Hello, Friends! My name is Kendra Winchester and I’ll be popping into your inboxes once a week as your new True Story book guide. I’m a disabled book nerd from Appalachia now living in the South Carolina Lowcountry. When I’m not in the bookish world, I’m typically found at the dog park with my two Corgis, Dylan and Gwen. Some of you might already know me from Book Riot’s Audiobooks newsletter, but I’m excited to be sharing even MORE books with you here. So what are we waiting for? Let’s jump right in!
Book Sleeves by The Sicangu Sewist
I adore a good book sleeve! Emmy Her Many Horses (Rosebud Sioux) uses Indigenous-designed fabrics to create book sleeves in three different sizes. She only has so much of the different fabrics, so be sure to grab your favorite design before it disappears! I use my book sleeve to keep safe whatever nonfiction book I’m annotating. I can even tuck my favorite pen and book flags in the sleeve too! $20+
New Releases
Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide by Britt Hawthorne
In Raising Antiracist Children, Britt Hawthorne approaches antiracist parenting by dividing her ideas into four sections: healthy bodies, radical minds, conscious shopping, and thriving communities. Then she discusses each topic to help parents make their parenting strategies. The book also includes tips, questionnaires, and stories to help people parent the kids in their life the best they can.
Nora Ephron: A Biography by Kristin Marguerite Doidge
In this first biography of the famous essayist, screenwriter, and film director, Kristin Marguerite Doidge presents her portrait of Nora Ephron. Based on interviews with Ephron’s close family and friends, this biography gives readers a comprehensive look at her life. I’ve always wanted to know more about Nora Ephron and her work, so this seems like just the book I need.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
This week, I have to tell you about some of my favorite recent reads!
Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice
In Canada, it’s Indigenous History Month, so let’s start with Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a faculty member in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and English at the University of British Columbia. Why Indigenous Literatures Matter discusses the unique qualities of Indigenous Literatures and the importance of decolonizing your approach to engaging with Indigenous writers’ work. Justice’s writing is incredibly accessible, and he clearly defines his terms and walks readers through his thought process. This book is a great one to read before jumping into your Indigenous Lit TBR pile.
Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change by Anjali Enjeti
As a Southern transplant, I’m always looking for new books about the South, and Anjali Enjeti has recently written an essay collection right in my wheel house. Enjeti and her family moved to the South when she was small. Since then, she’s called the South her home. But as a mixed-race brown girl, many people there didn’t necessarily make her feel welcome. Now as an adult, Enjeti writes about her experience with racism as well as her complicity in systemic racism. These essays feature her thoughts on feminism, the new South, gun violence, voter supression, and so much more.
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave or over on Instagram @kdwinchester. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra