Nonfiction Reviewlettes: Survivalists, Essays, and Exotic Fish

My nonfiction reading has been absolutely on fire lately. Thanks to the work I do over at Book Riot — writing a weekly nonfiction newsletter, and hosting a bi-weekly nonfiction podcast — I’m pretty up to speed on the big nonfiction that’s being published now. My TBR is miles long, but it’s ok because that means I don’t often read books I don’t like — I know to avoid them, or I’m happy to quit because I know there are good books on the horizon. All that to say I’m excited to be sharing short reviews of three books I really loved — a memoir about survivalists, a collection of essays, and a scientific travelogue about exotic fish. 

Educated by Tara Westover

There’s a lot to try and fit into a description of Tara Westover’s amazing memoir, Educated, so I’m just going to give you the bare bones. Westover grew up in a family of fundamentalist, survivalists in Idaho who distrusted the government, educational system, and medical establishment. After seeing one brother leave and go to college, Westover taught herself just enough math, science, and grammar to pass the ACT and enter Brigham Young University as a freshman at 17 – the first time she’d ever been in a classroom, and the beginning of a big life made possible by education and the help of people she found along the way.

This memoir is absolutely stunning, both incredibly hopeful and incredibly sad in the space of just a few pages. Westover’s upbringing is full of violence and misogyny, but also small acts of rebellion and love that keep it from feeling completely hopeless. I was impressed with the clear perspective Westover brings to the book. It would be easy for her to feel bitter about her childhood and angry with her family for how she’s been treated, but I didn’t feel any of that as I read, which feels important in making this book not seem completely dire. It’s an incredible book, one that I’m confident will end up on my top books of the year list.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

It took me a weirdly long time to finish This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. I probably started reading it last fall, but finally got around to finishing the last piece just last weekend. I thought, for awhile, that the reason I took so long finishing it was because of the format. The book includes all essays that have been previously published, so I thought perhaps the collection didn’t build in a way that compelled me to keep turning pages… because of the format, there’s no surprise because they’re all by the same person, and no argument being built that pulls you into the next piece.

But as I’ve thought about it trying to write this little review, I don’t think that’s true. The essays do have a particular flow to them, building a roughly chronological story about Patchett’s life as a daughter, student, writer, dog mother, bookstore owner, and wife. The book synopsis talks about creating “both a portrait of a life and a philosophy of life,” which is quite accurate. This isn’t a biography or a memoir, but reading the essays does give a lovely overview of the relationships and moments that have meant the most to Patchett, and the ways those incidents have helped her become the writer she is today.

I think, instead, the reason I took so long to finish is because the collection is so lovely – warm, funny, thoughtful, beautifully-written, and resonant. I took forever to finish because I didn’t want my time spent with this book to end.

The Dragon Behind the Glass by Emily Voigt

I love nonfiction about weird things, so of course a “true story of power, obsession, and the world’s most coveted fish” would make it onto my reading list. The fish at the center of The Dragon Behind the Glass is the Asian arowana, aka the “dragon fish,” an endangered species that is beloved and highly coveted by those who collect ornamental fish. The dragon fish is nearly extinct in the wild, yet the fish is thriving in captivity thanks to the aquarium market. And despite the huge numbers available to sell, they’re illegal to own in the United States because they’re an endangered species. The dragon fish has inspired heists, fraud, kidnappings and even murder – so many crazy things!

This book is such a strange delight from beginning to end. Voigt meets a ton of fascinating people in her pursuit of the dragon fish, and follows the species around the world trying to understand it’s shift from wild animal to aquarium star. It’s an interesting story about nature, conservation, and obsession, all around a very odd looking fish. I thought it was a fun read – definitely one to pick up you’re open to the idea of a “scientific travelogue” about exotic fish.