You know what I rarely read? Non-fiction. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just don’t gravitate towards it for leisure reading. I’d rather be whisked away by a novel.
However, there are so many topics I want to engross myself in (I’m looking at you Jacobite Rebellion of 1745...). I majored in History, studying topics ranging from genocides, WWI & WWII, ancient Greek & Roman history and warfare, the American Civil War, American military history, the American Revolutionary War, and the Civil Rights Era. You know, all the depressing classes where the professor gave a disclaimer about potentially needed therapy afterwards (this is not an exaggeration). My academic advisor called me “Genocide Girl” because I like to get into the stuff that makes you squirm.
That being said, I selected four non-fiction books this year to read with the audiobooks:
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by, Clemantine Wamariya - A memoir about a girl who fled the Rwandan massacre and was granted refugee status in the US.
Jefferson’s Daughters by, Catherine Kerrison - This one is about Thomas Jefferson’s three daughters, one of whom was a black enslaved woman, who eventually did gain her freedom. I had the privilege of going to a lecture given by the author in 2019. The amount of research she conducted on the topic is extensive!
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by, Dee Brown - I’ve read this one before, but it was years ago. This book is so heartbreaking. It chronicles the United States’ systemic annihilation of the Native American tribes across the western frontier between 1860-1890, and how these tribes did the best they could to prevent the destruction of their people and culture.
In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by, Peter Matthiessen - In 1975, there was a shoot-out between FBI agents and Native Americans near Wounded Knee (where hundreds of Lakota Native Americans were massacred by US soldiers in 1890). Four natives were indicted on murder charges and this book highlights the Lakota tribe’s tensions with the US government.
The two books I’m most eager to get to are Wounded Knee and Crazy Horse. What the US did to Native Americans across the entirety of the country is something I personally feel passionate about.
What nonfiction topic do you want to dive into? Do you read a lot of non-fiction?
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- The Girl Who Smiled Beads by, Clemantine Wamariya: ISBN 978-0-451-49532
- Jefferson’s Daughters by, Catherine Kerrison: ISBN 978-1-101-88626-7
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by, Dee Brown: ISBN 978-0-8050-6669-2
- In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by, Peter Matthiessen: ISBN 0-14-014456-0
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Also pictured here:
- Sudio Tolv Wireless Headphones. So much easier to listen to audiobooks when you aren’t hindered by a cord!
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