Author: Kendra Winchester

Before Eyeliner, Zahra Hankir edited a collection of Arab women journalists reporting from the Arab world. Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Syria — these journalists report on wars, uprisings, and protests. From their vantage point, they are able to tell stories that male journalists would never have access to in their own work. They center women’s experiences as they write about sexual assault or trying to travel without a male relative. Western society often carries a lot of assumptions about the Middle East. These brave Arab women are here to tell their own stories, risking everything to bring their much-needed perspective of their home regions.

After the memoir Hillbilly Elegy hit shelves, everyone began crafting their own opinions about the region. J.D. Vance certainly had his. In Appalachian Reckoning, writers from a wide range of backgrounds respond to Vance’s memoir, sharing what they feel he got wrong (or right, in some cases). Meredith McCarroll and Anthony Harkins write about how they wanted to give Appalachian people a platform to respond to the now incredibly famous book that painted all of Appalachia —millions of people across 13 states — with a single brush. But Appalachia, just like the rest of America, is not a monolith.

Hall’s gorgeous book delves into the world of planting crops by the signs in the stars. It’s a beautiful blend of culture, folklore, and foodways rooted in generations of tradition. Hall talks to central and eastern Kentuckians who have been planting by the signs for decades. They all have their own traditional practices of crop planting. Some gardeners plant by the phases of the moon, while others use the stars to guide their lives as a whole. Wilson’s photos are stunning, making this book an incredible gift for any gardener or general plant lover.

Former Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker coined the term “Affrilachian” to refer to the unique experiences of Black Appalachians. A is for Affrilachia is a beautiful children’s alphabet book that highlights the accomplishments of Affrilachian people across the region. In the back of the book, there is more detail on each of the people, places, or things mentioned, giving adults more information to share with the kids in their lives. It’s a great way to start conversations about the importance of Affrilachian people to the region. This book makes a great gift, and I’ve already bought several copies for baby showers and birthday presents.

In one of my favorite memoirs of the year, Cristina Rivera Garza chronicles how she tries to track down her sister’s last days before she was murdered. Rivera Garza interviews Liliana’s friends at university, goes through her journals, and looks through official documents. But Liliana’s Invincible Summer is not a true crime story. Instead, it’s a beautiful testament celebrating Liliana’s life and the joy she brought to the world.

Nicole Chung is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. From her memoir All You Can Ever Know to her newsletter for The Atlantic, Chung writes with such vulnerability and clarity. A Living Memory follows Chung’s experience with the death of her father and her mother’s diagnosis of cancer. But when the pandemic arrives, Chung finds herself unable to be with her mother in her last days. This memoir is so intimate, so heart-rending, as Chung voices what many of us experience when a loved one passes away and we can’t be there for them. A Living Memory is truly a stunning book.

I’ve given Salt Fat Acid Heat to everyone I can think of, even going to the length of buying several copies to have on hand just in case I need a last-minute gift. Nosrat walks readers through concepts around cooking, particularly around ideas about the elements of salt, fat, acid, and heat. She doesn’t just tell you what or how to cook; she describes WHY we cook in certain ways. This gives home cooks the tools to create their own delicious dishes without having to follow a recipe from someone else.

Rodney Scott took over his parents’ barbecue place and wanted to take it to the next level. Scott began trying new things with barbecue and worked through the logistics of cooking a ridiculous amount of it. Eventually, Scott received a James Beard Award for his mastery of BBQ, establishing himself as a legend of South Carolina BBQ traditions. His cookbook delves into his story and shares some of Scott’s favorite recipes.

If you love narrative nonfiction, Ghostland will be right in your wheelhouse. In this book, Colin Dickey travels around America to inspect the most haunted places in the nation. Hotels, abandoned hospitals, empty prisons — no location is too creepy or sinister for Dickey. He asks deep questions about how we, the living, relate to these haunted spaces and how these moments and places from our past impact our future.

Heid E. Erdrich (yes, she’s the sister of Louise Erdrich) edited this anthology of new Indigenous poets. There’s such a range of different kinds of poetry in this collection from poets from many different Native Nations, giving you a broad look at Indigenous poetry in the 21st century. After reading these poems, you’ll be itching to look up each contributor to find more of their work.

History lovers are sure to enjoy this swashbuckling narrative about a pirate who changes the course of the world’s economy. In the 17th century, Henry Every was one of the world’s most notorious pirates. When he attacks an Indian treasure ship, he thinks he’s just made a lucrative acquisition, but Johnson argues that that one event changes the course of the global economy. This lesser-known story will have you saying, “Did you know?” to all your pirate story-loving friends.

Nature lovers are sure to adore World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Many of you may already know this, but I love this book so much. From the anecdotes of Nezhukumatathil’s life to the cute illustrations by artist Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is the perfect package. Nezhukumatathil describes how her parents taught her a love of nature, but as an Indian immigrant, she didn’t see a lot of people like her on nature trails. The different chapters of World of Wonders examine what it’s like to be a South Asian nature-lover in America.

When Constance Wu’s hit show Fresh Off the Boat was renewed for its sixth season, Wu was intensely disappointed. She had planned on doing new projects that would help her spread her wings and challenge herself. But when she expressed that frustration on Twitter, she received intense negative feedback, and her name started trending in a terrible way. They called her ungrateful, hateful, and spoiled. Wu took some time off of social media, apologized to the cast and crew of Fresh Off the Boat, and wrote this essay collection. Making a Scene covers Wu’s beginnings as an aspiring actor, her early jobs, and many of her failed relationships. Wu writes about herself in a way that forces her to confront her mistakes.

When I found the last hardback edition of this memoir at my Barnes & Noble, I snatched it up. The memoir was a bestseller, but the book was backordered everywhere. Book lovers scoured the internet, trying to find a way to get their hands on a copy. But why was everyone so obsessed with Jennette McCurdy’s memoir? Well, like it says on the tin, McCurdy was proclaiming to the world that she was glad her mom died. What at first looks like a punchy, eye-catching title unravels into a complex portrait of McCurdy’s mother, who abused and manipulated her children for years. The memoir follows McCurdy as she breaks out as a child star, with her world seeming perfect to everyone from the outside. But in reality, McCurdy was trapped in a life and career that she never really chose for herself.