Category: Non-fiction

Last Chance To See – Mark Cawardine

In the original Last Chance To See (1990), zoologist Cawardine described travel with the late Douglas Adams, to visit exotic locations with endangered species (sad note, the Yangtze river dolphin has now been declared extinct). Now twenty years later, this book is subtitled “In the footsteps of Douglas Adams”; now Cawardine is travelling with the comic genius Stephen Fry, to view rare and peculiar animals (African white rhinos, Kakapo birds in New Zealand, lemurs in Madagascar …). Six chapters outline their travels to 8 countries in 5 continents.

This book has a unique view of a disappearing world: always informative, often hilarious, but mostly thought provoking.

The Storyteller – Dave Grohl

And now for something entirely different … Mr. Grohl has written a very literate autobiography about his life as a musician.  As a self-taught musician, he initially tours with a punk rock band; the poverty of touring with a van is described with graphic detail (sleeping in the van with all the equipment, living on service station corn dogs). Then there is his mercurial rise as the drummer for Nirvana, and the short chaos of fame until the death of Curt Cobain. And finally, the considerable impact of the Foo Fighters. Grohl presents a grounded and candid self-portrait, and his love of family is paramount. A very interesting read.

Truth Telling – Michelle Good

Ms. Good is an acclaimed author for the novel Five Little Indians (Canada Reads 2022 winner). This book is subtitled: “Seven conversations about Indigenous life in Canada”, and I respectfully submit that her thoughtful essays should be read by non-Indigenous Canadians. She categorically states that “it is not enough to wear an orange shirt or issue/listen to empty land acknowledgements”. Her general concept is that there can be no reconciliation without truth; that the goal of colonialism was to disempower leading to the genocide of Indigenous peoples; and that Residential Schools were an implement in the colonial toolkit to destroy Indigenous identity. Ms. Good’s personal story is particularly compelling as a 60s scoop victim with five years in care. Finally, her essay on cultural pillagers, the pretendians, is a clear expose of identity theft. Provocative writing – highly recommended.

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted – Suleika Jaouad

At age 22, Suleika is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. What follows are three years of brutal treatments: extensive chemotherapy, an experimental clinical trial, and a bone marrow transplant. The second half of this honest and insightful book details her “survival”, the transition back to the real world. Her coping strategy is to undertake a 15,000-mile road trip to visit those who sustained her when she was very ill. Cancer forces people to face mortality, and emotions are complicated and often conflicted because suffering makes you selfish. Suleika has to imagine a future that includes anger and fear; her writing is brutally honest and courageous. Thanks Sarah, for this recommendation.

Good Moms On Paper – Edited by Stacy May Fowles and Jen Sookfong Lee

Twenty essays about motherhood by (obviously) women authors: struggles with work-life balance, feeling fraudulent as both mother and writer, and creative compulsion – powerful themes with insightful thoughts. Essays cover both biological and adoptive parenting, new mothers, and relationships with the essayist’s mother. Heather O’Neill writes “being a single mother working on a novel is like asking a clairvoyant to book a ticket on the Titanic – it’s a bad idea”! Highly recommended.

Let Me Tell You What I mean – Joan Didion

First, a confession: the only Didion book I have read is The Year Of Magical Thinking. This short book contains 12 essays, written from 1968-2000. The best essays are the early ones, describing Didion’s initial lack of success which is revealing since she became such an iconic and influential writer. Indeed, her writing is a joy to read. Thanks Amy, for giving me this book.

These Precious Days – Ann Patchett

Ms. Patchett is one of my favourite novelists (The Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto) but she also writes essays that previously were collected into the wonderful book This is a Story of a Happy Marriage. This is her second book of essays, some published previously in Harpers and the Atlantic. All are insightful glimpses into her life, from childhood to the current time. A favourite for me is the first essay about her three fathers, all different experiences, all with positive and negatives. Her writing is clear, focused, and honest – highly recommended.

(Amy seconds all of this!)

The Code Breaker – Walter Isaacson

This fabulous book makes me think I should read more non-fiction! First, an aside: the best acronyms are pronounceable. This book is about the discovery of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspersed short patronymic repeats, if you are interested), a powerful gene editing tool that may revolutionize biology. The book is meticulously researched with a lot of science, but it is also about scientists – what motivates them to pursue discoveries? The stark differences between collegial collaborations and cut-throat competition for prizes and patents is high-lighted. Finally, the ethics of gene editing is a major focus, specifically the divide between somatic editing to cure or prevent disease and germline (inheritable) editing which could be used to enhance traits like height or intelligence. This is a thoughtful and gripping book – highly recommended. Thanks Linda, for the gift of this book.

Humans of New York City Stories – Brandon Stanton

This is a remarkable book of street photography coupled with brief but insightful narratives from interviews with the subjects. The photos are outstanding but the narratives, the comments, are sometimes astonishingly candid. Comments range from the unbridled optimism of children to introspective insights from adults regarding loneliness and isolation that may include mental illness. This is a riveting book for NY-philes. Thanks Sarah, for giving me this book.