November Nonfiction I

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 To absolutely no one's surprise, I am late to November Nonfiction, which is an event I really enjoy.  Week #1's question is hosted at Rennie's What’s Nonfiction blog, and asks:

Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?  

 




Right now, my pick for favorite is The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore, but I warn you that I also started All That She Carried and that bids fair to match or surpass it.  I have only had a few
weeks to recommend the story of Elizabeth Packard, but I did tag it a 'book everyone should read,' so I think that's the one.

My nonfiction focus this year has largely been on World War II.  There's a WWII challenge for this year, and I decided to make it something of a theme.  I've tried to get one book a month in.  This will not reduce my WWII book pile by 50%, but it will make a good dent in it.  There have been some fantastic books in there, but I think I will nominate Last Witnesses as an incredible, important book.

 Looking back, I've also been reading (or listening/watching) about evangelical religion in America.  I read Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes Du Mez and have been listening to the podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which led me to a documentary, I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye.  I also recently started reading The Making of Biblical Womanhood.    

We can safely call 'women stuff in general' another big theme for 2021, as it always is.  So I've read about historical women, women in WWII, women in evangelicalism, the genes of motherhood, women's work, and women in today's culture battles.

What I hope to get out of Nonfiction November is: some fun, some new titles for my TBR, and some good reminders of what I've enjoyed this year.


 

Comments

  1. Jenny @ Reading the EndNovember 8, 2021 at 3:58 AM

    I thought Jesus and John Wayne was really fascinating and enlightening, although it made me sad. (I've also just suddenly realized that last night I had dreamt I had ?infiltrated? an evangelical church and everything they were doing during the service was quite insane. There was like a fireworks display in the middle of service! Which I think tells you a lot about the bemusement I, a woman from a ritual-based flavor of Christianity, feel towards evangelical Christianity. :P

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  2. LoryNovember 8, 2021 at 4:44 AM

    I'm putting Jesus and John Wayne on my TBR. It's always a puzzle to me how Christianity can be turned into its very opposite, in terms of becoming a weapon of hatred and fear. This year I read Unfollow, by a woman who left the Westboro Baptist Church, and that was very fascinating. Her description of her own thought processes was amazing.

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  3. BronaNovember 9, 2021 at 4:01 PM

    I really must read Svetlana's books. I have a couple on my TBR pile. They really sound like something that would tap into many of my obsessions/interests.

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  4. MapheadNovember 10, 2021 at 8:12 AM

    My sister read Jesus and John Wayne and loved it. I've been hearing amazing things about it. I've also been listening to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast. As a former evangelical Christian I can't get enough of this stuff! Happy reading! Glad you're also doing NFN!

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  5. RennieNovember 27, 2021 at 5:40 AM

    Jesus and John Wayne sounds incredible, and so important. Evangelical Christianity and the particular brand of hypocrisy they espouse floor me.

    I also loved Last Witnesses, and everything I've read of Svetlana Alexievich's is outstanding, really.

    ReplyDelete

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