Ijeoma Oluo was the first author that I ever read on race. I didn’t review So You Want To Talk About Race when I read it in June 2020, because I read it merely to absorb information. I reviewed Mediocre more harshly than I should have, only correcting it, well, now. But I really like Oluo. Something about her being the author that introduced me to social justice makes me feel a deeper connection to her work than others’. Be a Revolution was no exception. Ijeoma Oluo and Palestine Additionally, Oluo’s Instagram post on October 13th, 2023, was the first I saw that alerted me to the escalating ge ..read more

Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, edited by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing, and Mike Merryman-Lotze, is the hardest-hitting book I’ve read on Palestine so far. I wish I’d started with it, rather than Palestine: A Socialist Introduction and Except for Palestine. Unlike those, Light in Gaza didn’t wade through the political history of the region, which can be overwhelming for uninitiated readers like me. Instead, 15 authors each spend a chapter telling their own stories. How has the occupation impacted them? How have their families survived? What do they want readers around the world to take ..read more

I spend my waking days fighting against the Christian Nationalist movement that plagues the United States. Christian Nationalists weaponize the idea of religious freedom to justify stripping away the rights of Black, queer, disabled, and poor people, as well as women and anyone who is capable of pregnancy. Their attempt to overturn the 2020 election is the clearest indicator that they intend to put an end to our world-famous democracy. But what does democracy mean when your options are a 77-year-old billionaire who broadcasts his vitriol for everyone but himself, or an 81-year-old imperialist ..read more

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson took readers by storm in late 2020, so I was fashionably late reading it at the end of 2023. While something about its ubiquity made me hesitate to read it, it’s intrigued me for years. What is Caste? Admittedly, I had thought that the thesis of Caste would be that our current social hierarchy had evolved from the medieval feudal caste system, hence “the origins of our discontents.” Rather, Wilkerson argues merely that we have a caste system and that in the United States, white people are the dominant caste and Black people are the subo ..read more

Palestine: A Socialist Introduction by Sumaya Awad and Brian Bean was an easy choice for me when looking to begin reading about Palestine and the Israeli settler occupation. I’m new to both Palestine and socialism, and the road of social justice seems to lead inevitably to both. It’s hard to judge a book when it’s the very first you’ve read on a topic. I have nothing to compare it to. The only questions I had going into Palestine: A Socialist Introduction were whether it was what it claimed to be. Was it about Palestine? Was it socialist? And was it at an introductory level? The book clears th ..read more

This year’s Nonfiction November has left me feeling inspired by the book community, and it’s left my bookshelf overflowing! I can’t wait to share my new towering TBR with you. Luckily Lisa at Hopewell’s Public Library of Life has this week’s prompt, New To My TBR: It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book! Most Recommended Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann – Lory at Entering the Enchanted Castle and Curly Geek at Th ..read more

Nonfiction November 2023 continues with Week 4: Worldview Shapers, which I am proud to host! Here’s your prompt: One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without it. There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the profound. What nonfiction book or books have impacted the way you see the world in a powerful way? Is there one book that made you rethink everything? Do you think there is a book that should be required reading for everyone? Worldviews, changed and shaped I’ve been excited to ge ..read more

Author’s Note: It feels odd to be putting out a post right now that, while important, feels relatively trivial compared to what is going on in Palestine right now. There is a US-sponsored genocide occurring as I write this. Both the United States and Israel want you to think the “situation” is “too complicated” for you to condemn genocide and apartheid. It is not. Please take the time to learn about the history of Israel and its violent colonization of Palestine. I hope to have blog posts sharing what I learn in these books—some of which are free right now—up in the near future and as a contin ..read more

Today, Frances of Volatile Rune kicked off Week 2 of Nonfiction November! Here’s her prompt, Choosing Nonfiction: What are you looking for when you pick up a nonfiction book? Do you have a particular topic you’re attracted to? Do you have a particular writing style that works best? When you look at a nonfiction book, does the title or cover influence you? If so, share a title or cover which you find striking. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commission on any books you purchase at the Bookshop links provided. While this is appreciated, I always e ..read more

You know Nonfiction November is going to be packed when it gets started before November does! The other hosts and I have so much planned for you all that we just couldn’t wait. As I said last week, I truly do love this event. It’s hard to find folks in the book blogging community who want to talk nonfiction, but in November, that all changes. It’s nonfiction’s moment and she is ready for it. Week One: Your Year in Nonfiction Heather of Based on a True Story had the honor of hosting Week One’s prompt. She asked, Celebrate your year of nonfiction. What books have you read? What were your favori ..read more