Thank you for sharing! I’m going to revisit this next time I’m looking for a nonfiction book. Raising Hare is a favorite of mine as well. I’ve read a lot of great nonfiction this year as well. I hope it continues!
Thanks so much, Katie - I always love seeing what you're reading as well! I'm glad 2025 is proving to be such a great year for our nonfiction picks. Do you have a favorite(s) out of all that you've read so far? (Asked with TBR in hand, ready to add... :-))
Thank you for sharing this list! I would like to suggest “Intelligent Music Teaching: Essays on the Core Principles of Effective Instruction” by Robert A. Duke. The principles suggested here are applicable beyond music instruction.
I am honored, thank you! I think Raising Hare would be a lovely starting point for anyone wanting to read more nonfiction - it's a thoughtful story, with interesting information sprinkled in, and gorgeous illustrations, too. I read H Is For Hawk several years ago and your comment is making me think I may need to revisit it! Happy reading, Jo!
I enjoy and appreciate your substack.. But as an American Liberal Jew, I offer a caveat to the praise for The Message. I blame books such as Coates’s The Message for creating a right and wrong narrative concerning the Israeli/Gazan-Hamas war. In his book,Coates draws a stark parallel when framing the Israeli‑Palestinian situation and Jim Crow–era Southern racism; this framing is overly simplistic and ignores the complexity of the conflict He candidly admits he felt no need to hear pro‑Israeli perspectives, framing the entire Israeli narrative as “bullshit” He characterizes Jews and Zionists as part of “whiteness” projecting colonial power—despite Israel’s multi-ethnic population, including Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ethiopian Jews—reducing Jews to a single racial category and Israel to a one-race country. I am harmed by the popularity of Coates’s book because it fails to educate readers. Only when all the facts are known, can there be intelligent meaningful discussions which are needed to reach a solution to the problems in the Middle East. I read and loved his book between “The World and Me”.
Your phrase 'meaningful discussion' really resonates with me - thank you for sharing that! I realize it captures one of the things I love about books, too - the way they can open the door to dialogue, idea-sharing, and learning different perspectives. If you have additional book recommendations, please feel free to share as well - I, too, remember really liking Between The World And Me, and in addition to all the books I'm adding to my TBR from this post, I find I am also making quite a list of potential rereads!
Prior to posting on your Substack, my posts concerning Israel have been met with name calling and fiery rebuttal. That you and two of your followers have replied with intelligence and willingness to engage means so much to me. I highly recommend reading The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands by Amir Tibon. I think readers will find it very interesting, and balanced.
Agree it's been a great reading year so far! Some recent 5-star favorites in the non-fiction category: Bianca Bosker's Get the Picture (a deep dive into the fine art industry), Tariq Trotter's The Upcycled Self (memoir from one of the members of The Roots), Kate Flannery's Strip Tees (behind the scenes of the heyday of American Apparel in LA in the 90s), Sarah Wynn-Williams's Careless People (behind the scenes of Facebook's public policy wrongs), Christina Wallace's The Portfolio Life (multihyphenate careers), Oliver Burkeman's Meditations for Mortals (guiding philosophy of life he calls "imperfectionism").
I'm so glad you're having a great reading year, too - and by the looks of your recommendations, a variety-filled one as well! The only one of these that I have read so far is Meditations For Mortals (which I loved), and they all sound so interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Been reading a lot about the working poor in America, and three I recommend are "Seeking Shelter," "There is No Place For Us" and "This is All I Got." Profiling familes or a group of families in L.A., Atlanta and NYC, respectively, they all share what it's like to fight for stability with little to no margin for error, and the heavy cost and burden of poverty.
Thank you for adding your recommendations here! I really appreciated what I learned from Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond when I read it last year, and these sound like they might support further learning, too.
Three more in this vein that have stuck with me in the years since reading them: Evicted by Matthew Desmond, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott.
Raising Hare will be a top book for me at the end of the year! This makes me think I need to do a mid year roundup… I’ve read about 80 books this year so it’s already plenty to have some good lists!
Raising Hair and Hope for Cynics are on my list. And I can endorse Word By Word thanks to your recommendation! For my favorites I will keep it to three from this year: All The Beauty In The World by Patrick Bringley , Gentle by Courtney Carver and…. Cher the Memoir Pt1 on audio and I am not an audiobook girl. So good!
Learning more about those differences between bans, challenges, and the like is one of the reasons I really appreciated the book - I found it very informative! It also references numerous resources (the American Library Association is one that comes to mind) for updates, specifics, and additional information, too.
Thanks. I’m sure they have lots of their own definitions about what banning is. I stand by my original assertion. I know of zero books that have been banned by the government. All are accessible. Are there books that are inappropriate for school children? Yes. Removing controversial books is not banning them. You can still purchase them on Amazon. They are freely available. You can purchase them for your kids if you like.
Thank you for sharing! I’m going to revisit this next time I’m looking for a nonfiction book. Raising Hare is a favorite of mine as well. I’ve read a lot of great nonfiction this year as well. I hope it continues!
Thanks so much, Katie - I always love seeing what you're reading as well! I'm glad 2025 is proving to be such a great year for our nonfiction picks. Do you have a favorite(s) out of all that you've read so far? (Asked with TBR in hand, ready to add... :-))
Thank you for sharing this list! I would like to suggest “Intelligent Music Teaching: Essays on the Core Principles of Effective Instruction” by Robert A. Duke. The principles suggested here are applicable beyond music instruction.
Thank you for the rec, Kathy - I love it when seemingly-niche books have a wider application!
Ooh this is up my alley! Adding to my list.
I want to read more non-fiction … and I’m going to start with this list. Raising Hare is a very popular choice. It’s the new H is for Hawk. Thank you.
I am honored, thank you! I think Raising Hare would be a lovely starting point for anyone wanting to read more nonfiction - it's a thoughtful story, with interesting information sprinkled in, and gorgeous illustrations, too. I read H Is For Hawk several years ago and your comment is making me think I may need to revisit it! Happy reading, Jo!
The Tell by Amy Griffin was really good as a survivor of trauma.
Thank you for sharing - I am hearing about so many new-to-me books!
Agreed. Tough topic. There’s been some controversy around the Oprah connection which is lame IMO.
I enjoy and appreciate your substack.. But as an American Liberal Jew, I offer a caveat to the praise for The Message. I blame books such as Coates’s The Message for creating a right and wrong narrative concerning the Israeli/Gazan-Hamas war. In his book,Coates draws a stark parallel when framing the Israeli‑Palestinian situation and Jim Crow–era Southern racism; this framing is overly simplistic and ignores the complexity of the conflict He candidly admits he felt no need to hear pro‑Israeli perspectives, framing the entire Israeli narrative as “bullshit” He characterizes Jews and Zionists as part of “whiteness” projecting colonial power—despite Israel’s multi-ethnic population, including Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Ethiopian Jews—reducing Jews to a single racial category and Israel to a one-race country. I am harmed by the popularity of Coates’s book because it fails to educate readers. Only when all the facts are known, can there be intelligent meaningful discussions which are needed to reach a solution to the problems in the Middle East. I read and loved his book between “The World and Me”.
Your phrase 'meaningful discussion' really resonates with me - thank you for sharing that! I realize it captures one of the things I love about books, too - the way they can open the door to dialogue, idea-sharing, and learning different perspectives. If you have additional book recommendations, please feel free to share as well - I, too, remember really liking Between The World And Me, and in addition to all the books I'm adding to my TBR from this post, I find I am also making quite a list of potential rereads!
Prior to posting on your Substack, my posts concerning Israel have been met with name calling and fiery rebuttal. That you and two of your followers have replied with intelligence and willingness to engage means so much to me. I highly recommend reading The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands by Amir Tibon. I think readers will find it very interesting, and balanced.
Agree it's been a great reading year so far! Some recent 5-star favorites in the non-fiction category: Bianca Bosker's Get the Picture (a deep dive into the fine art industry), Tariq Trotter's The Upcycled Self (memoir from one of the members of The Roots), Kate Flannery's Strip Tees (behind the scenes of the heyday of American Apparel in LA in the 90s), Sarah Wynn-Williams's Careless People (behind the scenes of Facebook's public policy wrongs), Christina Wallace's The Portfolio Life (multihyphenate careers), Oliver Burkeman's Meditations for Mortals (guiding philosophy of life he calls "imperfectionism").
I'm so glad you're having a great reading year, too - and by the looks of your recommendations, a variety-filled one as well! The only one of these that I have read so far is Meditations For Mortals (which I loved), and they all sound so interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Really enjoyed Strip Tease. The owner of that company was just gross.
Totally! Ick
Been reading a lot about the working poor in America, and three I recommend are "Seeking Shelter," "There is No Place For Us" and "This is All I Got." Profiling familes or a group of families in L.A., Atlanta and NYC, respectively, they all share what it's like to fight for stability with little to no margin for error, and the heavy cost and burden of poverty.
Thank you for adding your recommendations here! I really appreciated what I learned from Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond when I read it last year, and these sound like they might support further learning, too.
Three more in this vein that have stuck with me in the years since reading them: Evicted by Matthew Desmond, Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott.
Raising Hare will be a top book for me at the end of the year! This makes me think I need to do a mid year roundup… I’ve read about 80 books this year so it’s already plenty to have some good lists!
Definitely! I am curious to see which of these 10 books will still be on my favorites list at the end of the year, too. So much to read yet!
Well, I have just started The Anthropocene Reviewed and I am LOVING it. Thank you for the recommendation!
Raising Hair and Hope for Cynics are on my list. And I can endorse Word By Word thanks to your recommendation! For my favorites I will keep it to three from this year: All The Beauty In The World by Patrick Bringley , Gentle by Courtney Carver and…. Cher the Memoir Pt1 on audio and I am not an audiobook girl. So good!
The book on grief is by Megan Devine, not Morgan. Just want to give credit where it’s due. Ty for sharing your list. Great recommendations.
What books have been banned? I know some books are being taken out of school libraries but no one is banning them. There is a huge difference
Learning more about those differences between bans, challenges, and the like is one of the reasons I really appreciated the book - I found it very informative! It also references numerous resources (the American Library Association is one that comes to mind) for updates, specifics, and additional information, too.
Thanks. I’m sure they have lots of their own definitions about what banning is. I stand by my original assertion. I know of zero books that have been banned by the government. All are accessible. Are there books that are inappropriate for school children? Yes. Removing controversial books is not banning them. You can still purchase them on Amazon. They are freely available. You can purchase them for your kids if you like.