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True Story

A New #OwnVoices Memoir From the Southern Border

Hello, nonfiction friends! Before we get into new books, I have some personal news to share – this will be my last week putting together this newsletter. While I’ve enjoyed writing it immensely, after three years of weekly and twice-weekly editions, it felt like it was time to pass the ship off to someone else with some fresh energy and ideas. And I am SO HAPPY to say that True Story will be in excellent hands when Alice, my co-host of the For Real podcast, takes over in February.

For now, I have one more selection of new books to share today, and then a special edition of the newsletter to close out my time as writer/editor at the end of the week. Keep reading, and be sure to click through on Friday!

Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo – Given the ongoing discussion related to #OwnVoices stories about immigrants and the southern border, this book is especially relevant. In this memoir, poet Marcelo Hernandez Castillo writes about what it was like to grow up undocumented in the United States. Castillo and his family crossed the border from Mexico when he was five, so the young boy grew up hiding in plain sight in California. In the book he writes about their experiences being visited by ICE, how he made a fake social security card, his father’s deportation, and more.

Further Reading: If you need a primer on where the #OwnVoices discussion is coming from, this post at Book Riot lays it out well. If you want more about this book, Hernandez Castillo had a great interview on NPR.

Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry that Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East by Kim Ghattas – In this book, journalist Kim Ghattas looks at how the modern Middle East unraveled, beginning with a rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran that helped spark the Iranian revolution in 1979. Ghattas uses historical research and her own reporting to address myths about the region, including how religion split Saudi Arabia and Iran, and how U.S. policy contributed to chaos in the region. I love Kim Ghattas’ writing, so I’m excited about this one.

Further Reading: Ghattas was interviewed for Bloomberg about why Iran was in trouble even before the killing of military commander Qassem Soleimani.

Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America by Gilda R. Daniels – This book looks at the issue of voter disenfranchisement “through the lens of history, race, law, and the democratic process.” Gilda R. Daniels, a former official in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, looks at the cycles of voter suppression and how methods adapt to find new ways to keep people from voting. Voter suppression feels like one of the most important issues going into the 2020 election, so this book is a must read.

Further Reading: Last summer, Daniels was interviewed by Detroit Today about how voter suppression is real and has been happening for more than 100 years.

And finally, a few other books I am excited about this week:

That’s all the new books for this week! You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @kimthedork and co-hosting the For Real podcast here at Book Riot. Be sure to check back on Friday, I’m excited for what is coming! Happy reading! – Kim