has been on my radar for awhile. But it really exceeded my expectations, once I stopped expecting it to be a full narrative of the fire and started to look at it more like a collection of essays about why libraries are vital, worthwhile, important institutions.

Another 2018 book on libraries that hasn’t gotten as much attention is Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist’s look at how the future of democracy is depending on shared spaces – like libraries – where connections and communities are formed. I haven’t gotten to read this one yet, but it’s sitting next to me at my desk as I am typing.

The awesome thing about these books coming out so close together is that there seems to be a larger-than-usual collection of pieces on why libraries, in particular, are awesome. Here are three of my favorites:

• 12 Authors Write About the Libraries They Love via the New York Times
• Growing Up in the Library via The New Yorker
• Why Libraries are More than Just Books via The Guardian

With that, I’m going to leave you with a bunch of other great links from the vast corners of the bookish internet (many that include other recent titles that should be on your TBR):

BitchReads recommends 15 fall nonfiction books for feminists, a wonderfully diverse list that includes everything from Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China by Leta Hong Fincher Nicole Chung’s memoir All You Can Ever Know.

PopSugar has rounded up seven new nonfiction books for people who don’t really like nonfiction, which includes a few books that missed my radar like Once You Go In: A Memoir of Radical Faith by Carly Gelsinger and some big fall titles like Justin Timberlake’s Hindsight and All the Things I Can’t See in Front of Me.

Looking to cozy up with a smart fall book? Bustle has you covered with a round up of fall’s best introspective essay collections by women. What if This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky and How to Be Alone by Lane Moore are both high on my list.

Over at B&N Reads, you can browse through some of October’s best biographies and memoirs, which includes everything from a Babe Ruth biography (The Big Fella by Jane Leavy) to another RBG book (The Unstoppable Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Antonia Felix) and a couple of heavies that seem to be newly out in paperback (Grant by Ron Chernow and Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson).

Entertainment Weekly has a brief peek at the story behind American Like Me, a collection of essays about navigating life as a first-generation American edited by the great and good America Ferrera. I know I’ve mentioned that book before – the contributor list is just so amazing!

Personality tests are addicting and, in many cases, kind of a joke. Merve Emre, author of The Personality Brokers, breaks down five myths about personality tests in the Washington Post.

I hope that gave you something to dive into! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a custom book stamp for your personal library. Click here to enter.

You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot with questions and comments!

The National Book Award finalists were announced this week, and I am very excited about the nonfiction list because of the variety it represents. We have memoir, natural history, politics, and straight history, which is pretty good when you think about the kinds of books that typically get nominated in nonfiction.

The titles include The Indian World of George Washington by Colin G. Calloway, American Eden by Victoria Johnson, Heartland by Sarah Smarsh, The New Negro by Jeffrey C. Stewart, and We the Corporations by Adam Winkler. The winners will be announced on November 14.

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Sponsored by Fierce Reads

Rebels, rulers, scientists, artists, warriors and villains Women are, and have always been, all these things and more. Looking through the ages, Anita Sarkeesian, founder of Feminist Frequency, along with Ebony Adams PHD, have reclaimed the stories of twenty-five remarkable women who dared to defy history and change the world around them. From Mongolian wrestlers to Chinese pirates, Native American ballerinas to Egyptian scientists, Japanese novelists to British Prime Ministers, History vs Women will reframe the history that you thought you knew. Featuring beautiful full-color illustrations of each woman and a bold graphic design, this standout nonfiction title is perfect for anyone who wants the true stories of phenomenal women from around the world.

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If you’re feeling particularly angry these days, as I am, then I cannot recommend this proposed syllabus for A Master Class in Women’s Rage, put together by Kate Harding, one of the editors of Nasty Women. She acknowledges books on women’s rage that have come out this year – there are so many good ones! – then offers a selection if books, essays, and other contemporary writing on anger. It’s such a good list.

If you love a good con artist story, as I do, this July article about the best books on con artists, according to true crime experts, has a plethora of suggestions.

Daniel Radcliffe shadowed the New Yorker’s fact-checking department while he was doing research for his newest role in the Broadway adaptation of The Lifespan of a Fact by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal. The story about his visit is fascinating because it’s Harry Potter, and because it’s a meta peek inside that job and that magazine.

Finally, let’s wrap this newsletter up with another smattering of new October nonfiction:

Invisible by Steven Carter – “The forgotten story of the black woman lawyer who took down America’s most powerful mobster.” Steven L. Carter’s grandmother, Eunice Hunton Carter, was the only black woman on a team tasked with taking down a New York mobster in the 1930s.

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis – Michael Lewis takes another look inside the Trump administration, this time exploring the “engine rooms of a government under attack by its own leaders” that are more focused on short-term gains rather than long-term cost. If anyone can make bureaucracy interesting, I think it’s Michael Lewis.

People Like Us by Sayu Bhojwani – The story of “ a diverse and persevering range of local and state politicians from across the country who are challenging the status quo, winning against all odds, and leaving a path for others to follow in their wake.” Woo, democracy!

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown – A new Brené Brown is always something to celebrate! In this book, Brown writes for “everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead.”

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper – “A hilarious and uplifting collection of essays about one pale woman’s journey from Midwestern naïf to Hollywood semi-celebrity to outrageously reasonable New Yorker.” If you need something cheerful, I bet this will be it.

Thanks again so much for reading! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot with questions and comments!

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a custom book stamp for your personal library!

Hello hello! This week’s newsletter features eight new nonfiction books out this week plus a couple of awards longlists, and a collection of great nonfiction posts recently published over at Book Riot.

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Sponsored by How to Be a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery.

A restorative memoir from author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of thirteen animals—Sy’s friends—and the truths revealed by their grace. It also explores vast themes: the otherness and sameness of people and animals; the various ways we learn to love and become empathetic; how we find our passion; how we create our families; coping with loss and despair; gratitude; forgiveness; and most of all, how to be a good creature in the world.

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Before we get started, don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a custom book stamp for your personal library!

New Books!

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung – A memoir by an adopted woman exploring her Korean heritage and her childhood growing up as the only non-white person in a small town, ahead of the birth of her first child.

What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky – A collection of essays on the “cultural forces that shape us” and our obsession with self-improvement.

There Will Be No Miracles Here by Casey Gerald – A memoir of “a boy and a generation who came of age as the world came apart.”

A History of America in Ten Strikes by Erik Loomis – An account of 10 critical workers’ strikes in American labor history.

Behold America by Sarah Churchwell – “The entangled history of ‘America First’ and ‘the American Dream.’”

A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande – The story of “one woman’s quest to find her place in America as a first-generation Latina university student and aspiring writer.”

Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister – A look at the history of female anger as a political tool. Yes, please.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics by Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, and Minyon Moore – “A sweeping view of American history from the vantage points of four women who have lived and worked behind the scenes in politics for over thirty years.”

Nonfiction Awards!

In the last couple of weeks, two big groups have announced the longlists/finalists for their best books of the year awards. Kirkus, one of the big names in book reviewing, announced their finalists for the 2018 Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction. I haven’t read a single title on the longlist but, they sound amazing. The winners will be announced on Oct. 25.

The other prominent longlist is for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, given out by the American Library Association. I love the nonfiction list, it’s got a ton of variety. A three-book shortlist will be announced on Oct. 24, with the winners named in January.

Links and Links and Links!

These are some of my favorite recent nonfiction posts over at Book Riot. There’s a lot, our contributors do some amazing work!

• 9 Nonfiction Titles That Should Exist (But Don’t) by Michelle Anne Schingler
• 3 Great Books About Public Speaking by Emily Westrom
• #ShoutYourAbortion and 9 Other Nonfiction Books About Abortion by Beth O’Brien
• 10 New Books on Anger, Feminism, and Unruly Women by Rebecca Hussey
• 10 Books That Make You Smarter by Carolina Ciucci
• 50 Must-Read Nonfiction Audiobooks by Rebecca Hussey
• 8 Memoirs From Former Obama Staffers by Kate Krug
• Don’t Mourn, Organize: A Labor Reading List by Nancy Snyder
• 10 of the Best True Crime Audiobooks by Beth O’Brien
• 8 Essay Collections To Look Out For This Fall by Laura Sackton

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

This week, I got to hear two nonfiction authors speak in person, something that feels rather unprecedented because nonfiction authors don’t seem to come to the Twin Cities that often, and because I do not usually leave my house on weeknights. #introvertlife

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Sponsored by The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman, published by Ecco

Very few readers of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the very first time. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.

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On Tuesday, I had the chance to hear Peggy Orenstein, author of a recent collection of essays, Don’t Call Me Princess, and several books on motherhood, feminism, girls, and sexuality. Her previous book, Girls and Sex, is an amazing read for parents of all kids and, she shared last night, that she’s working on a follow up about boys and sex… probably called “Boys and Sex,” if her publisher has anything to say about it.

On Wednesday, I got to hear from Eli Saslow, a Washington Post journalist who just published a book about the reformation of a young white nationalist, Rising Out of Hatred. I’m nervous about the subject, and still not entirely convinced that white nationalist thought needs any more publicity (even in a book about a man realizing that the ideology is evil). But Saslow is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, his talk on the book was really smart, and he’s the author of a favorite backlist title, Ten Letters, so I’m willing to give it a shot. More on this one in a future newsletter.

Books and Lists!

The New York Times wrote about three books on the sexism women face in Hollywood, specifically women in television Just the Funny Parts by Nell Scovell, Stealing the Show by Joy Press, and Bossypants by Tina Fey. I’ve only read Bossypants, but the other two are high on my reading list.

LibHub did a series of fall nonfiction preview lists covering pop culture, memoir, politics and social science, history and biography, and science and technology. These lists include the books that staff and editors at LitHub are most excited about. There are a lot of heavy hitters on these lists, and I feel like they’re a good mix of books that have been buzzy and some that are more under the radar. Check them out!

New Books!

Billion Dollar Whale by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope – I’m very into the current trend of business true crime books, so Billion Dollar Whale is right up my alley. This book, by two Wall Street Journal reporters, is the story of a Wharton graduate named Jho Low who managed to swindle more than $7 billion dollars “under the nose of the global financial industry.” His fraud eventually led to the downfall of the prime minister of Malaysia, and has left Low a global fugitive.

Additional Reading: This long excerpt/adaptation in the Wall Street Journal is a good overview of the story.

These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore – These Truths is a truly ambitious project, a one-volume history of the United States that explores the three fundamental ideas at the center of American democracy: political equality, natural rights, and the sovereignty of the people. It’s a political history, rather than a complete history, focusing on areas like law, religion, journalism, and technology. This book is a huge swing, but I’m intrigued by it. I read the first few chapters while traveling and was interested, but I’m kind of a wimp and can’t quite commit to the full 960 pages just yet.

Additional Reading: Jill Lepore was interviewed about the book in Newsweek, where she gives a nice overview of her inspiration and approach for the book.

How to Be an American by Silvia Hidalgo – This book might be the other end of the political reading spectrum from These Truths. As Silvia Hidalgo was studying for her U.S. Citizenship Test, she started her own set of illustrated notes covering facts and historical essentials. These notes are collected and refined in this book. In the introduction, Hidalgo mentions it’s use for people studying for their citizenship test, but it’s really a lovely primer for anyone.

And that’s all for this week! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot with questions and comments!

It’s been an exciting couple of weeks of nonfiction news, including the publication of Bob Woodward’s book on the Trump White House, welcome recognition for Anthony Bourdain, and the announcement of the longlists for the National Book Award. Add in even more great September new releases, and we’ve got a full newsletter this week!

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Sponsored by In Vino Duplicitas: The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire by Peter Hellman

Now in paperback: the intoxicating story of the biggest con in wine history In 2002, Rudy Kurniawan, an unknown twentysomething, burst into the world of ultrafine wines. Blessed with a virtuoso palate, and a seemingly limitless supply of bottles, Kurniawan became the leading purveyor of rare wines. But in April 2008, dozens of Kurniawan’s trophy bottles were abruptly pulled from auction. Journalist Peter Hellman was there, and he began to investigate: Were the bottles fake? Were there others? Was Kurniawan a dupe . . . or had he ensnared the world’s top winemakers, sellers, and drinkers in a web of deceit?

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Fear breaks sales records all over the place

This week, publisher Simon & Schuster announced that Bob Woodward’s Fear: Trump in the White House broke the company’s first week sales record, selling more than 1.1 million copies. The book is now in it’s 10th printing, bringing the total number of hardcover copies printed to more than 1.2 million.

This is the second sales record for the book – the sale of 750,000 copies on the first day of release was also a milestone for the publisher. Barnes & Noble also announced the the book was the fastest-selling adult title since Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee went on sale in 2015.

My favorite detail, reported in the Washington Post, was this one about independent books stores:

This being Washington, some buyers bought multiple copies. “The largest bulk purchases went to foreign embassies,” (Politics & Prose co-owner Bradley) Graham said. “One embassy paid for 13. Another bought four.”

Anthony Bourdain wins six posthumous Emmys

At last week’s Creative Arts Emmys, author, chef, and television host Anthony Bourdain was awarded six posthumous awards for his CNN travel series Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. According to Variety, the series took home awards for “best informational series or special, writing for non-fiction program, picture editing for a non-fiction program, sound editing for a non-fiction program and sound mixing for a non-fiction program.”

Bourdain earned an additional Emmy for “best short-form non-fiction or reality” for the series Anthony Bourdain: Explore Parts Unknown. The article linked above has some lovely quotes from the acceptance speeches from his co-workers that I urge you to go read.

National Book Award longlists announced

The National Book Award is coming! This award, given by the National Book Foundation, is always an interesting one to watch. Last year I complained that the nonfiction list was too serious, a critique I think one could level at this year’s list too – it’s clear that politics is still on everyone’s mind.

Still, there are a lot great titles that absolutely deserve to be recognized – One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson, Brothers of the Gun by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple, and The Tangled Tree by David Quammen, just to name a few. The finalists will be announced on October 10, with the winners unveiled on November 14. More to come!

New books, ahoy!

And finally, three new books to keep your eyes open for this week:

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera – In this book, actress and activist America Ferrera invites 31 friends, peers, and heroes to “share their stories about life between cultures.” The powerhouse contributor list for this book includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Kwan, Kal Penn, Roxane Gay, and more. So good.

My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love by Dessa – I’m a little biased about this one because Dessa, a rapper, songwriter, and all around cool person, had some ties to Minnesota where I’m from too. This debut essay collection fuses science, music, literature and more. I can’t wait to start my copy.

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh – Sarah Smarsh grew up in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s in a family categorized as the working poor. In the book, Smarsh shares her story, explores class divides, and examines “the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.” This one is on the National Book Award longlist, so you know it’s gotta be good.

Happy reading, fellow true story fiends. You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot with questions and comments!

Happy September, nonfiction lovers! This month is so crammed with new books, it’s almost an embarrassment of riches.

As part of a more general life strategy to just Keep it Simple Stupid, I thought I’d focus this week’s newsletter on 10 new September releases you can put in your hands right now (since, let’s be real… it might take awhile to get a copy of Bob Woodward’s newest book). Let’s go!

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Sponsored by Oasis Audio, publisher of THE GOOD NEIGHBOR: THE LIFE AND WORK OF FRED ROGERS, written by Maxwell King and narrated by LeVar Burton.

If you’re riding the wave of Mister Rogers nostalgia with the rest of America, don’t miss The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers.Maxwell King has written the first-ever full-length biography of Mister Rogers himself, tracing Fred’s personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work.

And who better to voice the story of a PBS icon than LeVar Burton? Best known as the host of Reading Rainbow, LeVar was personally mentored by Fred. Between LeVar’s undisputable knack for storytelling and the depth of King’s content, The Good Neighbor audiobook is an exceptional listening experience

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The Class by Heather Won Tesoriero – A new book I’ve actually read! In The Class, Heather Won Tesoriero spends a year embedded in a high school science class responsible for turning out a huge number of competitors on the science fair circuit. This book was a totally charming visit back to high school I actually enjoyed.

Under Fire by April Ryan – I have a soft spot for memoirs by journalists, particularly ones who are as no-nonsense as White House correspondent April Ryan. In this book, Ryan goes inside the “confusion and chaos” of the White House to explore how the press corps are adjusting to the new normal of Trump.

Never Ran, Never Will by Albert Samaha – This book is the story of the Mo Better Jaguars, a youth football team in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Their unpaid coaches are mentor for the players, who see football as a chance to reach the American dream.

The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King – Given the trash fire the world is right now, I’m not surprised that the kindness and compassion of Fred Rogers is having a moment. This book is the first full-length biography of Mr. Rogers that traces his “personal, professional and artistic life” over the decades.

Call Them By Their True Names by Rebecca Solnit – New Rebecca Solnit! This collection focuses on “battles over meaning, place, language, and belonging at the heart of the defining crises of our time,” which sounds so, so good.

On the Other Side of Freedom by DeRay McKesson – This book, written by a Black Lives Matter activist who got his start in Ferguson “lays down the intellectual, pragmatic, and political framework for a new liberation movement.” Interesting and needed.

The Dinosaur Artist by Paige Williams – Light true crime lovers, check this one out! This book is the story a story about fossil collecting that is centered around the 2012 listing of a Tyrannosaurus fossil on display in Manhattan that was sold for more $1 million.

The Art of Logic in an Illogical World by Eugenia Cheng – Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician, explores the “inner workings and limitations of logic” and how it’s important to use both logic and emotion to navigate the world successfully.

The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman – This book is a literary detective story that explores the real-life inspiration for Vladimir Nabokov’s famous novel, the 1948 abduction of an 11-year-old girl. The book explores what Nabokov knew, and how he tried to hide that knowledge through the book’s publication process.

Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly – On the wake of Serena Williams’ sexist treatment at the U.S. Open, a book about why female rage is important, why we shouldn’t bottle it up, and how anger can be a catalyst for change seems really, really vital. Get on my bookshelves, now.

Happy September reading, nonfiction nerds! You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Let me know what you’re excited to pick up this month!

Hello friends! This week I’m doing a bit of service journalism by bringing you a round-up of some nonfiction favorites that have come out in paperback over the last several months. Yay, paperbacks!

Before we jump in, a quick reminder to come share the ins-n-outs of your reading life in our Fall Reader Survey!

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Sponsored by Yellow Pear Press

In THE WRONG DOG, New York Times bestselling author David Elliot Cohen tells the humorous, engaging story of what happens when puppy pick-up instructions go disastrously awry and aboisterous rough-and-tumble ball of energy bursts onto the family scene. So begins the chronicle of the unexpected love between a big family and their giant lug of a high-spirited Lab that culminates in a once-in-a-lifetime road trip and revels in the glories of the human-canine relationship.

THE WRONG DOG is an insightful story filled with historical and geographic trivia and told with self-deprecating wit and mature perception.

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1. The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein – A look at the year 1922, the birth of modernism, and and the intersecting lives of Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, E.M. Forster and D.H. Lawrence.
2. Grit by Angela Duckworth – An argument for passion and persistence rather than talent as indicators of success.
3. The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women by Elizabeth Norton – A look at the life cycles of Tudor women, based on the lives and examples of women like Elizabeth Tudor, Mary Howard, and Elizabeth Boleyn.
4. The Hot One by Carolyn Murnick – A memoir of “friendship, sex, and murder” where a young woman investigates the death of a childhood friend she’d grown apart from.
5. This Is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidibe – A memoir about growing up with a polygamous father, working as a phone sex “talker,” and an unconventional rise to fame as a movie star.
6. A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur – A biography of beloved children’s author Madeleine L’Engle, including “her imagination, her faith, (and) her pattern of defying categories.”
7. Morningstar by Ann Hood – A memoir about the transformative power of literature and an author’s most beloved novels.
8. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg – A collection of writings and speeches from the Notorious RBG herself.
9. Love, Loss, and What We Ate by Padma Lakshmi – A memoir about “food and family, survival and triumph” that traces a path from an immigrant childhood to life in the spotlight.
10. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser – A Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the beloved author of the Little House on the Prairie series.
11. American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee – The story of the rise of O-Six, an alpha female in a pack of wolves who live in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley.
12. Ranger Games by Ben Blum – A journalist investigates how a young cousin, an Army Ranger, could become involved in an armed robbery.
13. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay – A memoir of “food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself” from the queen herself.
14. Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun – A slim collection of essays on the truth of relationships and the challenges of marriage and modern coupledom.
15. The Far Away Brothers by Lauren Markham – A story of twin brothers who leave El Salvador for California at 17, trying to make a new life after fleeing violence.
16. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance – A memoir and exploration of white, working-class America written by a man who grew up poor in a Rust Belt town.
17. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan – The story of the Biltmore Estate, the largest and most impressive private residence in America, and a peek at life in the Gilded Age United States.
18. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell – I’ll let the subtitle do the talking… “tales of a 6’4”, African American, heterosexual, cisgender, left-leaning, asthmatic, black and proud blerd, mama’s boy, dad, and stand-up comedian.”
19. Hourglass by Dani Shapiro – A memoir about marriage, time, and how we make marriage last today.
20. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann – The story of the birth of the FBI amidst the investigation of a series of murders in the Osage Nation, a group of Native Americans made wealthy after oil was discovered on their land.
21. City of Light, City of Poison by Holly Tucker – A true crime story of witches, poisoners, and priests who secretly influenced Paris in the 1600s and the first police chief tasked with stopping them.
22. I Can’t Make This Up by Kevin Hart – Life lessons from a comedian who grew up poor in North Philadelphia and now sells out football stadiums.
23. The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel – The story of a Massachusetts man who left his home in 1986 to disappear into the woods, not speaking to another human for 27 years.
24. American Fire by Monica Hesse – A true crime story about a series of arsons in a rural Virginia County, the communities affected, and the strange love story at the center of the crimes.
25. I Was Told to Come Alone by Souad Mekhennet – A Muslim reporter who grew up in Germany goes behind the lines of jihad to understand the terrorists and freedom fighters behind the headlines.
26. The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich – A young lawyer explores her ideas about the death penalty and her own childhood trauma in this haunting true crime memoir.
27. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui – An illustrated memoir of a family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam to the United States in the 1970s.
28. My Life With Bob by Pamela Paul – The editor of the New York Times Book Review shares the story of her life in books through the notebook she’s kept for 28 years, listing every single book she’s ever read.
29. The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy – A stunning memoir by a writer who, after years of adventure and living her own life, loses both her marriage and her unborn baby in a moment.
30. The Family Gene by Joselin Linder – After a mysterious illness ravages members of her family, a young woman tries to discover and the genetic mutation that explains their baffling symptoms.
31. Cake: A Slice of History by Alysa Levene – A history of cake! What is not to love about this?
32. How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana – A memoir of a young girl from the Democratic Republic of Congo who survived a massacre, immigrated to America, and addressed her trauma “through art and activism.”
33. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant – An exploration of adversity, resilience, and joy in the face of immense loss.
34. The Storied City by Charlie English – The story of Timbuktu, a city with a rich history and a history of those coming to it seeking riches for themselves.
35. Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood – A memoir of a poet who returns home as an adult and her unconventional father, a Catholic priest who “lounges in boxer shorts, loves action movies” and jams on the guitar.

If that didn’t topple your TBR, then there’s not much else I can do for you. You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

Last week, 81-year-old Senator John McCain passed away after a brief battle with brain cancer. McCain’s political legacy is complicated, and I won’t pretend to be an expert, but he does leave a lifetime of work and several books to his name.

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Sponsored by Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life by Antonia Felix.

Elizabeth Warren’s rise as one of America’s most powerful women is a stirring lesson in persistence. From her fierce support of the middle class to her unapologetic response to political bullies, Warren is known as a passionate yet plain-speaking champion of equity and fairness. In the wake of one fellow senator’s effort to silence her in 2016, three words became a rallying cry across the country:

Nevertheless, she persisted . . .

In this breakthrough biography, bestselling author Antonia Felix reveals how Warren brought her expertise to Washington to become an icon of progressive politics in a deeply divided nation, and weaves together never-before-told stories from those who have journeyed with Warren, from Oklahoma to the halls of power.

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In the wake of his death, McCain’s most recent book, The Restless Wave, climbed on to several bestseller lists. The book was released in May, after McCain’s cancer diagnosis, and was again co-written by his former chief of staff, Mark Salter.

In the Christian Science Monitor, one writer remembered McCain as an “active and passionate fellow reader,” comparing him to another political bibliophile, Teddy Roosevelt. The books mentioned in the piece are overwhelmingly written by white men, but it’s still a nice angle on a memorial. (For a more diverse reading list from a politician, check out Barack Obama’s summer reading recommendations. So good.)

New Books!

And with that, let’s dive into new books coming out this week. There are a bunch of good ones.

Small Animals by Kim Brooks – On a mild afternoon, Kim Brooks made the decision to leave her son in the car while she ran into a store. A bystander called the police, setting of years of legal trouble for the family. Brooks uses that experience as a jumping off point to explore “the broader role America’s culture of fear plays in parenthood.” You can get a peek of her style in this Salon article Brooks wrote about the initial incident in 2014.

Boom Town by Sam Anderson – The subtitle of this book is what sold me on reading it… “the fantastical saga of Oklahoma City, its chaotic founding… its purloined basketball team, and the dream of becoming a world-class metropolis.” It just sounds incredibly fun.

Not Quite Not White by Sharmila Sen – As a 12-year-old, first generation immigrant from India, Sharmila Sen struggled with her “not quite-ness” – “not quite white, not quite black, not quite Asian.” This memoir is a story of her teenaged attempts to blend in with American whiteness and an argument about what that actually means.

The Imposter by Javier Cercas – In 2005, an elderly man living in Barcelona who claimed to be a Holocaust survivor was exposed as a fraud… he’d never been in a Nazi concentration camp, making his decades of honors and recognition false. This book seeks to unravel his story and understand what led to such an enormous deception.

Attention by Joshua Cohen – This book is the “culmination of two decades of writing and thoughts about life in the digital age,” a collection of assorted writings that explore a range of issues of modern life and how to exist in a world that is saturated with information.

Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix – Political memoirs and biographies released ahead of a possible run for president don’t usually interest me, but this one about Elizabeth Warren is probably of interest to other Book Riot readers. Reviews suggest the book is a generally positive portrayal, but I am interested in the idea of exploring the cultural and media coverage that Warren gets.

Around the Riot!

Finally, there’s been some excellent nonfiction coverage over at Book Riot lately. Here’s a round up in case you missed anything:

• 8 Essay Collections to Look Out For This Fall by Laura Sackton
• 5 New Biographies About Mary Shelley by Ann Foster
• Black and Indigenous Authors You Should Be Reading
• 12 Books to Pierce the Filter Bubble by Alex Acks
• 8 Books to Read Before You Make Your New Year Resolutions List by Nicole Froio
• Some of the Best Books About World War I by Romeo Rosales
• Astronomy Books for Beginners by Amanda Kay Oaks
• 10 Microhistory Books to Read This Summer by Beulah Maud Devaney

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

This week’s nonfiction news feels like déjà vu… a former Trump administration staff member has written an “explosive” memoir, full of juicy-but-questionable details about life at the White House, and Trump has reacted by threatening anyone and everyone he can think to yell at.

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Sponsored by Tragedy Plus Time by Adam Cayton-Holland

Unsentimental, unexpectedly funny, and incredibly honest, Tragedy Plus Time is a love letter to every family that has ever felt messy, complicated, or (even momentarily) magnificent. The Cayton-Holland siblings were a trio of brilliant, acerbic teenagers from Denver who were taught the injustice of the world from an early age. Adam chose to meet life’s cruel realities with comedy, his older sister chose law, while their youngest sister struggled with depression and ultimately took her own life. An unforgettable tribute to a lost sibling, this extraordinary memoir will have you reaching for the phone to call your brother or sister.

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Unhinged, a memoir by former White House aide and reality tv villain Omarosa Manigault Newman hit shelves last Tuesday to generally bad reviews. Her airing of Trump laundry gets pretty out there, to the point of nearly being unbelievable. The day before the book was released, the president’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster. Sound familiar?

Omarosa claims to have tapes of many of her conversations in the White House, so I guess we’ve got that to look forward to as well. Oh, 2018. Let’s move on to better news.

My Obama nostalgia continues. Over the weekend, The Guardian published an excerpt of Jeanne Marie Laskas’s upcoming book (To Obama) about the ten letters from American citizens that President Obama read every night. It’s a lovely piece that’s absolutely amping up my nostalgia for the world as it was three year ago. If you need a book about Obama’s practice of reading letters to read right now, I highly recommend Eli Saslow’s Ten Letters: the Stories Americans Tell Their President – it’s one of my favorites.

Nannette in a Memoir! Hannah Gadsby, the comic who has been blowing up Netflix with her amazing special, “Nanette,” is writing a memoir! Ten Steps to Nanette will be released in Australia and the United States next year. The memoir will be about “the funny and sometimes dark events of the Australian comedian’s life leading up to her realization that she had to quit comedy as she knew it.”

Dopesick coming to television! Dopesick, journalist Beth Macy’s book about the American opioid crisis, has been optioned for television. There aren’t many details yet, but I think this could be a pretty impressive piece of prestige television in the right hands.

More Just Mercy casting news! In the best news in awhile, Brie Larson has been cast in the upcoming adaptation of Just Mercy by civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, but there’s no word yet on her role. The film adaptation stars Michael B. Jordan (swoon) as Stevenson and Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian, a man who waited on death row for six years after being falsely convicted. Production is set to being this month!

Ebook deals and steals! Looking for some inexpensive biographies or memoirs? I’ve got you covered. Here are three Kindle deals to check out:

• America’s Women by Gail Collins for $1.99
• Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello for $1.99
• My Glory Was I Had Such Friends by Amy Silverstein for $1.99

Don’t forget! You can win 16 awesome books featured on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31. You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!

Hello, nonfiction lovers! This week I decided to borrow a phrase from super-reader Liberty Hardy and put together a megalist of early August nonfiction new releases. If I read the calendar correctly (which can be questionable), then all of these books should be out and available for your hot little hands. Let’s dive in!

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Sponsored by Amy B. Scher, author of This Is How I Save My Life.

Sometimes, you only find everything when you are willing to try anything …

The true story of a fiery young woman’s heartwarming and hilarious journey that takes her from near-death in California to a trip around the world in search of a cure for late-stage Lyme disease. Along the way, she discovers a world of cultural mayhem, radical medical treatment, an unexpected romance, and, most importantly, a piece of her life she never even knew she was missing. Praised by Vikas Swarup, New York Times bestselling author of Slumdog Millionaire as “an inspiring story that will change the way you look at life.”

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Dopesick by Beth Macy – A deep dive to the epicenter of America’s opioid addiction, from the introduction to OxyContin in 1996 to the first responders, families, and victims of opioid use today.

A Deal with the Devil by Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken – A investigation into a decades-long con that involved a French psychic targeting the elderly and emotionally vulnerable.

Nothing Good Can Come From This by Kristi Coulter – A “frank, funny, and feminist” essay collection by a woman who quit drinking alcohol and finally noticed the world around her.

Judas by Astrid Holleeder – A memoir, first published in the Netherlands, about a young woman who decides to testify against her brother, a crime kingpin, and what came after that.

All Happy Families by Jeanne McCulloch – At a 1983 wedding in East Hampton, the bride’s father dies from an alcoholism-related stroke… yet the wedding goes on.

The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris – A cop with more than 30 years on the force writes about his experiences and criticizes law enforcement culture and institutions.

Ticker by Mimi Swartz – An investigation and medical mystery looking at the 50 years of “false starts, abysmal failures and miraculous triumphs” in the quest to create an artificial heart.

Maeve in America by Maeve Higgins – A collection of essays by an Irish comic coming to America that ranges from everyday awkwardness to her immigrant experience.

Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf – A cognitive neuroscientist explores what a digital world is doing to the magic that happens to create our reading brain.

Life in Code by Ellen Ullman – A life-long coder and Silicon Valley expert tells the story of “digital technology’s loss of innocence as it entered the cultural mainstream.”

She Begat This by Joan Morgan – A deep dive into The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the artist, and her legacy 20 years after the release of that influential album.

A Girl’s Guide to Missiles by Karen Piper – A memoir about growing up “on one of the most secretive weapons installations on earth,” the China Lake missile range.

The Tangled Tree by David Quammen – An exploration of diversity at the molecular level and how genes have moved across species throughout history.

Be Everything at Once by Dami Lee – A collection of four-panel comics exploring everything from navigating identity as a South Korean kid in Texas to finding a voice drawing comics online.

Sons of Cain by Peter Vronsky – A history of serial killers that is probably too creepy for me to read… but might be good for you?

Don’t forget! You can win 16 awesome books featured on the Recommended podcast! Enter here by August 31. You can find me on Twitter @kimthedork, and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Happy reading!