Hello and happy Friday, nonfiction friends. It’s the end of an exceptionally heavy week, and I don’t have much to say other than I hope you are taking care of yourself and have found a way to turn grief or rage into action, however small.
Nonfiction Library Wall Sign
If you really want to show off your love for nonfiction, consider this bookish wall print! It comes in a variety of sizes, papers, and framing options, so you can make it look right at home near your collection.
New Releases
For this week’s new releases, I want to highlight a couple of essay collections newly out in paperback:
Girlhood by Melissa Febos
In this book, critic Melissa Febos explores the narratives women are told about being female and how to get away from those stories. She begins with her body changing at 11, then follows with other experiences where she defined herself by her relationships and perceptions she had about herself. Eventually, she set about trying to reframe the ideas she had about safety, happiness, and freedom to reimagine relationships and herself.
The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna
This collection seeks to explore borders, the natural world, and the stories we tell ourselves through the lens of travel and movement. In one essay, Aminatta Forna writes about the charms of air travel (how nostalgic!). In another, she explores narratives and expectations for young Africans traveling to the United States for school. In others, she brings her perspective as an African person to issues of race in America. This is a beautiful collection!
Riot Recommendations
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is publishing a young adult graphic novel called Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game. The book is a memoir of his experience as a high school student, trying to choose between a career in baseball or football.
In a release about the book, Kapernick said: “Many of my experiences in high school helped to anchor me in my understanding of Blackness, my community, and my sense of worth … High school affirmed for me that it’s sometimes only by transgressing social expectations that we’re able to transform into our truest selves.”
Inspired by that book, here are two other graphic novels about sports you might want to pick up:
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
Before he was a full time graphic novelist, Gene Luen Yang was a high school teacher in California. In this book, he chronicles a single season of his school’s varsity basketball team, the Dragons, as they try to win the California State Championships. I love this comic so much – it’s like an inspirational sports movie in book form.
Spinning by Tillie Walden
For a decade, figure skating was the center of Tillie Walden’s life and identity. But after switching schools, discovering art, and falling in love with a girl, she started to question whether she really fit into that world anymore. Eventually, she finds the courage to quit and see what else might be out there.
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!