Hello Patrons! 🙂

My mom and I are both big readers. My mom’s currently in the middle of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. A couple weeks ago my mom said something that stuck with me. She told me that at this point in her life she reads to learn something not just read. Being an Autodidact I feel the same way. I don’t read only novels, but I’ve only talked about novels on this blog.

So here are some recommendations for the reader who wants to learn while they read:

We Too Sing America by Deepa Iyer– I read this over spring break and was pleasantly surprised. Iyer in this book covers the topic of Immigration in modern culture with Donald Trump’s recent election. Being half Syrian I was familiar with some topics, but some topics such as Shikh xenophobia was totally foreign to me. I was so informed and the book wasn’t dry as one would expect from a non fiction book.
The Shepard’s Life by James Rebanks- So I got this as a Christmas present from my aunt. I didn’t expect much, but I liked the cover so I decided to give it a shot. This is about modern Shepard living in Ireland and northern England. I learned a lot about raising sheep and sheering of wool and such. The book was constructed into 4 parts correlating with the seasons of the year in each section Rebanks talks about what Shepard do depending on the season. I liked it, I now have lots of information for cocktail parties about shepherding.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander– I’m currently taking a class on racial justice in america and mass incarceration and this was one of the required texts. Alexander did a lot of research on the topic and was credible. I thought I was educated on the topic of race in america but learned even more.
Dear Ijeawele: Or a Feminist Manifesto in 15 suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi- this was originally an email from Adichi’s friend who recently had a baby to Adichi to ask how to raise her child. This was incredibly powerful. It tackles the topic of feminism, and the ideas of gender roles that we consider normal. (My sister is currently reading this and excited).
H is For Hawk by Helen MacDonald– After the death of her father McDonald decides to tame a Goshawk, which is the most notoriously hard bird to train. Through this process McDonald is able to try to do something conducive to take her mind of off grieving for her father.
The American Spirit by David McCollough- David McCollough recently released a compilation of past speeches he’s given on the topic of history and America in general. I found one of my favorite quotes in this book. McCollough has a way with words that is so new and exciting. He brings his excitement and knowledge of history to make beautiful orations.

I hope these recommendations were helpful. Have you read any good nonfiction lately. Leave your recommendations in the comments. We Were Eight Years In Power by Ta-nehisi Coates looks interesting and that looks at the Obama Administration. Another interesting one is Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump’s America which is a collection of feminist essays.