Nonfiction November, Week four: Diverse Perspectives

Nonfiction November 

Week Four

Diverse perspectives

Nonfiction books are one of the best tools for seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. They allow us to get an idea of the experiences of people of all different ages, races, genders, abilities, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, or even just different opinions than ours. Is there a book you read this year from a diverse author, or a book that opened your eyes to a perspective that you hadn’t considered? How did it challenge you to think differently?

I read to know the world better. I often find myself selecting books I think will bring me closer to understanding my neighbors around the world. Sometimes I have to tamp down the desire to avoid knowing something because it might make me uncomfortable. This can be true for both fiction and nonfiction reading.

One book I read this year which helped open my eyes to what it is like to be a male, growing up in the inner city, poor, Black, Muslim, motherless, and troubled was There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. I'm none of those things  yet the author, Hanif Abdurraqib, who describes himself as a poet, essayist, and cultural critic, so beautifully articulated details of his growing up years I couldn't help but relate. In the conclusion of my review, which I hope you read, I said, "It's a rare book that makes you reflect so deeply on your own childhood and feel so connected to a story so different than your own." Nonfiction at its best!

-Anne