Happiest of Fridays, nonfiction friends! I feel like I’m in the middle of a time loop, where spring is constantly promised for “next week,” but then when next week arrives it’s more of the same… cold and snow in some disgusting combination. It’s very demoralizing when all I want to do is read books on my patio in the sun!
This week’s nonfiction news is heavy on celebrity, with a couple of other interesting developments thrown in for added flavor. Let’s dive in!
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Jeannette McCurdy, former Nickelodeon child star, has written a memoir. I’m Glad My Mom Died, out August 9, tells the story of how her mother pushed McCurdy into acting as a child, a decision that she says led to anxiety, shame, and self-loathing. McCurdy played Sam Puckett on iCarly and starred in Sam & Cat. That cover is giving me real Sweet Valley High vibes, which I’m definitely into.
Britney Spears has confirmed she’s writing a book! This affirmation from the star comes weeks after rumors circulated that she had a multimillion dollar deal for a memoir. In a post that’s since been taken down from Instagram, Spears said writing the book is “healing and therapeutic.” I remain excited to read this one.
Tom Hiddleson will be starring in an adaptation of David Grann’s book The White Darkness. The book tells the story of Henry Worsley, a devoted family man and former soldier, who becomes obsessed with traversing Antarctica on foot (you can see where this is going, I assume). The series on Apple will “explore courage, love, family and the extremes of human endurance.” The White Darkness started as a magazine article in The New Yorker and was turned into a book.
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Here’s a story that’s a bit meta – an attempt to ban the graphic novel Persepolis is being turned into a graphic novel. Back in 2013, a library science graduate student discovered that the Chicago Public School district had tried to remove Persepolis from school libraries and classrooms without following the district’s formal book challenge process. The student, Jarrett Dapier, is now turning his experience fighting the book removal into a graphic novel – Wake Now In the Fire. Fascinating! Look for this one in 2023.
And here’s one that is just a real head scratcher – a publisher is removing the book Bad and Boujee: Toward a Trap Feminist Theology from publication after critics noted that the author is white. The book purports to explore the “Black Experience, hip-hop music, ethics, and feminism.” The Black woman credited with coining the concept of trap feminism, Sesali Bowen, said the white author, Jennifer Buck, didn’t approach her while writing the book. Others have criticized Buck and her publisher, Wipf and Stock Publishers, over the idea that a white woman could write deeply about a concept so tied to Black women’s experiences in the world. Uff.
One Thing I Like
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This week was the week where I learned about the social media phenomenon of the Coastal Grandmother. Coined on TikTok, a coastal grandmother channels the vibe of Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated or Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, wearing white button downs, decorating with fresh flowers, and drinking white wine along the beach.
Turns out, you don’t need to be coastal or a grandmother to take in this vibe… which is delightful, because I think this is what I want to be. My favorite coastal grandmother discovery is this related Spotify playlist with bangers like “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole, “New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini, and “Save the Last Dance for Me” by Michael Bublé. Now you’ll have to excuse me while I do some online shopping for a matching pajama set, neutral turtleneck, and something pointless from Williams Sonoma.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
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!