Fall Reading 2022 Nonfiction

Is “progress” always a good thing? James Rebanks shows us how dramatically farming has changed in just a few generations. Small, family-run operations have disappeared, only to be replaced by industrial monoliths focused entirely on producing as much inexpensive food as possible. With all eyes on the bottom line, the soul has disappeared from farming. How much does that matter? Pastoral Song may have you thinking twice before you eat your next meal.

—Glenn

Are you looking to add a bit more magic in your life, or have a friend who seems to be collecting crystals at an alarming rate but doesn’t seem to know what to do with them? Look no further than Spalter’s fun and warm introduction to all things witchy! Perfect for the beginners or those looking for a bit of structure in their practice. I especially like that she gives options for those not pursuing the Wiccan path, and the no-nonsense attitude about love spells (just don’t do it!).

—Jax

In the years during and following the Vietnam War, many displaced Vietnamese people found themselves on the Texas Gulf Coast, working as fishermen and shrimpers. Many of the white residents did not take kindly to their presence—blaming the Vietnamese for their own paltry catches, which were in fact due to increasing levels of pollution in the Gulf—and initiated an onslaught of harassment and violence that would last for years. Wallace Johnson has taken a mostly forgotten historical conflict fraught with racism, xenophobia, and envrionmental injustice and through careful research, brought it back into our collective consciousnes. —Jade

Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy is exactly what it says it is: a concise history book detailing the relationship between America, Asian Americans, and the circumstances that continue to bring the two together. If you’re looking for a novel-esque book that touches on the unique histories of different ethnic groups across Asia, then this is it.

—Ian

A Place in the World is many things—all of them beautiful, rich, and restorative. It is a welcome escape, a travel memoir in Italy, the South, and beyond, a contemplation on place and finding home wherever you are. It is immersive nature writing, a paean to literature, to food, family and friends. There is deep satisfaction here, an enviable pleasure for the life Frances Mayes puts forth and a renewed appreciation of my own. This book is a balm.

—Melinda