Category Archives: Non-fiction
A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory -Dr. Jagadish Shukla
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Meteorologist and climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla was a climate-change skeptic for years. What led him to change his mind? He recalls this and his life in his autobiography, A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, World Issues
Tagged climat4e science, climate change, India
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Black as Hell, Strong as Death, and Sweet as Love: A Coffee Travel Guide – Steven P. Unger (Author), Ruth St. Steven (Photographer)
(Reviewed by JD Jung) For those who consider coffee more than just a morning ritual, Black as Hell, Strong as Death, and Sweet as Love is a rich and aromatic journey through time, culture, and continents. Blending travel writing with … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Food & Cooking, History, Our Best, Travel
Tagged coffee, Costa Rica, Cuba, culture, Hawaii, history, Jordan, Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco, travel
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Your Pasta Sucks: A “Cookbook” – Matteo Lane
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…my romance with pasta has been my longest and best relationship.” What can you expect from a cookbook written by a gay Italian, Irish and Mexican American stand up comedienne from Chicago? Plenty! Matteo Lane writes … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Food & Cooking, Humor & Satire, Non-fiction
Tagged comedy, humor, Italy, LGBTQ, pasta
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The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine – Alexander Vindman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Without Ukraine, Russia is a country; with Ukraine, it’s an empire.” Without an independent Ukraine we will see an acceleration of authoritarianism. This war is a fight between authoritarianism and democracy. So how did we get … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, History, Non-fiction, Our Best, Politics
Tagged authoritarianism, democracy, Russia, Ukraine
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Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly – Hannah Selinger
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Hannah Selinger graduated from Columbia University but found herself working as a server at a hometown dive. She eventually moved back to New York and found employment at some of the most trendy, high-end restaurants. First … Continue reading
Posted in Non-fiction
Tagged abuse, memoirs, New York City, restaurants
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My Bully, My Aunt, and Her Final Gift – Harold Phifer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Hal endured a tumultuous upbringing under the cruel hand of his Aunt Kathy. While his mother suffered from severe mental illness, it was Aunt Kathy who had to step in to raise him and … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction
Tagged abuse, death, family dysfunction, mental illness
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Ugliness – Moshtari Hilal, Translated from the German by Elisabeth Lauffer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this deeply personal book, author Moshtari Hilal interweaves memoir, history, and sociology to explore the painful realities of feeling “ugly” in a world that prioritizes symmetry and Eurocentric beauty standards. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History
Tagged Afghanistan, beauty, culture, Eugenics, fascism, Middle East, plastic surgery, ugliness
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Dying For Gold: The True Story of the Giant Mine Murders – Lee Selleck & Francis Thompson
(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) This is an exhaustive book…but it needs to be to properly tell the story of one of the worst labor disputes in Canadian history. In the early 1990s, the remote town of Yellowknife, in Canada’s … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tagged Canadian history, labor
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We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders – Linda Sarsour
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) The title of this book calls each of us, doesn’t it? “What does it mean when we say we are social justice activists, and organizers committed to justice and equality for all people?“ I asked … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Social Justice
Tagged Islamophobia, Palestine, racism, Xenophobia
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The Book Censor’s Library – Bothayna Al-Essa , translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain
(Reviewed by JD Jung) This cautionary tale takes place “sometime in the future, in a place that would be pointless to name, since it resembles every other place.” All I know is that it is at a time … Continue reading
Posted in graphic novels/illustrated humor, Humor & Satire, Middle Eastern Literature, Political fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Mythology, Social Justice
Tagged censorship, freedom, liberty, library, Social satire
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