I realized last week, when I was too tired and cranky to write a new post, that I am way, way behind on trying to review the books I’ve read this year. But I also realized that writing reviews (even short ones) doesn’t actually take that long… as long as you just sit down and do it. #duh
This week I’m sharing the nonfiction reviews I got caught up on over the weekend. All of these are books that, with a few caveats for content, I enjoyed and would recommend — that’s pretty exciting!
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil
When she was six years old, Clemantine Wamariya and her older sister, Claire, fled their home in Rwanda to escape the mass slaughter of Tutsi citizens by the Hutu majority. After six years migrating through seven different African countries, the sisters found their way to the United States. Clemantine was taken in by a typical white, suburban family who raised her as their own daughter, but of course the scars from her time as a refugee were still there. This book is told in alternating chapters, shifting from Africa to Chicago and Clematine’s experiences in each place, in a really thoughtful way. It’s a difficult read, but one built around an idea that relates to everyone – building a life in our own way and finding a way to voice our own stories. I thought it was a very effective, heartbreaking, and hopeful read.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
In June 2009, a renowned 20 year old flutist named Edwin Rist went to a suburban branch of the British Museum of Natural History and stole a suitcase full of invaluable rare bird specimens, many collected by Alfred Russel Wallace. Rist, a well-known savant in the small world of Victorian salmon fly-tying, wanted the feathers both for his own use, and to sell to support his lifestyle and hobby. Johnson learned about the theft while fly fishing, then set out to both understand the crime and try to find bird skins that are still missing, despite the fact that Rist was apprehended. I thought this work of true crime was pretty delightful – particularly if you’re into true crime without the blood and guts typical of the genre. I thought Johnson did a great job showing why the theft was important, both to the museum and to our understanding of science as a whole, giving the book a little more heft than I originally expected. The criminal justice system’s treatment of Rist is extremely unsatisfying, but it’s unfair to fault the book or the author for the truth.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Comedian Trevor Noah grew up mixed-race in South Africa during apartheid. Being “colored,” the son of a black woman and a white man, was literally a crime at that time, so Noah hard to learn to navigate a complicated set of circumstances. The book is also a story about his mother, and the sacrifices she made to craft a life of her own and raise her young sons. The book is incredibly funny, but also scary and sad and complicated in a way I appreciated a lot. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and I definitely think that is the way to go. Noah narrates it himself, and he is truly wonderful.
Odd Girl Out by Laura James
British journalist Laura James was diagnosed with autism in her 40s. This book is about figuring out what to do with that information, along with a story about what it was like for her to grow up not having words to describe how different she felt. It’s about her initial impulse to “fix” herself, and how that mindset about something as complicated as autism doesn’t really work. It’s also a thoughtful story about her family and her marriage, and what a condition like autism (both unnamed and named) can do to a relationship. I thought it was deeply honest and thoughtful, and enjoyed reading it a lot.
Stuck in the Middle With You by Jennifer Finney Boylan
Jennifer Finney Boylan is a transgender woman who wrote about her transition from James to Jennifer in her first memoir, She’s Not There. In this book, Boylan writes about what being transgender has meant to her as a parent, and how ideas of motherhood and fatherhood are being complicated all the time. I loved a lot about this book, but especially how empathetic Boylan was to her wife and kids, reflecting that a decision she made to live a life that is authentic to her had huge consequences for them. It’s very generous while still being very honest, which is so important in a good memoir. That story was interspersed with interviews with other people on parenting and family that were ok, but not as interesting as the story they were interrupting. Overall though, this book was great.
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I loved the audio of Born a Crime and I’d like to read all the other titles.
Audio is definitely the way to go with that one!
“But I also realized that writing reviews (even short ones) doesn’t actually take that long… as long as you just sit down and do it. #duh”
LOL! Yes the sitting down and DOING it holds me up every time! They are pretty well composed in my head as I read, but then I pick up another book when I finish, and never quite get to the review!
I’ve not yet read the Trevor Noah book, but every time I see it mentioned, it’s noted that the audiobook is the way to go. I’m going to have to check it out and go for a long car ride!
I do this with all of my writing… putz around and put it off and then realize that this can be done if you just put your butt in a chair and do it. It’s so obvious and so hard 🙂
I absolutely loved Born a Crime. The Girl Who Smiled Beads and Stuck in the Middle With You both sound fantastic. Did you read Boylan’s first memoir? I wonder if it’s important to read that one first.
I haven’t read her first memoir, and I think this one stands on it’s own. She references some stories she shared in the first memoir and notes not repeating them here, but they didn’t feel missing… if that makes sense!
I just added Odd Girl Out to my library list. I’m trying to learn more about what it’s like to be an autistic person at different ages so this is perfect!
That’s a great pick! She writes about her adult experience after the diagnosis, and her experience as a kid with autism who didn’t know how to explain what was happening to her. It’s really interesting.
I’ve really loved Jenny Boylan’s memoirs, and strangely, the one that interested me least was the one where she talks about making her transition. Stuck in the Middle with You was my favorite — I love the way she talks about her life and her kids, and the way she manages to blend funny moments with sad ones.
Yes! Her blend of humor and sadness and reflection is really spot on. I appreciated that this one didn’t spend time on her transition, just the before and the after and what it means to everyone involved.
I hadn’t heard of some of these but all sound so good. Next time I am at the library I will have to pick up a nonfiction read for sure! Maybe I’ll luck out and find one of these.
I hope so!
I keep seeing The Girl Who Smiled Beads around so thanks for reviewing that one. I’d like to get to it. I wish I could do more mini-reviews. Nice!
Once I get going I sometimes feel like I could write longer, but I also like the challenge of keeping things compact and focused 🙂
These all sound good, but I’m especially interested in The Feather Thief! The topic interests me and I’m more excited knowing that the author does a good job exploring the larger significance of the story.
I liked that part of it a lot. He made a strong case for why the theft mattered, and why the thief should have been punished more severely for it even though the theft of dead birds may not seem like a big deal.