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Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, The Atlantic staff writer and poet Clint Smith leads readers on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks—those that are honest about the past and those that are not—that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation’s collective history, and ourselves. “How the Word Is Passed frees history, frees humanity to reckon honestly with the legacy of slavery,” raves Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of How to be an Anti-Racist. “We need this book.”
After finishing one book in June (the busyness of summer! also I have been watching just so much Superstore), I have been diving back into the reading world. I just finished Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome, which was SO good. My wife and I have very different reading preferences, so I rarely recommend books to her, but I immediately told her she needed to read it. If you love structure, it’s so structured! And Broome is also a poet, which always adds an extra kick to nonfiction writing.
After a dearth of new releases last week, we are back into a deluge, which is a delight. These all look great, so enjoy:
Vessel: A Memoir by Chongda Cai
Look at this cover. LOOK AT THIS COVER. This is a memoir that “illuminates the lives of rural Chinese workers, offering a portrait of generational strife, family, love, and loss.” Cai grows up in a rural fishing village in Fujian province and, after his father has a stroke, has to start earning money for his family and his father’s medical bills. After going to college, he moves to Beijing, where he eventually becomes the editorial director of GQ China (a twist I was not expecting!). This is being compared to Hillbilly Elegy (hm) and The Glass Castle (huh). It looks really interesting.
Books Promiscuously Read: Reading as a Way of Life by Heather Cass White
If there’s one thing readers are suckers for, it’s books about how great reading is. White is an English professor (natch) who splits the book into three different ways of thinking about reading (Play, Transgression, Insight). She “advocates for a life of constant, disorderly, time-consuming reading, and encourages readers to trust in the value of the exhilaration and fascination such reading entails.” Yesss. Also, this is under 200 pages, and I am all for a short book.
Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan’s First Female Pilot by Niloofar Rahmani with Adam Sikes
In 2010, Afghanistan allowed women to join the armed forces, and in 2013, Niloofar Rahmani became Afghanistan’s first female fixed-wing air force pilot. After receiving death threats from the Taliban, who disapproved of her career choice Rahmani sought and was granted asylum in the United States. She is only in her late twenties, but has already done way more than anyone I know.
Black Nerd Problem: Essays by William Evans, Omar Holmon
If this looks familiar, it’s because I talked about it in my second half of 2021 releases newsletter! Still psyched about this one, and it’s out now. Evans and Holmon write about “everything from Mario Kart and The Wire to issues of representation and police brutality across media.” Side note: I asked last time if it’s too late to watch The Wire and I was assured it’s not, so. That’s on my to-do list. Anyway. Check this out!
The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans by Cynthia Barnett
Nothing makes me more aware of how much I love nonfiction than when I see a title like this and gasp with delight. Who doesn’t want to learn more about seashells! They’re so neat! I’m not super-clear on whether we’re supposed to take them from beaches, but my guess is no if we apply the “take only memories and leave only footprints” forest ranger rule. Do I have some anyway? Maybe. Yes. It’s fine. But back to Barnett’s book, which probably elucidates these points! It is a “history of seashells and the animals that make them, revealing what they have to tell us about nature, our changing oceans, and ourselves.” Ooo.
For more nonfiction reads, check out the For Real podcast which I co-host with the excellent Kim here at Book Riot. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @itsalicetime. Until next time, enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.