So many good books this year! You can find my picture book recs here, here, and here. My middle school recommendations here. My adult fiction 5 stars here.
Now for my nonfiction, graphic novel, and high school favorites.
YA Nonfiction
Spare Parts: The True Story of Four Undocumented Teenages, One Ugly Robot, and an Impossible Dream) young readers version) by Joshua Davis and Reyna Grande. 160 pages, 2023
These 4 boys were in high school when they beat college teams, including MIT, in a national robotics competition. It starts with telling you how they came to be in the US, how they found family in the robotics room, and where they are now 20 years later. Middle school/teens. Highly recommend for adults too.
Work With What You Got by Zion Clark with James S Hirsch. 240 pages, 2023
Many of you may have heard of Zion Clark, a short documentary on his life was number one on Netflix. He was born with no legs to a mother in jail with an unknown father. He got bounced around Ohio’s foster care system before finally being adopted at the age of 17. He made headlines in his senior year of high school when he started winning wrestling matches.
Zion grew up in the Canton/Massillon area, less than an hour from where I live so this was a local story for me. But even if it wasn’t I would’ve been so moved my his story and spirit. I think that all teens would benefit from reading such a powerful story of perseverance. And adults should read it too!
Nonfiction
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder, illustrator Nora Krug. 128 pages, 2017
This was my first book of 2023 and there were my thoughts when I first posted about it on IG.
My first book of the year is also perfectly suited for today, January 6. On Tyranny, Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Professor Timothy Snyder, illustrated by Nora Krug is an important read, especially as we reflect on this day 2 years ago when our democracy was under attack from within. Drawing in the histories of Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, and others, Snyder provides stark similarities to things happening in the United States.
An important read for every American, no matter your political leanings.
#10 “Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. You submit to tyranny when you renounce the difference between what you want to hear and what is actually the case. Post-truth is pre-racism”
I’ve posted more excerpts on my blog so I recommend clicking over there. Get your eyes on a copy and learn, dissect, and come away with a renewed sense of what it means to be a citizen of a functioning democracy and what that demands from us in return.
Taking the Leap by Pema Chodron. 128 pages, 2009
Just some quotes to whet your whistle.
“Natural warmth has the power to heal all relationships-the relationship with ourselves as well as with people, animals, and all that we encounter every day of our lives.”
“We’re like an ostrich sticking its head in the sand in hopes of finding comfort. This running away from all that is unpleasant, this continual cycle of avoiding the present, is referred to as self-absorption, self-clinging, or ego.”
“We’re all looking for a permanent reference point, and it doesn’t exist. Everything is impermanent. Everything is always changing- fluid, unfixed, and open. Nothing is pin-down-able the way we’d like it to be. This is not actually bad news, but we all seem programmed for denial. We have absolutely no tolerance for uncertainty.”
Seeing With Our Souls: Monastic Wisdom for Every Day by Joan Chittister. 124 pages, 2002
Joan Chittister, a Benedictine sister, writes with such grace and wisdom about topics perfect for my meditative time. Vision, an understanding heart, humility, soul, holy indifference, gentleness of spirit, imagination, questioning, emotional stability, purity of heart, inclusion, and nature of the heroic in life are the chapters you’ll find.
I’ll leave you with a few quotes…
“Compassion is the ability to understand how difficult it is for people to be the best of what they want to be at all times.”
“We’re not here to suppress the gifts of others in order to make room for our own. We’re here to put all the gifts of humankind into the great pool of humanity so that, because of the gifts of each of us, we can all live better in the end.”
“There are too many people trying to get into Heaven who have yet to muster the amount of soul it takes to appreciate all the life there is on earth.”
“People who refuse to question all of the assumptions that underpin the way they live-on the grounds that to ask is a violation of faith-are people, ironically, who want cheap answers, not hard faith at all.”
Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig. 288 pages, 2018
“The societies we live in are increasingly making our minds ill, making it feel as though the way we live is engineered to make us unhappy. When Matt Haig developed panic disorder, anxiety, and depression as an adult, it took him a long time to work out the ways the external world could impact his mental health in both positive and negative ways. Notes on a Nervous Planet collects his observations, taking a look at how the various social, commercial and technological “advancements” that have created the world we now live in can actually hinder our happiness.” from Goodreads
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. 304 pages, 2013
I’m sure most of you have seen Humans of New York online. Brandon Stanton started taking photos of people in various cities along with a caption or story and his blog gained traction. By the time his camera found the humanity and exuberant essence of NYC, people were paying attention. And still are. This book was originally published in 2013. I loved every bit of it. The people, the quick story, the quote, the photos.
James & Other Apes by James Mollison. 112 pages, 2004
I can stare at these faces for days. In this over sized picture book, James & Other Apes, James Mollison exquisitely captures these 50 apes found in sanctuaries around the world. They are seen on all of their primate glory. The eyes are the window to the soul, after all. They are each identified by names with short bios at the end of the book.
Graphic Novels
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu. 296 pages, 2018
The graphic biography all ‘ladies’ and the people who love them need to read. Even if you don’t read graphic novels you will want to get your eyes on this one.
I LOVED the art, but also the women included. I knew many, like Temple Grandin and Hedy Lamar, but there so many new names to me, like Agnodice, Clementine Delait the Bearded Lady, and Nazis Al Abid. I learned more about Margaret Hamilton and Mae Jemison.
Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis, illustrator Hannah Templar. 208 pages, 2022
This is a graphic bio of the time when she wrote Strangers on a Train and the lesbian thriller A Pinch of Salt under a pseudonym. A Pinch of Salt was later retitled Carol and is known for having the first happy ending gay characters had gotten in books.
Loved the book and recommend it. It was the Author’s Note at the beginning that hooked me. I left out more good stuff for brevity.
“This is a story I believe is worth telling. That being said, I want to be clear: The protagonist of this story is not a good person. She was deeply anti-Semitic, racist, and misogynistic, even by the standards of her time. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that many of her beliefs were nothing short of evil…
A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin. 272 pages, 2020
What a fun book this is! If you love Steve Martin’s humor and New Yorker covers you are going to get many chuckles at the mostly single panel funnies in this collection.
Interspersed amongst the rest is the story of Steve Martin and Harry Bliss, told in comic style, and how they came to put together this book. My favorite is when they were checking each other for ticks. It’s a great 20-30 minute read, sure to make you chuckle.
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