Thank you for the shoutout! I love everything you said about "teach me something new about something/someone I already care about" -- that's what I tell aspiring authors often: just because it's been done before doesn't mean it's been done the way you'd do it. Let's be honest, self-help regurgitates the same lessons over, and over, and over, and over (the Tao te Ching and Bible have been on repeat for thousands of years, now the Stoics are making a major comeback). Apparently humans need to hear a message 1 million times before actually making a change or else the self-help industry would be done! We'd only need one book about mindfulness! Ha ha ;) It's about what the author uniquely brings to the story, their own experience, their own history that shapes their perspective -- that's how I look for angles to pitch a book.
Two books that taught me something new about something I already knew, but changed my view forever are, LEFT TO TELL by Immaculee Ilibagiza, and THE COLOR OF OUR SKY by Amita Trasi.
Immaculee survived the Rwandan Genocide by hiding in a 3x4 bathroom for 91 days while listening to her family be slaughtered outside by people who used to be her friendly neighbors. She ultimately learned to forgive her family's killers -- a lesson in forgiveness that sticks with you forever.
Amita's book is about the caste system in India told through the eyes of two childhood friends in Mumbai. I'll never understand the cruel depths of humanity but after this book I have a much deeper knowledge of human trafficking and how it exists right alongside our daily lives.
Can't wait to check out Bomber Mafia and some of the others you mentioned, thank you for such great insight!
As you and I have talked about, I don't read a lot of non-fiction. I'm going back through my book list on StoryGraph to see what books made me care about something I've never cared about, and on a non-fiction front there aren't many I didn't initially know/care about at all, or I wouldn't have picked it up since it's non-fiction. (Two exceptions: Radium Girls and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, both of which I knew nothing about.) But with most there was some vague interest. A few that I'm seeing in the list that are memorable are The Wild Trees by Richard Preston (you'll never look at treetops the same way again), Five Days at Memorial, Dopesick, and Rise and Kill First. (True story about the last one: Because I read in bed at night I often have dreams related to what I'm reading. When I was reading Rise and Kill First, my husband said I was talking in my sleep and mumbled off a "kill list" of people at work. Eek.)
I do love reading fiction where I learn about different cultures and times I know nothing about. Perhaps that's why I avoid WWII fiction, just not much new to learn (unless it's Kate Atkinson). The Vaster Wilds, Go As a River, The Seed Keeper, The Island of Sea Women, A Woman Is No Man, Freshwater, and my two all-time favorites, The World to Come and To the Bright Edge of the World. That's just a starter list. In each of these I learned about a time period or culture that was utterly unknown to me, but I found transfixing.
(Also, like you, I like to look at the ocean. My preference is that I'm looking at it from a nice porch. For me it's not the water or sea creatures: I hate sand.)
ooh yes, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was another great one. Goodness, so many great books to add to the list! I do love that fiction can also introduce us to completely new ideas and experiences. Books are amazing! :)
This is a very empowering post. As an aspiring author, it makes me feel more confident about the book I am writing. 🩵
I'm so glad, Suzy! You've definitely got the right idea :)
Thank you for the shoutout! I love everything you said about "teach me something new about something/someone I already care about" -- that's what I tell aspiring authors often: just because it's been done before doesn't mean it's been done the way you'd do it. Let's be honest, self-help regurgitates the same lessons over, and over, and over, and over (the Tao te Ching and Bible have been on repeat for thousands of years, now the Stoics are making a major comeback). Apparently humans need to hear a message 1 million times before actually making a change or else the self-help industry would be done! We'd only need one book about mindfulness! Ha ha ;) It's about what the author uniquely brings to the story, their own experience, their own history that shapes their perspective -- that's how I look for angles to pitch a book.
Two books that taught me something new about something I already knew, but changed my view forever are, LEFT TO TELL by Immaculee Ilibagiza, and THE COLOR OF OUR SKY by Amita Trasi.
Immaculee survived the Rwandan Genocide by hiding in a 3x4 bathroom for 91 days while listening to her family be slaughtered outside by people who used to be her friendly neighbors. She ultimately learned to forgive her family's killers -- a lesson in forgiveness that sticks with you forever.
Amita's book is about the caste system in India told through the eyes of two childhood friends in Mumbai. I'll never understand the cruel depths of humanity but after this book I have a much deeper knowledge of human trafficking and how it exists right alongside our daily lives.
Can't wait to check out Bomber Mafia and some of the others you mentioned, thank you for such great insight!
Yes, exactly!! Ooh these books sound incredibly powerful. I'm adding them to my list right now. Thank you for recommending!
As you and I have talked about, I don't read a lot of non-fiction. I'm going back through my book list on StoryGraph to see what books made me care about something I've never cared about, and on a non-fiction front there aren't many I didn't initially know/care about at all, or I wouldn't have picked it up since it's non-fiction. (Two exceptions: Radium Girls and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, both of which I knew nothing about.) But with most there was some vague interest. A few that I'm seeing in the list that are memorable are The Wild Trees by Richard Preston (you'll never look at treetops the same way again), Five Days at Memorial, Dopesick, and Rise and Kill First. (True story about the last one: Because I read in bed at night I often have dreams related to what I'm reading. When I was reading Rise and Kill First, my husband said I was talking in my sleep and mumbled off a "kill list" of people at work. Eek.)
I do love reading fiction where I learn about different cultures and times I know nothing about. Perhaps that's why I avoid WWII fiction, just not much new to learn (unless it's Kate Atkinson). The Vaster Wilds, Go As a River, The Seed Keeper, The Island of Sea Women, A Woman Is No Man, Freshwater, and my two all-time favorites, The World to Come and To the Bright Edge of the World. That's just a starter list. In each of these I learned about a time period or culture that was utterly unknown to me, but I found transfixing.
(Also, like you, I like to look at the ocean. My preference is that I'm looking at it from a nice porch. For me it's not the water or sea creatures: I hate sand.)
ooh yes, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was another great one. Goodness, so many great books to add to the list! I do love that fiction can also introduce us to completely new ideas and experiences. Books are amazing! :)
I’m reading Good Inside right now and loving it!
Yay!! So glad you're loving it. It's soooo helpful.