Tag: #diverseFIVEbooks

Ten Non-Fiction Books for Fiction Lovers

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 3 Comments

AB2EBDFE-7E76-4563-941D-06EB3B3B0AA9As I have become more engaged with the book world, and I have been outed as a non-fiction lover, I have had lots of conversations with many of you on what are some good non-fiction books. So I put together my list of top 10 non-fiction books for people who don’t read non-fiction.

This isn’t a list of the best non-fiction I’ve ever read, but books that I think those of you who love a good novel will enjoy. Those of you looking for a way in. Most of these books are more narrative driven, and use rich language to develop characters and events. While there are a variety of types of non-fiction books on this list, they are all captivating.

This list is presented in alphabetical order, I simply can not play favorites with these books.

Between The World and Me Journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Atlantic) is known for his work on dissecting the experience of Black Americans. Between The World and Me written to Coates’ son, is a powerful look at the history and practices that have created a culture in America, where Black people are not valued as full citizens. He looks at slavery, discrimination, mass incarceration, and the murder of Black citizens by the police. Coates asks us not only how did this happen? But also, where do we go from here?

 Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood This is the story of Trevor Noah’s upbringing as a mixed child in Apartheid South Africa. It is at once funny and poignant. You learn so much about his life, and gain a new appreciation for his success. I laughed at loud at parts and felt my self tearing up here and there.

Columbine In this deeply emotional reexamination of one of the most famous school shootings in American history. Author, David Cullen looks at the facts of the shooting and uses forensic experts, the killers’ own words, and all the evidence to figure out what really happened on April 20, 1999.

Jesus Land: A Memoir In this memoir by Julia Scheeres, we learn of her childhood with her adopted brother, David who is black, in racist rural Indiana. We see her life in the Mid-West and also her experience in a religious camp in the Dominican Republic. Scheeres’ story is heartrending and emotional. You can’t imagine the world she comes from and the stories she has to share.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption The story of a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, and his journey as an activist and advocate on behalf of those who are sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty. Not only is this book a memoir of Stevenson’s early days as a appeals lawyer, it is also a searing indictment of the United States criminal justice system.

Men We Reaped: A Memoir Over the course of five years, author Jesmyn Ward loses five young black men in her life. This book is her examination of why something like this could happen. It is a look at what it means to be young and black in America. Written with all her skill as a fiction writer, and all the truth of her lived experience. This is a really special book. We cover this book on The Stacks Podcast and you can listen to our episode here.

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After In her memoir, Clemantine Wamariya (with co-author Elizabeth Weil) tells her unimaginable journey of life as a refugee from Rwanda in 1994. Clemantine and her sister Claire, travel through eight African countries, before they ultimately end up in America. While the book is about their journey, it is also about finding one’s voice and strength to carry on and to thrive. It is both devastating and empowering. The writing is beautiful.

Unbroken:A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption This is one of those stories that you wouldn’t believe if you saw it in a movie (and guess what, this book is now a movie).  Laura Hillenbrand writes this story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned WWII pilot, turned prisoner of war, turned survivor. Its almost more than you can handle, and then you remember what Zamperini went through, and you remember you’re just reading.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith When it comes to non-fiction, author John Krakauer is my favorite. I can highly recommend any of his books (Where Men Win Glory is a personal favorite). In Under the Banner of Heaven Krakauer dives deep into the Fundamentalist Mormon Church. He examines the religion, their traditions, believes, and brings up many questions about Mormonism. This book is not to be missed.

Zeitoun Dave Eggers tells the story of a Muslim man caught in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The book takes place at the intersection of natural disaster response and The War on Terror. The story is almost beyond believe, and the storytelling is illuminating.

63439241-927F-48C9-B6A5-67C450C9950AThis list is a great starting place if you think you’re not so much of a non-fiction person. And if you make your way through this and think maybe you want a little more, here are ten bonus books. While some of these may be less accessible (more niche topics, more clinical writing) for pure fiction lovers, the stories are inescapably engrossing and the writing is of course delicious.

I hope that these books help you add a little non-fiction to your world of reading. And if you already love non-fiction I hope you find something here that sparks your interests. Tell me what you think of my list, and add any of your favorite non-fiction books.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.

#diversiFIVEbooks Round Up

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 2 Comments

70F30DF8-45D8-4F42-BEA5-255411607B13Its been one month since the start of the #diversiFIVEbooks challenge to bring a little more diversity to the online book community. You can read all about that here.

I wanted to give you all a round up of the books that were mentioned in the last month. This way you can add them to your physical or online to be read list, or just have them all in one place.

The list is organized by prompt. Which means if a book was listed in different categories it will show up twice. If a book was listed more than once in the same category, I will also note that as well. However once in the prompt they’re not organized at all.

If you’ve yet to participate, go join in the fun on your Instagram. And make sure you’re listening to The Stacks Podcast to hear how our guests answer their own #diversiFIVEboooks challenge.

Now on to the round up, be fair warned, its whole lot of books. Enjoy!

A book you loved before you joined Instagram/Bookstagram

A book you love by an author from a different ethnicity than you

A book you’re excited to read by or about people of color

A book you love that you rarely see on Instagram/Bookstagram

A book in a genre you don’t normally read that you ended up loving (and the genre it comes from)

I hope this insanely rich and diverse list inspires you when you need it most. I know I’m looking forward to reading many of these books. If you do pick any of these up let me know what you think.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.

#diversiFIVEbooks

~ TheStacksPodcast ~ 1 Comment

79520C35-6B11-4F9F-BFE6-D55E096CD836

I’ve been an avid reader my whole life, and have really ramped up my reading in the last 2 years. When I decided to launch The Stacks, I also made a choice to join #Bookstagram, a lovely and supportive community on Instagram that is all about books. There is a focus on inclusion and diversity on #Bookstagram, and people are very open to engagement and conversations. I’m telling you, if you’ve never been, #Bookstagram is really cool.

Since I’ve joined #Bookstagram I’ve met some pretty wonderful people (mostly women), and been exposed to some wonderful books (mostly contemporary fiction) I never would have picked up without this community. However, the flip side of this, is that I have seen so many of the same books promoted over and over by many different accounts. I know some of this has to do with publishers marketing these books by giving away free copies in exchange for reviews (though the reviews are honest and not impacted by the means of getting the book).

I am all for books getting talked about and discussed, and I think any conversations about books is a net positive, especially as people move away from books and toward other forms of entertainment. However, this trend leads to unintentionally curated #Bookstagram feeds. That same book that keeps popping up does so at the expense of other books. What voices are we excluding from the conversation? What books, genres, and authors are put on the back burner, so that these ARCs can be reviewed? What conversations are we missing out on?

Even as we talk about diverse books, the same diverse books get most of the attention. Certain authors and types of books are featured, while others are left out. The same 5-10 books by women and people of color are everywhere. Where are all the rest? How can we help to bring books we feel passionately about back into the conversation?

With all that being said, I wanted to challenge the #Bookstagram community to share their own #diversiFIVEbooks. I ask that you follow the prompts, and tag your books and others in the #Bookstagram world to share theirs. Lets see what other amazing books are out there that might not be on our radar.

Here are the prompts

  • A book that you loved before you joined #Bookstagram
  • A book you love by an author from a different ethnicity than you
  • A book you’re excited to read by or about people of color
  • A book you love that you rarely see on #Bookstagram
  • A book in a genre you don’t normally read that you ended up loving (and the genre it comes from)

Here is my list

  • A book that you loved before you joined #Bookstagram
  • A book you love by an author from a different ethnicity than you
  • A book you’re excited to read by or about people of color
  • A book you love that you rarely see on #Bookstagram
  • A book in a genre you don’t normally read that you ended up loving (and the genre it comes from)

I tried to keep the prompts vague so you can all enjoy the process of creating you lists. Looking forward to see what you come up with. 

If you have other thoughts or insights into book diversity on #Bookstagram or anywhere, please leave your thoughts in the comments. I really would love to engage around this topic as I think it is important and useful.

The Stacks participates in affiliate programs in which we receive a small commission when products are purchased through some links on this website. This does not effect my opinions on books and products. For more information click here.