Today I share with you my top seven non-fiction reads of 2010. The list is in no particular order, but I do list the reasons why I liked each book and include a link to my review. I realize seven is an odd number to choose but I just couldn’t narrow the list down to five, and plus, seven is a lucky number right? So without further ado, my top 7:
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Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim
This book was not only a fascinating cultural history but also a true work of art. Stein is also a graphic designer and this book is beautifully arranged and designed. It is a book that anyone should be proud to have on their shelves for the complete perfect package… and also for the subject.
In this book Stein and Kim give a detailed look at menstruation, the femcare industry, and the treatment of women through the ages. I was so intrigued and was constantly sharing passages and tidbits with, well, whoever was around me! I will be reading this over and over again for sure.
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Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo
We NEED more books like this. In this book Moyo takes an honest look at aid and what it does to governments and countries. Moyo shows where it works and where it doesn’t – and why. She shows the history of development and of aid and to show what we often miss and what is often swept under the rug.
Not only that but she gives a whole list of suggestions to what she thinks WOULD work based on research and studies. The book isn’t only a list of issues, it ends with hope and ideas and I can only hope that we get more like this and that some of her ideas and suggestions are enacted.
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Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Genders by Gerald Callahan
A book about the science behind intersexuality and that highlights the myth of two genders. According to Callahan gender is more of a scale where we fall somewhere between male and female – an opinion which I strongly agree with after further reading. This book, however, was the first one that I read on the subject.
I hadn’t realized that intersexuality was so common and that there were so many different medical possibilities. It really opened my eyes and made me want to learn more. I can thank Callahan for sparking my interest in gender which also in a roundabout way got me interested in sexuality.
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King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes
I received this book at BEA and loved it so much that I ended up signing up as a Friend of Feminist Press for this year so that I get all of their newly published books all year. In this book Despentes talks about gender norms and stereotypes, looks, sexuality, rape, and language. The entire book was fascinating and I had an impossible time cutting down the amount of quotes to put in my review.
My favorite quote is still the following from page 36:
as soon as you name your rape as a rape, the women-controlling mechanisms suddenly swing into action: Do you want everyone to know what happened to you? Do you want everyone to see you as a woman who has been subjected to that? And, in any case, you must be a total slut to have escaped alive. Any woman who values her dignity would rather die. My very survival incriminates me.
The entire book was this thoughtful and interesting. It is one I will certainly be reading again and again.
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The Straight State: Sexuality and Citizenship in Twentieth-Century America by Margot Canaday
Canaday looks at how the American government helped create and legislated the current definition of homosexuality through their different laws, legislations and prejudices. She focuses on immigration, the military and welfare and looks at how the procedures had changed so much over the last fifty years.
This book was a fantastic look at how government control can change and even actually help to define a movement. Homosexuality didn’t originally have the definition that we commonly give it now. It was especially interesting to see how government policies changed trying to keep up with all of these changes.
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The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth by Charles Wohlforth
This was one of the best environmental books that I’ve read. When I reviewed it I said it was like an environmental book for conservatives. The author is from Alaska and talks about the oil spill and it’s impact on the environment both short and long-term in the area. Especially relevant today after the more recent Gulf oil spill.
Threads through the story talk about the history of the area, kindness as a human attribute, and the importance of this kindness. The author is arguing that we aren’t actually hard-wired as competitive creatures and that there is hope for the future and that it lies mainly in individuals having more control. A fascinating book about environment for all.
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Missed Her by Ivan Coyote
Thank you to Cass for this recommendation! Coyote is a queer story-teller from northern Canada. The book is a collection of memories or short stories about growing up in the north, life as a storyteller, and being queer.
My absolutely favorite story was Uncle Ivan’s Broken Hearts’ Club Plan (yes, I am BEYOND excited to have found it online). The collection had me alternatively crying and laughing. This may have been my favorite read for the Indie Lit Awards and I was sad that it didn’t make the short list! Probably for the best, though, as I would have found it impossible to give the others books a chance!
Close runner ups that almost made my list include The Trauma Myth: The Truth About the Sexual Abuse of Children… And Its Aftermath by Susan Clancy, The Right to Be Out: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in America’s Public Schools by Stuart Biegel, and A Swamp Full of Dollars: Pipelines and Paramilitaries at Nigeria’s Oil Frontier by Michael Peel (which I have yet to review).
So there you have my top non-fiction books of 2010. Have you read any of these? What do you think?
Want to win one of these books to see if you agree or disagree with me? Fill out this form! I will give away one copy of a book of your choice to one winner. (Open internationally to anyone, contest closes at midnight AST on January 11th)
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