Now our picks for people and Clubs who like to discuss non-fiction.
Substantive Reads – Non-Fiction
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (2014) – Mr. Stevenson is the founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. Peppered with statistics about of people — those on death row who are people of color, the number of people permanently incarcerated for non-violent crimes committed when they were 12 or 13, etc… — Mr. Stevenson’s book brings these numbers to life in ways that make you care. He also, although he could not have known this when writing it, bring stories from today’s headlines home in ways that, be warned, may incite action on your part in 2015. (Note: The New York Times selected this as one of its 100 notable books of 2014, Esquire Magazine called it one of the 5 most important of 2014 and it was one of Time Magazine‘s top ten books of 2014.)~ Lisa Christie
The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby (2006) – We’ve all been raised with a few ground rules of etiquette: say please and thank you; don’t chew with your mouth open; and don’t ever talk about politics or religion at the dinner table! With this book club pick you will break the rules and enjoy an evening of cross-cultural food and conversation inspired by The Faith Club. This book tells the story of three mothers, their three religions, and their quest to understand one another.
March: Book Two by John Lewis (January 2015) – This second part of a SUPERB series penned by Congressman John Lewis and his aide Andrew Aydin, and then illustrated by Nate Powell in a graphic novel form, is a moving portrayal of the USA’s Civil Rights movement of 1960s. Book Two takes off where New York Times bestselling Book One left us — just after the success of the Nashville sit-in campaign led by Mr. Lewis and his fellow students. (We also loved Book One, as seen in previous Book Jam posts.) March: Book Two follows Mr. Lewis and his fellow Freedom Riders on to buses into the heart of the deep south, to their meetings with Dr. King, and into the offices of power in Washington, DC (culminating with President John F. Kennedy’s). Both books illustrate the brutality, imprisonment, arson, and even murder the protesters faced. Book Two also shows the internal conflicts the young activists struggled with as their movement grew.
We Should Hang Out Sometime!: Embarrassingly, a true story by Josh Sundquist (2014) – Mr. Sundquist — a paralympian, a Youtube sensation who was helped along the way by the Vlog-Brothers – Hank and John Green (of The Fault in Our Stars fame), and a cancer survivor — has written an often hilarious, sometimes painfully awkward memoir about his attempts to find a girlfriend. As a reader, you follow him from his Christian Youth Group to college, and then to LA as he attempts to find a date. Ultimately, this book is about how self doubt and fear crippled him more than his actual amputation. Written for young adults, this memoir would make a great reminder to anyone that dating is awkward no matter who you are, but that somehow, we all manage our way through it. (PS – he finally gets the girl.)
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014) Originally a TED talk and now a short book published by the Fourth Estate, this essay provides great fodder for men and women on the rights of all humans. Available in Europe now and in the USA in January 2015.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (2014) – The doctor addresses how medicine can also help provide a good end to life.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (2011) – This has everything a book group needs – ethical dilemmas, characters you just could not make up, unbelivable real life and true choices, science, cancer, history. Read it, discuss, enjoy! If possible invite over your favorite biologist to answer questions about the science involved.
On Writing by Stephen King (2000) – His attempt to show people how to write well, is really an autobiography about a writing life. Well-written, fascinating look at an American author that happens to have some good tips on getting better at writing. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie
In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda (2011) – This short book follows an Afghan refugee through the countries he must cross, and shows what he must do to survive and achieve political asylum. The fact that he was ten when his journey began, and he did it all alone, makes it a truly thought-provoking read. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie
Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor at Little Big Horn by Larry Colter (2001) – An amazing tale of a gifted young basketball player named Sharon LaForge. Mr. Colter follows her and her team as they navigate the challenges of their basketball season and their home lives on an Native American reservation. I still remember passages thirteen years after reading it the first time. ~ Lisa Christie
Zeitoun (2011) by Dave Eggers – New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina will never mean the same thing again. This well-researched, non-fiction book travels from New Orleans, Syria and Spain to better understand the life of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and how he disappeared into the flood waters in 2005. ~ Lisa Christie
Just Kids (2010) by Patti Smith – The 70s as seen through the eyes of the “in” crowd in Manhattan. You will be surprised on every page by he gorgeous prose and the who’s who of New York City Art scene as seen through the eyes of Ms. Smith. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie
West with the Night (1942, 1983) by Beryl Markham- This incredible book shows how an amazing woman lived, flew, loved and laughed in Africa in the early part of the 20th century. A GREAT read and a superb book club book. ~ Lisa Cadow and Lisa Christie
Blue Nights by Joan Didion (2012) – Written to help make sense of the death of her daughter, this book is full of moving prose, profound thoughts and insight into life with mental illness and facing death. And while Ms. Didion is frustratingly very vague about the exact nature of her daughter’s illness and even the cause of her death, she refers throughout this memoir to the “signs” all along the way that something was troubling her daughter and in retrospect maybe help could have arrived in time. I am so glad I picked this up thinking I could use a good memoir, never knowing it would be a perfect book club book.
Darkness Visible by William Styron (1992) – The author of Sophie’s Choice struggled with depression for years. The father of a friend of mine, who also struggles mightily with depression told me years ago that this brief memoir by Styron came the closest he has ever read to describing what living with a mental illness feels like. This book has been described as conveying “the full terror of depression’s psychic landscape, as well as the illuminating path to recovery”. Would be a great entry into good discussions of mental health and life.
Reading and Writing by Robertson Davies. These are the Tanner Lectures he gave at Yale in the ’90s. 64 pages of wit and wisdom.
Thank you for these!