Where is your nonfiction section please.
Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History of Germany's Wealthiest Dynasties, by David de Jong (published April 19, 2022 by Mariner Books) In the newly released and fairly jaw-dropping Nazi Billionaires, Dutch journalist David de Jong, a Bloomberg News reporter on wealth and finance, profiles five German-Austrian families (the Quandts, Flicks, von Fincks, Porsche-Piëchs, and Oetkers) whose... Continue Reading →
We're living, famously, through a time in which we have trouble connecting with others, especially outside our "tribes." And Keltner's work shows us that sadness--Sadness, of all things!--has the power to create the "union between souls" that we so desperately lack. Susan Cain is the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you learn of some bit of history you've never heard of that's so monumental, it's hard to believe. Incredible how some major events slip by without notice on the world stage of history while others, even more minor, become common knowledge. The Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970 is one such event that I think... Continue Reading →
Genealogy research through affordable DNA testing has been a popular topic in nonfiction lately, as it is in the news in general, I suppose. I made genetics-related nonfiction the subject of a Nonfiction November Expert Week post two years ago. Two recent memoirs by women look at different aspects of heritage and identity, taking their... Continue Reading →
Australian-American author Sarah Krasnostein's lates,t The Believer: Encounters With the Beginning, The End, And Our Place in the Middle, is such a difficult book to do justice to. Nominally, it's about some of the oldest storytelling topics of love, death, and how we occupy the present, told through the author's "journey to discover why people... Continue Reading →
It's been a dark few weeks in the world, hasn't it? Everything still feels surreal, and the news brings fresh horrors every day. I try to keep this blog solely book-related, but of course the world doesn't compartmentalize so neatly. It feels worthwhile right now to point people towards some books that can help to... Continue Reading →
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma, by Stephanie Foo Hatred, I learned quickly, was the antidote to sadness. It was the only safe feeling. Hatred does not make you cry at school. It isn't vulnerable. Hatred is efficient. It does not grovel. It is pure power. Reading the new memoir... Continue Reading →
Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything, by Kelly Weill - Used or new @ SecondSale.com Conspiracy theories help us feel safe by providing an explanation for things that feel incomprehensible and beyond our control. Daily Beast journalist Kelly Weill takes a deep dive into what I think must... Continue Reading →
A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain, by Sara Manning Peskin, published February 8, 2022 by W.W. Norton. Used or new @SecondSale.com The new book A Molecule Away From Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain by Dr. Sara Manning Peskin explores the hairline between normal functioning and utter disaster in the brain.... Continue Reading →
In books that couldn't be published at a more timely moment, the US release of British author Max Egremont's The Glass Wall: Lives on the Baltic Frontier was last week (originally published last year in the UK). This relatively obscure region of the world has been in the news more often recently, as Russian troops... Continue Reading →
Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals: The Future of Food by Roanne van Voorst, translated from Dutch by Scott Emblen-Jarrett (SecondSale.com) It’s getting harder to ignore the ethical issues behind what we eat and what it’s doing to the environment, as well it should be. It’s something I really struggle with, because it’s very... Continue Reading →
Super late but better late than never when it comes to looking ahead to the year's new nonfiction, right? Right! Here's what's caught my eye in new and recent nonfiction releases: Longshot: The Inside Story of the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine, by David Heath (January 18) - "Investigative journalist David Heath takes readers inside... Continue Reading →
What's Nonfiction? 