Separating the art from the artist is an age old debate, one that has been reignited in recent years after the tidal wave of MeToo revelations that many public figures and artists have used their public profile to victimize with impunity. Even artists whose disturbing misdeeds were known to the public for many years (Michael… Continue reading Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer
Category: Nonfiction
The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
There are perhaps few Danish writers with such a prolific career as the poet and writer Tove Ditlevsen (1917-76), who published eleven poetry collections, seven novels, and four short fiction collections. Just this year her incredible trio of memoirs, The Copenhagen Trilogy, initially published separately through the 1960s and early 70s, has been translated into… Continue reading The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Listeners of Japanese Breakfast, the musical project of Michelle Zauner, will not be surprised that this lyrically gifted and creative artist has now also dipped her feet into the literary space. Zauner’s memoir, Crying in H Mart, is a grief memoir in the style of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, but with Korean… Continue reading Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The first installment of Barack Obama’s presidential memoirs, A Promised Land, has finally reached its long awaited release date almost a full presidential term after President Obama left the White House in January of 2017. For a less capable writer, this long lead time could render the book outdated or irrelevant, especially after the particularly… Continue reading A Promised Land by Barack Obama
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
In 2020, four years after Donald Trump promised Americans he would “build a wall” and make Mexico pay for it, the first formerly undocumented immigrant writer was nominated for the National Book Award. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, whose anonymous essay for the Daily Beast that chronicled her experience as an DACA recipient and student at Harvard… Continue reading The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
Sarah M. Broom’s National Book ward-winning debut memoir is many things at once. It is not only a personal memoir, but also a comprehensive family history, a history of the city of New Orleans, a mediation on natural disaster, and an exploration of America’s divestment from its black communities. Broom begins the story with her… Continue reading The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
Lady Romeo by Tana Wojczuk
In a recent interview with them., writer Tana Wojczuk commented on her inspiration for her book Lady Romeo, explaining, “I grew up reading fairy tales and being really frustrated by the female characters in them and how powerless they seemed. They never got to have adventures, and [Charlotte] Cushman’s story is like an adventure story,… Continue reading Lady Romeo by Tana Wojczuk
The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
Purchase a copy for yourself here! In a recent interview with NPR, Dr. Michele Harper discussed her impetus for becoming an emergency room doctor: “…Because of the pain I saw and felt in my home, it was also important for me to be of service and help to other people so that they could find… Continue reading The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Purchase a copy for yourself here! “Hood feminism is lived feminism. It’s the women who do the work, who are present in communities and making sure that their kids have school and at least somewhat accessible medical care. It’s great to want to be a CEO or to be president, but you should also probably… Continue reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
The Nonfiction Edit
Diclaimer: This list is not any sort of authoritative list of the best nonfiction reads of all time. This is simply a collection of ten diverse reads, which offer excellent reportage, compelling prose, and unique approaches to educating readers. On this list you’ll find some excellent antiracist reads, urgent #MeToo stories, fascinating books that explore… Continue reading The Nonfiction Edit