Favorite Nonfiction of 2018
01/24/2019
My nonfiction reading took a sharp nosedive in 2018, accounting for less than 1% of what I read—and that includes cookbooks and poetry collections. While I’ve always read much more fiction than nonfiction, I was shocked by the numbers. I have some theories about why this happened but most of it boils down to wanting to escape into stories because of what was happening in the news or my life. Why I didn't choose to escape more into memoir, which is my favorite nonfiction genre, I don't know but I'm hoping to get back on track this year.
Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.
Becoming - Michelle Obama
What can I possibly say about this marvelous memoir that hasn’t already been said? Michelle Obama’s Becoming was even better than I hoped it would be. Her authenticity and compassion were evident on every page, whether she was sharing het story or calling on us to do better. This was an engaging, moving read. I cried when she shared about her dad’s decline and eventual death and later in the book when she met with kids in Englewood. I was inspired by her determination, spirit, and grit, no matter what she and her family faced. And I was moved to reflect on the ways I have become and am becoming. Gracious, I have missed her so much and there was a comfort in hearing her voice and remembering what she and President Obama accomplished. It’s well worth reading.
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No One Tells You This - Glynnis Macnicol
Out of all the incredible nonfiction I read in 2018, this memoir about a woman creating her own blueprint for the single life was the book I *needed* to read. It was so good for my soul. I viscerally related to Glynnis MacNicol’s experiences, particularly the way she embraced her singleness, and felt so understood. It’s a rich memoir, whether she’s asking herself what 40 means to her and whether she wants to have kids as a single woman or she’s grappling with the decline and eventual death of her mother or she’s reveling in the realization she has a life people envy her for. Best of all, it’s a memoir exploring singleness that does not end with the author in a relationship.
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I'm Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness - Austin Channing Brown
If you're at all familiar with Austin Channing Brown, you know she is a gifted communicator as both a writer and speaker. I had high hopes for her first book and I was hooked from the first page. By the time I finished reading, I was even more in awe of Austin. I'm Still Here is truly phenomenal. Each chapter builds upon the one before it in a way that is masterful. This mastery becomes especially clear in the final two chapters. Then I read the final paragraph and Austin brought it all home and my only thought was, "holy shit." It was that powerful. I read it again and then again and let her words sink in. The whole book builds toward that moment and it is absolutely incredible getting there.
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Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight For Trans Equality - Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride's memoir is both accessible and powerful. She shares her own story but she is ever pointing out her privilege and centering the experiences of the transgender community. She lets us in to her life, while also providing a bird's eye view of the larger issues. The result is truly masterful. If you've been wanting to better understand and support the transgender community, this book is a wonderful place to start.
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When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir - Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele
A heartbreaking and moving read, Patrisse Khan-Cullors' account shows how the events of her life, as well as her family's experiences, put her on the trajectory to become an activist. Cullors depicts one marginalizing experience after another, all the ways her school, her city, and society at large told her her life did not matter, her brother Monte's life did not matter, her father's life did not matter, her husband's life did not matter, and so on. It was maddening to see all they endured but sadly it was not surprising. This is the lived reality for people of color and this is why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. It could not have been easy for Cullors and her coauthor to write this book but I'm so glad they did. It's an essential, beautifully written memoir. I appreciated how intentional she was in naming people, from activists to her loved ones to those who were killed. I hope it serves as reminder to center the voices of the BLM founders and women of color in general who are all too easily left out of the narrative.
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Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say - Kelly Corrigan
Kelly Corrigan's writing never ceases to amaze me. Tell Me More is structured differently from her previous memoirs but we still get her excellent storytelling. There were a few chapters where I wasn't quite sure where her stories were going or how they connected to the chapter's phrase. But she always, always brought it home. True to form, I laughed out loud and I teared up. Her writing can be so moving and especially when paired with the lessons she's learned. Tell Me More gives us a chance to consider what things we need to say to the people around us.
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So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo
This is such a solid book. Oluo invites us white people into a conversation and really it's our chance to listen and learn. She defines racism and privilege and then shows the big picture of systemic racism and the ways white people continue to benefit from an unjust system. It's laid out clearly and succinctly and then she lays the case for why we must not only listen and hear but take action. Until we do, white supremacy will continue to flourish. The title may be about conversation but the book is ultimately about why we can't stay there. "Talk. Please talk and talk and talk some more. But also act. Act now, because people are dying now in this unjust system. How many lives have been ground up by racial prejudice and hate? How many opportunities have we already lost?...We have to learn and fight at the same time. Because people have been waiting far too long for their chance to live as equals in this society."
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H Is For Hawk - Helen Macdonald
I'm not sure how Macdonald first thought to write a memoir about goshawks and grief but the result is fascinating, lovely, and insightful. Her connections took my breath away at times. I also enjoyed how she incorporated the work and life of TH White, particularly his book on goshawks, into her account.
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The Scarlett Letters: My Secret Year Of Men In An LA Dungeon - Jenny Nordbak
After listening to Jenny Nordbak's marvelous podcast The Wicked Wallflowers Club (co-hosted with Sarah Hawley), I decided to give her memoir a try and I'm so glad I did. Nordbak worked in construction by day and as a dominatrix by night. She has fascinating stories from both worlds but what I found most interesting was the ways she grew in confidence and self-understanding as the book progressed, particularly with her relationships. It's really about her journey of self-discovery and I really enjoyed seeing how this played out. There were a number of stories (the candle wax scene!) that made me laugh out loud, making for quite the entertaining read.
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The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life And Freedom On Death Row - Anthony Ray Hinton
The Sun Does Shine is an important complement to Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy and Michele Alexander's The New Jim Crow. Hinton's firsthand account of wrongful imprisonment which landed him on Death Row in spite of his innocence is an important read for us all. Reading Hinton's experience gave me a much better understanding of what Death Row prisoners face and the reality was horrifying. Something must change.
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Divine Intuition: Your Inner Guide To Purpose, Peace, and Prosperity - Lynn Robinson
Sometimes we read books at the precisely right time. I bought this in 2015 after hearing the author's episode on The Lively Show but I didn't start reading it until Fall 2017, just a chapter here and there. I’ve always been an intuitive person but the past couple of years have been a hard season and I was hopeful this book would help me find some answers about what’s next. And it did, although not in the way I expected. This book and the practical exercises within reminded me I can still trust my intuition, even when things don’t turn out as planned. If you’re at all interested in how our intuition works, this is so worth reading. I’ll be returning to this book regularly in the years to come.
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