It’s Friday! Hooray! Despite the fact that Minnesota has been IGNORING the fact that it’s spring by spitting snow and sleet in my face all week, I remain optimistic that we’ll get some reading on the patio weather in April. I can manifest this, right?
This week’s nonfiction news is a bit of a jumble – some new books, some analysis of upcoming titles, and a couple of stories that just seemed interesting in a nonfiction-adjacent way. Let’s get to it!
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NPR highlighted three nonfiction translations to read this spring. Nonfiction in translation is one of my blind spots, so I definitely have this article bookmarked!
Tiffany Haddish will be releasing an essay collection this fall! I Curse You With Joy will be a story of “laughing through the tears,” with stories about how Haddish uses comedy to “metabolize pain and turn it into art.” I am jazzed about this one!
A nonfiction book claiming to reveal who betrayed Anne Frank and her family is being recalled by the Dutch publisher. A 69-page report by six Dutch historians and academics cast doubt on the conclusion of The Betrayal of Anne Frank by Rosemary Sullivan. The book was based on the findings of a cold case team led by a former FBI agent. The historian’s report called the book “a shaky house of cards.”
If true crime is more of your jam, Publisher’s Weekly explores some upcoming titles to put on your radar. I like the mix of different types of true crime highlighted here, along with the emphasis on books that also talk about “the societal factors surrounding crime, victimhood, and punishment.”
Marie Kondo has another book coming out in November 2022. The title is Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life, and it will offer “an inspirational visual guide to elevate the joy in every aspect of your life.” I honestly don’t know how I feel about that description, or the fact that I didn’t see this news picked up in bookish media. Are people just over Marie Kondo and I missed it?
I’m not sure this is strictly nonfiction related, but it’s an interesting story. In a nutshell, Shealah Craighaid, former White House photographer for President Trump, has canceled her plans to release a book of White House photos after Trump published his own book of photos. There’s a lot in the linked story about public records, historical trends around White House photographers, and ways Trump has monetized his presidency that I thought was worth a read.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
One Thing I Like
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This week I’ve been listening to the audiobook of How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur, which is a total forking delight. Schur is the creator of two of my favorite television shows, Parks and Recreation and The Good Place. This book is a guide to living an ethical life, informed by all of the reading and thinking Schur did while creating the universe of The Good Place.
He begins by explaining three of the biggest frames of secular ethical thought, then goes on to show how concepts like deontology or utilitarianism can be used to untangle thorny ethical questions about everything from face punching to Internet shaming. The audiobook is a treat, with great production flourishes and small pop-ins from the actors and actresses of The Good Place. The whole thing is just as smart and silly as the show, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
For more nonfiction reads, head over to the podcast service of your choice and download For Real, which I co-host with my dear friend Alice. If you have any questions/comments/book suggestions, you can find me on social media @kimthedork. Happy weekend!