![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyI haven't read any studies, but my guess is that more Americans read fiction than read nonfiction every year. Nonfiction tends to be inaccessible by its nature. Qualities that I like in nonfiction are readability, accuracy, and a writing style that keeps you turning pages. I also like to learn something that I didn't know before.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis-Floyd
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss -- and the Myths and Realities of Dieting by Gina Kolata
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
Whores and Other Feminists edited by Jill Nagle
Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky
Line Drawings of Picasso by Picasso
A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan
Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Five-star Nonfiction
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel This is a graphic novel memoir of Bechdel's childhood and early adulthood and her relationship with her father. It's a wonderful, wonderful book. You will be compelled, and you will probably recognize something of your life in hers. If you like this, try also Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis-Floyd This book is required reading for doula certification through ALACE. Reading this book profoundly shifted the way that I understand the medical establishment. I recommend this book even if you don't have or plan to acquire children. If you like it, and you are planning on having children, check out Birthing From Within.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Everyone seems to have read and loved this book by now - I know I've personally gotten at least three people to read it. It would be a great book for anyone in transition, and contains wonderful passages about food and travel. If you like this book, you might also like The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner.
Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata This book completely changed the way I think about eating, weight, and dieting. It's not a book about how to lose weight, though - instead, a narrative journey of people in weight-loss support groups is given context with both scientific evidence and information on the history of dieting. If you like it, The Body Sacred by Dianne Sylvan or Kiss My Tiara by Susan Jane Gilman might be a good accompaniment.
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart A nonfiction book about how industrial manufacturing is screwed up, and how we might learn a better way of making things, closer to the way nature makes them, in order to have a healthier relationship with our environment. If doomsayers are getting you down, you should read this one and The Impossible Takes a Little While.
Whores and Other Feminists, edited by Jill Nagle This book will change the way you think about sex work forever. If you've ever done sex work, bought sex work, wondered why women do sex work, or thought that sex work was demeaning, you should absolutely read it. If you liked this book you might enjoy Post-Porn Modernist by Annie Sprinkle or Real Live Nude Girl by Carol Queen.
Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky Polio won the Pulitzer Prize in history, and very deservedly. This chapter in American history is frequently glossed over these days - I knew very little about it, even though a family member died of the disease. FDR, Salk, the March of Dimes - all the major players are here, and the writing style is captivating. If you liked it, there's a good chance you'd also like Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond or Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.
Line Drawings of Picasso by Picasso This isn't a written book, it's a book of drawings. As someone who likes to draw, I found it very inspiring. The Vollard Suite is especially interesting. I wish I could say "And if you liked that, try..." but I haven't found other drawing books I've been really happy with at this point.
A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder by Michael Pollan For anyone who has a life with words, and is curious about a life with material objects. Pollan, a writer, decides to build himself a writing hut. Hijinks ensue. There are also many literary references to housebuilding - it pointed me to lots of other books I wanted to look up. Two examples are The Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka and Tiny Houses by Lester Walker.
Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor This is a how-to manual about positive reinforcement. It is not intended only for use on animals, but also for use on our fellow human beings. This book has a lot to teach us about how our actions shape the actions of others. Bringing this under conscious control could change your life and the lives of those around you. A great companion piece is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, as long as you are okay with (or else can ignore) the Christian context.
Galileo's Daughter: A Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel This biography is on Galileo Galelei, the famous Italian scientist. Its focus is on an exchange of letters between Galileo and his daughter, the nun Suor Maria Celeste. It makes the Italian Renaissance period come alive. For a similar setting in fantasy fiction, try The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold. For an anecdotal treatement of another oft-neglected subject, try Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky.
ETA: Click here for my best books of 2006.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis-Floyd
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss -- and the Myths and Realities of Dieting by Gina Kolata
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
Whores and Other Feminists edited by Jill Nagle
Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky
Line Drawings of Picasso by Picasso
A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan
Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Five-star Nonfiction
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel This is a graphic novel memoir of Bechdel's childhood and early adulthood and her relationship with her father. It's a wonderful, wonderful book. You will be compelled, and you will probably recognize something of your life in hers. If you like this, try also Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie Davis-Floyd This book is required reading for doula certification through ALACE. Reading this book profoundly shifted the way that I understand the medical establishment. I recommend this book even if you don't have or plan to acquire children. If you like it, and you are planning on having children, check out Birthing From Within.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Everyone seems to have read and loved this book by now - I know I've personally gotten at least three people to read it. It would be a great book for anyone in transition, and contains wonderful passages about food and travel. If you like this book, you might also like The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner.
Rethinking Thin by Gina Kolata This book completely changed the way I think about eating, weight, and dieting. It's not a book about how to lose weight, though - instead, a narrative journey of people in weight-loss support groups is given context with both scientific evidence and information on the history of dieting. If you like it, The Body Sacred by Dianne Sylvan or Kiss My Tiara by Susan Jane Gilman might be a good accompaniment.
Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart A nonfiction book about how industrial manufacturing is screwed up, and how we might learn a better way of making things, closer to the way nature makes them, in order to have a healthier relationship with our environment. If doomsayers are getting you down, you should read this one and The Impossible Takes a Little While.
Whores and Other Feminists, edited by Jill Nagle This book will change the way you think about sex work forever. If you've ever done sex work, bought sex work, wondered why women do sex work, or thought that sex work was demeaning, you should absolutely read it. If you liked this book you might enjoy Post-Porn Modernist by Annie Sprinkle or Real Live Nude Girl by Carol Queen.
Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky Polio won the Pulitzer Prize in history, and very deservedly. This chapter in American history is frequently glossed over these days - I knew very little about it, even though a family member died of the disease. FDR, Salk, the March of Dimes - all the major players are here, and the writing style is captivating. If you liked it, there's a good chance you'd also like Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond or Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.
Line Drawings of Picasso by Picasso This isn't a written book, it's a book of drawings. As someone who likes to draw, I found it very inspiring. The Vollard Suite is especially interesting. I wish I could say "And if you liked that, try..." but I haven't found other drawing books I've been really happy with at this point.
A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder by Michael Pollan For anyone who has a life with words, and is curious about a life with material objects. Pollan, a writer, decides to build himself a writing hut. Hijinks ensue. There are also many literary references to housebuilding - it pointed me to lots of other books I wanted to look up. Two examples are The Not-So-Big House by Sarah Susanka and Tiny Houses by Lester Walker.
Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor This is a how-to manual about positive reinforcement. It is not intended only for use on animals, but also for use on our fellow human beings. This book has a lot to teach us about how our actions shape the actions of others. Bringing this under conscious control could change your life and the lives of those around you. A great companion piece is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, as long as you are okay with (or else can ignore) the Christian context.
Galileo's Daughter: A Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel This biography is on Galileo Galelei, the famous Italian scientist. Its focus is on an exchange of letters between Galileo and his daughter, the nun Suor Maria Celeste. It makes the Italian Renaissance period come alive. For a similar setting in fantasy fiction, try The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold. For an anecdotal treatement of another oft-neglected subject, try Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky.
ETA: Click here for my best books of 2006.