Books are food for the mind. There’s always something to learn from other’s experiences, work, and ideas. Here are a list of brilliant non fiction recommendations brought to you by the of Reader’s Notebook.
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Factfulness
“There’s no room for facts when our minds are occupied by fear.”
If there is one thing Hans Rosling has taught me, it’s that there is no “us” and “them”, there is no clear cut line between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the struggling. Factfullness has taught me how rapidly the world is evolving for the better and how stuck we humans are in our pessimistic view of life. One thing that really stuck out to me about Factfullness was the way Mr. Rosling shared his teachings. He brought the facts to life by pairing them with personal experiences. He didn’t blame anyone for the botched understanding of the world, but rather pointed out 10 humans instincts and behaviors as to why we immediately jump to the worst conclusion.
There’s no judgment, only learning how to embrace the world for what it really is.
Be happy. Update your facts. The world is better than it's ever been. This does not mean there is no poverty or death, it simply means that as a whole, things are getting better. Wages are improving, mortality is decreasing. Sure, things are still bad, but they can be both bad and better at the same time. Read this book, make your life better by doing so.
Thinking In Pictures
“I get great satisfaction out of doing clever things with my mind, but I don’t know what it is like to feel rapturous joy.”
Thinking in Pictures is one of those books that makes me question why I don’t read nonfiction more often. It is written by Dr. Temple Grandin, who talks about her experiences as someone with Autism, and how she has used that experience to help her make her way in the livestock industry. She explains how her brain is more visual-oriented, and how her ability to see the world in pictures lets her visualize equipment and the points of view of the livestock she works with.
This is not the type of book that I would normally reach for, but I’m really glad that I did. Even though I often have a hard time getting through non-fiction, I was able to fly through this one pretty quickly. There are some sections that are more dense on scientific information than others, but it is an approachable balance. There is such a wide variety of topics that I think could interest any reader. Whether you are interested in Autism specifically, education, animals, psychology, parenting, new technologies, or whatever else, you can probably find something that interests you in this book.
I think that this book was a beneficial read for me as a future educator and hopefully future parent, but I also think anyone could read and get something from this book. I really ire Temple Grandin’s perspective both as someone with Autism and a woman in a largely men’s field. Whether you relate to her experiences or not, her story is a profoundly inspiring one. If her story interests you at all, I would also recommend the movie Temple Grandin starring Claire Danes. After reading this book and watching the movie, I can safely say that Temple Grandin is one of my favorite people and I would love to meet her. Please read this book so that you can know how she amazing she is too!
Hunger
”People see bodies like mine and make their assumptions. They think they know the why of my body. They do not. This is not a story of triumph, but this is a story that demands to be told and deserves to be heard.”
Any time I read a memoir, I immediately become enthralled. People who write their life stories to share with use have given us an incredible gift. We’re able to learn from their experiences and thoughts. We’re able to grow as people without having to endure some of the hardships they made have had to in order to come to certain conclusions that they’re writing in their book to enlighten the world with. I adore memoirs, and Roxane Gay’s book is no different.
This book is about pain. It’s about feeling like you don’t hold a special place in the world because of the way you look. Yes, this book is about weight. It’s about the unrealistic beauty standard. Gay shamelessly shares her stories and difficulties accepting her body. She does so in a completely candid and real way. You won’t go away from this book wondering who Roxane Gay is—you’ll know.
Not only is this a book where you read about someone else’s life, but you’ll connect with it. At least I did. If you’re one of the few people who do not have body positivity issues—then I’m so so glad for you. However, I know the majority of people have some misconceptions about themselves. I learned from this book and from Gay sharing the misconceptions she had about herself based on her body’s shape. I truly think everyone can learn from this book. Even if you don’t learn how to love yourself a little more, maybe you’ll learn how not to immediately judge someone based on what they look like.
Clever Lands
"Research suggests that if teachers believe that students have great potential, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the students are more likely to succeed as expected."
Author Lucy Crehan journeyed through five different countries: Finland, Japan, Singapore, China (specifically Shanghai) and Canada. These countries are consistently on the list of top-performers in PISA – Programme for International Student Assessment.
(for more details on PISA, here’s the link - http://www.oecd.org/pisa/)
Ms. Crehan visited different schools, interviewed actual school personnel, parents, and students, attended staff meetings, and even stayed with teachers at their homes to gather facts and details. She gives interesting s and anecdotes from different schools as well as the historical and cultural backgrounds of the countries she visited. She also cited many resources, books, studies, papers, etc. which she indexed for reference.
I recommend this to learning advocates who are curious about how education systems work in other countries. This is an excellent read that describes how the systems in the 5 mentioned countries work and why they are effective for the students and educators there. Other than all the positive traits, Ms. Crehan also cited some aspects where the systems need improvement.
I wish the teachers, principals, board , and all those in the position would realize and apply the best ways to our schools and students to their full potential.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
Comments (5)
You made non fiction sound so interesting! Maybe someday I’ll read a non fiction :see_no_evil:
Glad you thought so! It’s definitely intimidating at first, but there’s so much to learn.
All these books sound so interesting and educating. Have to put some more books into my never ending TBR now :grinning:
That’s awesome! Hopefully, you get around to them some day:)
Yayyyy for nonfiction!