By Collection Management Librarian Kathy
Looking for a good nonfiction read? Whether it’s current events, history, science, memoir, or poetry, here are a few recently published books that are sure to scratch your nonfiction itch.
Nonfiction titles you might have missed
14 Miles by D.W. Gibson
Why you should try it: Tired of hearing the political points for and against the wall? Want to hear what actual folks who live near the border think about the wall? Try this.
Description: Award-winning journalist Gibson presents an eyewitness report on the construction of President Trump's border wall and how it is impacting San Diego residents and patrol agents.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (ebook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
Five Days by Wes Moore
Why you should try it: Timely and moving, Moore's book is excellent narrative nonfiction, just like his first book, The Other Wes Moore.
Description: An account of the 2015 police-brutality killing of Freddie Gray retraces key events from the perspectives of seven insiders, including a conflicted Baltimore Police Department captain, the victim’s sister, and the owner of the Baltimore Orioles.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (ebook, digital audiobook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
The Address Book by Deirdre Mask
Why you should try it: This entertaining book is a fascinating look at a surprising topic and is perfect for fans of microhistories.
Description: Tells the story of how streets got their names and houses their numbers, and why something as seemingly mundane as an address can save lives or enforce power.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (ebook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
Why you should try it: If you are interested in forensics, true crime, and/or biography, you can't miss this.
Description: Describes the life of America’s first forensic scientist, who invented tools that are still being used today—including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and fingerprints—and solved at least 2,000 cases over 40 years.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (digital audiobook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
101 Facts You Didn't Know About Space by Mark Thompson
Why you should try it: If the facts in the description peak your interest or if you love trivia, you definitely need to check out this book.
Description: Did you know a compost heap generates as much energy as the sun? Or that dung beetles use the Milky Way to navigate? Maybe you have not been into space but if you have, then you will know that astronauts have feet as soft as babies!
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x + y by Eugenia Cheng
Why you should try it: Mathematician, artist, and local author, Cheng makes a passionate case that math (yes, really!) can help us look at gender in a whole new way.
Description: A brilliant mathematician, after years in the male-dominated field of mathematics and in the female-dominated field of art, examines the complexity of gender and society and forges a path out of inequality.
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Fairest by Meredith Talusan
Why you should try it: This "captivatingly eloquent memoir" (Kirkus) is a paean to intersectionality.
Description: The award-winning journalist and activist presents a coming-of-age memoir that describes her experiences as a Filipino boy with albinism, a white immigrant Harvard student, a transgender woman, and an artist whose work reflects illusions in race, disability, and gender.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (ebook, digital audiobook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb
Why you should try it: Do you just need a big, warmhearted, funny read? Cozy up with this memoir.
Description: The award-winning Jimmy Kimmel Live writer reflects on her relationship with her loving grandmother, the daughter of immigrants from 19th-century Belarus whose hardships, sacrifices, and headstrong nature shaped the author’s perspectives on family and career.
Stream & download with: Media on Demand & Libby (ebook, digital audiobook)
Find all available formats in the catalog »
LatiNext edited by Felicia Chavez, Jose Olivarez, Willie Perdomo
Why you should try it: A hugely diverse anthology, featuring known and upcoming poets for every lover of poetry.
Description: A BreakBeat Poets anthology that opposes silence and remixes the soundtrack of the Latinx diaspora across diverse poetic traditions.
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About Kathy
Kathy is a Collection Management Librarian who loves reading, sharing, and talking about books. Her missions in life are to: create communities of readers, convince folks that her official title should be "Book Pusher," and refute that "disco" is a dirty word.
