Tag Archives: Non-Fiction General

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Synopsis: Subtitled “Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.” Review: In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell reframes many underdog stories, some famous, some obscure, to reveal that there’s more to coming from behind than just luck and good fortune. The underdogs in his stories, including Huguenots hiding Jews in Vichy France, black children facing police dogs in Birmingham, Alabama, a scrappy basketball team comprised of short girls from nerdy families, Br’er Rabbit, and of course, David, the shepherd boy who became a king, won…

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Paying for the Party by Elizabeth A. Armstrong

Synopsis: Subtitled: How College Maintains Inequality. Review: Paying for the Party is an ethnographic study of a so-called “party floor” at a midwestern university in one of the big football conferences. It looks at the effects of party culture on the young women who live on the floor and comes up with some shocking conclusions about the ramifications for society at large. Hint: the meritocracy is a myth. The author and her team identify three pathways through college life. The first, the party pathway, is…

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Maxed Out by Katrina Alcorn

Synopsis: Subtitled: American Moms on the Brink. Review: Where on earth to begin with my praise for Maxed Out? Katrina Alcorn‘s memoir/cultural analysis is an honest, well-researched, and absolutely necessary addition to the conversation about women in the workplace. The political is personal, and she astutely uses her own story of corporate burnout and panic attacks to highlight the ways in which corporate culture and expectations are at odds with what is best for families with children. Alcorn puts her arguments into a larger context,…

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The Skies Belong To Us by Brendan I. Koerner

Subtitled: Love and Death in the Golden Age of Hijacking. Review: From 1968-1973, hijacking, once a largely anomalous and relatively peaceful act, grew into an epidemic of such proportions that weekly hijackings became the norm. In The Skies Belong to Us, Brendan I. Koerner traces the history of skyjacking from an act of rebellion rooted in the mystique of Cuba into a wildly successful and life-threatening act of piracy that was seemingly unstoppable due to the airlines collective intractability over the necessity of airport security…

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Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

Synopsis: A history and exposé of Scientology. Review: Cults and Hollywood–two of my favorite non-fiction topics in one. I was so happy to pay any price to read Going Clear and I was not disappointed. Meticulously researched, extensively detailed, and thoroughly suspensful, I wish it had been twice as long. Crash writer/director Paul Haggis’s story weaves throughout the history of Scientology and it’s an amazing journey that really sheds light on the appeal of Scientology. Tom Cruise and John Travolta are discussed in detail, and…

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Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History by Florence Williams

Synopsis: A journalistic survey of the breast, covering evolutionary biology, immunology, culture, politics, and so much more. Review: I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and a La Leche League Leader, so I’m very interested in all things mammary. I loved Breasts as I’d hoped I would. A lot of material was familiar to me, but it was presented in such a way where I was able to make new connections and ponder more deeply on the things I already know. Great book, a…

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Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation by James Howard Kunstler

Synopsis: Kunstler’s latest jeremiad about how America is unprepared for what will happen when we run out of oil. Review: It took me forever to finish Too Much Magic because I get so anxious thinking about all of this stuff. I am definitely mindful that I want my girls to learn traditional skills like cooking, sewing, knitting, building, and the like because I just don’t know what kind of future they will inherit. I am definitely a little obsessed with Kunstler and I’m not sure…

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Mindset for Moms by Jamie C. Martin

Synopsis: A collection of bite-sized ideas for moms to stay calm and care for their families and themselves. Review: I picked up Mindset for Moms because Jamie C. Martin is a contributor to Tsh Oxenreider‘s Simple Mom family of blogs. I’ve heard her on the Simple Mom podcast and I really like her ideas and philosophy of life. This book had some nice ideas that stayed pretty basic, and sometimes that’s just want you need to change your perspective. This is a book I’ll definitely…

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Your Custom Homestead: Awakening a Fresh Vision of Homesteading by Jill Winger

Synopsis: A step-by-step guide to making your homesteading dreams come true, no matter how big or small. Review: I live in an apartment in New York City and so I might seem like the last person to be drawn to a book called Your Custom Homestead. But actually it was perfect for me. Sure, I’m never going to have acres and goats, but I’ve got big dreams for my balcony garden and know that someday I will own chickens. Jill’s ideas and suggestions are helpful…

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One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider

Synopsis: Simplicity guru Tsh Oxenreider helps you transform your life one step at a time. Review: I love Tsh. Love her. I am inspired every time I read her blog or listen to her podcast. Her book Organized Simplicity just makes the kind of life I want seem so effortless. Here, in One Bite at a Time, Tsh breaks it down into easy pieces. What I love about this book is that it’s a great reference. I am already pretty organized, my home is pretty…

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