Non-fiction or nonfiction is an account, narrative, or representation of a subject which an author presents as fact. This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition.
This, according to Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, is the definition of nonfiction. Lots of library users never cross the aisle to read nonfiction. I understand why they might feel that way. There are so many new books published each month that even a dedicated reader can’t get through all the books that he or she might like to read. Why step over to the nonfiction section and add even more books to our “to read” lists?
I try to mix up my reading. Some from every section of the library every so often. Not only does it help me when choosing new books for the library, but it adds to my life experience. I hope that it makes me more compassionate to read about those with difficult lives. I hope to be motivated to appreciate life more. I hope to learn how to do something new or learn how to do something better. Below are just a few of the newest nonfiction books at the library.
The Beauty of Love: A Memoir of Miracles, Hope and Healing by Laura and Jorge Posada. Jorge is a professional baseball player, Laura is an attorney. Their first child, Jorge Luis, was born with craniosynostosis, a birth defect that causes an abnormally shaped skull. This book is their story of the challenges of his diagnosis and treatment.
You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know: A True Story of Family, Face Blindness, and Forgiveness by Heather Sellers. One time Heather ran up and kissed a stranger in the airport, thinking it was her husband. Can you imagine what it must be like to be unable to reliably recognize faces? It’s an illness with which I was unfamiliar. Prosopagnosia, or face blindness, may result from a severe brain injury, but 2.5% of the population has an inherited form.
The Art of Comforting: What to Say and Do for People in Distress by Val Walker. We all have felt helpless at the suffering of another human being at one time or another. This gentle little book will help us draw on our character strengths to provide just the right kind of comfort the occasion calls for.
A Brilliant Darkness: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Ettore Majorana, the Troubled Genius of the Nuclear Age by Joao Magueijo. Majorana was among the group of scientist who accidentally discovered nuclear fission in 1934. In 1938, he boarded a ship and was never seen again. His mother never gave up on his return. When she died many years later, in her nineties, she left him a share of her estate.
Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades by Michelle Anthony and Reyna Lindert. Every mother of daughters could have used this book at one time or another. If your daughters are still in elementary school, it’s not too late to be pro-active by giving your child the skills she’ll need to face growing up female.
The Cure for the Chronic Life: Overcoming the Hopelessness That Holds You Back by Deanna Favre and Shane Stanford. A forty-day spiritual treatment plan to guide you out of hopelessness. If the rumors about Mrs. Favre’s famous husband are true, she’s probably a real expert on recovery from hopelessness. I’m curious to read what she has to offer.
The Grace of Silence: A Memoir by Michele Norris. Norris is a radio and television commentator. She earned both an Emmy and a Peabody award for her coverage of 9/11 for ABC news. In this book she traced her family’s roots to the deep south and unearthed some painful family secrets.
Whatever you need to learn, start at your library. There’s a book for that!