The Vine: January 13, 2012
I have hair. And when I say that, I mean I have hair. It doesn’t go far past my shoulders, but it is thick, and coarse, and full of weird waves and cowlicks. It has been compared to “horse hair” by several people who have gotten their hands on it. This is some hair, people.
Basically, the only way to get it out of my way is to twist it back in one of those big hair claws. I’ve had one for years, and since it’s plastic, it looks like I’ve had it for years. I’ve looked for metal ones, but they’re either tiny, or they’re those glittery ones encrusted with rhinestones that weigh a ton and look right only on brides or fifteen-year-olds. I’ve looked on Etsy, but the ones there tend to be made of cigar bands or have huge flowers attached. I just want some nice, plain, metal hair claws big enough to hold hair that is the width of a respectable hot-dog bun. Anyone got an idea where to get them? Or, failing that, an easy way to sweep big, thick hair back with pretty accessories?
Sincerely,
Hair Clogs My Vacuum Cleaner Every Week
Dear Clog,
I have fine, thin hair that’s only fluffy enough to take even a teeny claw clip because I wreck it to hell with blonde hair color every six weeks, so I will not be a ton of help. But I have friends with thick “horse” hair, and my first recommendation, for any hair type, is to get a stylist who understands how to deal with your particular hair. My girl Angela knows my head; she understands how to layer to give me more volume, that she has to cut “on the bias” in the back because my cowlick placement is kooky, etc. Try to find your own Angela, one who will suggest thinning out your hair underneath so it isn’t quite such a massif, and who shows you how to style it yourself at home, using tools or a pomade or whatever. I learned a sweet tip to help me with straightening last time I went in.
I say this because, if you’ve reached the point where you twist it up in the same clip every day…I mean, you may as well cut it all off. I don’t think you want to do that, but if you care enough about how it looks to ask for “pretty accessories,” you care enough about it to experiment with it, and spend some time on it, and I think you’ve kind of convinced yourself that your hair is intractable and that styling it every day would take a full hour and you’re Not That Guy. This isn’t a judgment — I was like that — but a good hair wrangler can 1) get you a cut that works WITH your hair and 2) teach you how to do it yourself (or close enough) in your own bathroom, which 3) gives you some options for leaving it down sometimes.
…This isn’t what you asked, but since recently re-achieving Ponytail Length, I’m kind of an evangelist for giving yourself a menu of styles. Don’t let your past narrative of “oh, nobody can do anything with this mane” close off your options.
Anyway! Google “Goody Corporation” to see what they’ve got going on (I believe you can finally order direct from their site now?), and let’s see what the readers recommend.
*****
Hi Sars,
I am looking for non-fiction books to read. I try to read four books at a time, because I am insane — a “fun” fiction, usually something genre or light and beachy, like the True Blood books; a classic or at least well-written piece of fiction; a fun non-fiction, usually a celebrity biography or something of that nature; and a serious (read: educational) non-fiction. I have more fiction titles in my queue than I can probably finish in my lifetime — I am looking for suggestions on the non-fiction side, especially for the serious/educational side.
For the serious category, I am open to reading most any topic — economics, business, sociology, psychology, science (if it’s not too in-depth), history, politics, GLBT studies, etc.; so long as I can learn from it I’m happy. Only thing off limits is biographies of the more nauseating Republicans (if I was trapped on a desert island and it was the only thing available to read, I STILL would not read Going Rogue). Two books I recently enjoyed were Lies My Teacher Told Me and A Short History of Nearly Everything (which was exactly the right level for me in a science book — not childish, but not so in-depth I didn’t understand or get bored). For the non-serious side, celebrity biographies of actors mostly, or humorists like David Sedaris are the kinds of things I enjoy.
I strongly prefer the recommendations be available for Kindle, but I would consider buying the paper book if it’s really that good.
Thanks,
Sophie’s Choice For Me Would Be My Kindle Or My TV
Dear Sophius,
I’ll let the readers handle this one, mostly, but I’ve got a couple of suggestions.
One is the works of William Poundstone. He’s the author of the Big Secrets series, which I mention on here alllll the tiiiiiime, and he started publishing those…Jesus, 30 years ago. So some of the information is not the most recent, and I don’t know that they’re Kindle-able. (…”Kindlable”? Can I get a ruling?) But it’s a ton of info about “secret” stuff like the formula for Coke and KFC; the Masons; Scientology; celebrities’ real ages; those phantom radio frequencies that only broadcast one letter; that kind of thing. Poundstone’s tone is dry, but not TOO dry, and he’s also written things like The Ultimate, which settles great armchair debates, and Fortune’s Formula, which is about betting systems — again, written so civilians can enjoy it, and if you like books about blackjack and games, that’s a great one.
I’m also in the middle of Earl Swift’s The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways. It’s not easy to make state-congress infighting over transportation funding interesting, but Swift does a great job, and his prose evokes the times really well.
So that’s what I’ve got for you. (Friend me on Goodreads if you want to see my true-crime “shelf.” It’s terrifying.) Readers, hit Sophius with some suggestions, but please confine yourself to THREE (3) SUGGESTIONS PER so he’s not overwhelmed. Thanks!
Tags: Ask The Readers Earl Swift health and beauty popcult r(o)ad trips William Poundstone
I’m going to recommend authors instead of books.
1. Mary Roach (“Stiff” is fabulous)
2. Erik Larson (“In the Garden of Beasts” is his new book and it’s awesome, but “Devil in White City” is also great).
3. Timothy Eagan (“The Worst Hard Time.” SOOO good)
As far as the hair goes, I’m not much help suggesting accessories because I have super fine, straight hair that even the best stylists usually can’t get to curl, but have you tried a ceramic flat iron? The kind that cost like $150? I have one because it’s the only thing will make my hair curl, but the people I know who use them for actually straightening swear by them. I do know that I use Goody’s spin pins to put my hair in buns and they fall out easily since I have such silky hair, but I bet they’d grab on to your hair and hold nicely. They come two to a package and they say you can just use two to make a bun, and you might need more, but I bet they’d work for you.
My hair problem is that I live in a very dry climate and NOTHING I do will make the static go away. I love my hair but have to wear it up because otherwise I look like I stuck my finger in a light socket. I can’t believe no one has invented a product that takes static out of hair (spraying static guard on my head doesn’t work. It’s greasy and smells).
@JenniferM – I just now bought Mary Roach’s ‘Bonk’ on my Kindle – loved her book ‘Stiff.’ I’m blaming you and thanking you!
I bajillionth the Mary Roach recommendation.
Also, I just finished Born to Run by Christopher MacDougall, and it’s delightful. (Of course, I’m pretty sure everyone else in the world has already read it.)
Here’s 3 non-fiction books that I’ve read and re-read a lot over the years:
– The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, by John M. Barry. Inherently readable, a great way to provide an understanding of viral illness to people who are not epidemiologists, and it breathes life into the subject by intertwining the life of the scientists who worked against the clock to find a “vaccine” with the actual epidemic, so that it reads almost like a thriller at points.
– The Children’s Blizzard, by David Laskin. A very interesting look at life in the Prairie in the 19th century, and it makes the science of weather patterns fascinating to someone (like me) who ordinarily couldn’t care less.
– The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, by Brian Greene. It’s THE physics books for the non-scientist. I used to tell people that I was allergic to science, because I didn’t know that people who could explain science in plain English (like Greene) were out there. It’s still what I refer people to when the topic of mathematical beauty comes up in conversation (not very often, granted).
WHY do I read the book suggestions? Why? I already have a drawer full of “You will read every last one of these before you make another book purchase, little missy”, and now I have at least five more titles to resist. Ah, well, if you gotta have problems…
My recs:
Anything by Diane Ackerman. She’s a science/natural world type writer with a poet’s sensibility, and the combination is amay-zing. She’s probably best known for A Natural History of the Senses, but she’s got at least a half-dozen more out.
Fame by Tom Payne. A well written, witty look, to quote the cover, of “What the classics tell us about the cult of celebrity.” He’s very funny and while you’re laughing you realize he just made a really good point about something you may have dismissed as silly or shallow.
Cannot highly second Alain de Botton and Bill Bryson enough. I’m convinced that in some parallel universe Alain and I are married and I are married and writing a joint book about the quaint 500 year old in we run in Hampshire.
Hair: I have the opposite hair from you, like diametrically opposite, but I fifth or whatever the recommendation to find a stylist who knows his/her stuff. I tortured my hair for YEARS to get it to curl and have some body, until I finally gave up and found someone to work with its Platonic Ideal straightness. Now it’s shiny and happy and doesn’t have to try to be something it never was.
Heh, I guess my subconcious is really convinced about de Botton and I: I wrote “and I are married” twice!
(call me, Alain! We can make it work!)
If you’re at all interested in language, I recommend “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue” by John McWhorter. It can get kind of technical with the language, but he examines the origins of English based on syntax (instead of straight-up word etymology). I’ve been meaning to reread it, but I remember being fascinated at the way he compares different languages based on how their sentences are structured. (Also, he’s got this tone like he’s a rogue linguist, which is kind of amusing.)
@dk – I LOVE THE GOODY SPIN PINS!!! My hair’s up in a simple & cute chignon in no time at all. I’ve put it up still really damp (re: wet) and at the end of the day it’s got a nice curl/wave to it. I’m constantly showing them to friends (and occasionally strangers) with long hair.
Book recommendations:
I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech by Ralph Keyes
Or Is That Just Me? by Richard Hammond (any of Hammond’s books are funny, even the serious ones!)
Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1), by Homer Hickam
Damn, it’s hard to limit myself to three since I rarely read anything but nonfiction.
I have no helpful hair corralling suggestions as I have the stick straight, baby-fine variety (but tons of it, weirdly).
@Hair,
I had your hair for years but have since gotten an amazing stylist who thins, thins, thins and a cut that is just shy of being able to use these:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/northwestgoods?section_id=5214196
There is something amazing about the spring of the metal that makes for an amazing hold, even with all of my hair gathered up into it. The fact that the compliments never stopped didn’t hurt either.
I have ZERO hair talent, but I recommend Karina products. Metal claws are too heavy for me, and I cannot STAND claws made of brittle plastic that break when the back of your head touches anything harder than the car headrest.
Karinas are made of solid unbreakable plastic; I’ve lost a couple over the years, but I have yet to break one, which is saying something, as I’m abusive to my belongings (I had to wear a boot because of an injured foot, and when I brought its mangled carcass back to the doctor 7 weeks later, he said, “What did you DO in this thing? Run marathons?”).
My favorite is the saddle claw, because there’s more hair than claw showing from the back of your head: http://mp.hairboutique.com/Karina-Saddle-Claw-Tortoise-L/P/114512
Lots of other choices: http://mp.hairboutique.com/Karina-Hair-Accessories/Claw-Clips/B/122/C/327
ETA: Also happy with Goody spin pins.
My hair’s the opposite of Clogs’, but I sympathize. Even if I approached every thin-fine-haired person in Philadelphia and asked where they got their hair cut, I’d still want a cut that required minimum maintenance (no blow drying except for fancy parties, thanks), and above all allowed me to clip it back. I absolutely cannot stand the feeling of hair in my face, even if I got a hundred-dollar cut from the best shear-wielder in the land. So sure, get consultations if you like, but if you’re all “I’m a hair-clipper and always will be,” wave your clips high and proudly! Er, once you find them, that is. Small clips for me, so I’m afraid I am not help for sources.
I repeat the recommendation for “Home” by Bill Bryson.
Also, by Richard Rhodes: “Hedy’s Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World.” It’s about Lamarr and composer George Antheil and their involvement in the invention of “spread-spectrum radio”, which Amazon tells me is “a revolutionary invention based on the rapid switching of communications signals among a spread of different frequencies.”
Hair – Try hair sticks as a new way to keep your hair up. My mom started getting them for me when she got tired of always seeing pencils and paintbrushes in my hair. They WORK, even for thick, heavy hair – I think they’re even more secure than claws or barrettes (which I mostly can’t wear because my hair is too thick). One will hold your hair securely, two will keep your hair in place even during a hurricane. Plus there is an infinite variety out there so you can wear different ones every day.
I’m not sure it’s exactly serious, but Planet Word is awesome. It’s not actually by Stephen Fry, but if you google in conjunction with his name you’ll find it pretty quickly. It’s all about language: history, evolution, acquisition, development, death of, etc. I devoured it in a couple of days, then went hunting for the recent BBC series it was based on. Highly recommended.
I’m a total Barbara Ehrenreich fangirl. I just read one by her called Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. It’s just what it sounds like. In particular, she talks about how looking on “the bright side” caused our financial crisis. The best chapter is when she describes her own experiences with cancer treatments and how she was constantly berated for her cynicism because positivity is part of the cure.
I also liked Stuff, a nonfiction account of the psychology of Hoarders.
For fun nonfiction, I just read the oral history of MTV, which is a fun ride down memory lane for a Gen Xer.
Love that Kat brought up Richard Feynman — I agree, he’s eminently readable. I have a very well-worn copy of Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! on my shelf. Many of the current major science popularizers are also good choices if you’re into science at all, or would like to be — Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, Professor Brian Cox.
Since I listed a few authors, I’ll stick to one book. It’s long, but I loved loved loved David Halberstam’s The Fifties. It is densely packed with information on the decade as the consequences of the forties and the building block for the sixties, very very different from its Leave It to Beaveresque nostalgia. It’s tremendous. And it’s really easy to read, not half as dryly journalistic as his other books (which I love, admittedly!). My paperback copy is 816 pages, though, so be warned.
@Hair Clogs, we have the same hair. I rarely let it get past my shoulderblades, since beyond that point, I can’t wrap it in my hair clip anymore. (I use octopus clips, like Whitney suggests.) And I usually wear it up since I have a messy, sweaty job. But my best investment was a decent flat iron. And I do mean “decent”; I only spent $25 on it — this one. It withstands sweat and humidity like I never thought was possible. Oh, and it takes me about ten minutes every other day to straighten it. I put on Kind of Blue and I’m done by the time “So What” ends. Which is a nerdy way of measuring the passage of time, yes, but I can guarantee you those ten minutes. It’s a really nice change of pace from the waves and cowlicks and frizz and other horrors of my French-Canadian mane.
Non-Fiction Recommendations, of the more serious, yet still readable, variety:
Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip Thorne. It’s a physics book “for the intelligent layperson” (it was my impression that the publisher intended to make it the first in a series of science books, though I never did see a follow-up) before Brian Greene took up the mantle, and it’s more readable throughout than Greene’s (though he’s great). It will give you a good foundation in/reminder of theoretical physics before you jump into string theory with Greene. It’s a little more focused on science, where I thought A Short History of Nearly Everything was a little more focused on personalities. (Love just about everything Bryson does, though!)
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. Written after conducting extensive interviews with North Korean defectors about their lives. It’s heartbreaking to read about how they truly believed they were better off than anyone else, even while they were literally starving.
Clog, you are my hair twin. Keratin straightening is expensive but amazing. I also second the spin pins recommendation.
@non-fic
The Pinball Effect by James Burke gives the history behind several inventions and shows how they led to other inventions, etc. It’s a bit like getting lost in a Wikipedia link loop, only well-researched.
How the Beatles Destroyed Rock & Roll by Elijah Wald is a history of music in America from about the turn of the century through the Beatles. It was really interesting to read about how many times a new type of media caused people to say the music industry was dead.
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad is my favorite music history book. It follows several influential bands in the ’80s indie scene and really brings them to life. This covers punk through grunge and a lot of great stuff in-between.
Hair Clogs, this isn’t what you asked for (I’ve never seen a large metal claw clip, which is sad, because now that you mention it, I’d like one too), but let me recommend Ficcares. You know those beak clips at the chemist that look really pretty but fall straight out of your hair? Ficcares are like those but with actual grip and strength in the spring. I have long, thick hair that loves spitting hair toys out, but a Ficcare Maximas holds it like a champ. (I wear a large; for shorter hair you’d probably need a medium, or a small for half-up styles, but check out their size tables.) They’re expensive but totally worth it.
Otherwise, it’s not ideal, but tortoiseshell claw clips show wear less than plain colours. If you replace them regularly, they should keep looking pretty good.
If you’re planning to let your hair get longer, say bra-strap length, you can also investigate the world of hair sticks and forks. They use your hair’s spring to hold the style, so they’re great for springy, wavy hair.
Someone upthread mentioned the Long Hair Community – they’re great for accessory reviews, and a bit of judicious googling will bring up threads about basically anything.
If you’re in the mood for a science-y bent, I can 2nd? (3rd? 4th?) the Mary Roach books.
I’m also a huge fan of Neil Degrasse Tyson. (“The Pluto Files,” “Death by Black Hole”) He’s an astrophysicist who writes in a very entertaining and “every-person” manner. (He does the NOVA series and has been on The Daily Show quite a few times.)
@Hair Clogs I second (and third) everyone here who suggests calling around to salons to see if they have someone who works with your type of hair, but I’m also wondering if you’ve ever had your hair thinned out with a razor instead of cut with scissors? I have heavy, rather coarse hair that I need short or tied back because I do distance running, and I find asking for razored layers along with my cut really helps keep elastics and barrettes from breaking and popping out of my hair in the middle of a run.
I also find that popping into salons and checking out the stylists’ hair is very helpful when it comes to gauging how their style / idea of practicality will mesh with yours.
The Other Katherine beat me to the Long Hair Community forums and the awesomeness of Ficcare clips.
I would also like to give a shout-out to France Luxe (http://www.franceluxe.com/). They carry beautiful products and have a great program called “Hugs for Heads” which provides a silk head scarf to any girl or woman going through chemotherapy who requests one.
*It’s actually called Good Wishes and they do not specify women/girls. I made that up in my head but I’m claiming chemo brain. I’m sorry I can’t edit my post.
Books!
Another recommendation for The Hot Zone.
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
For serious non-fiction, I’d recommend anything by Jon Krakauer: Under the Banner of Heaven is my favorite, but I’ve never disliked anything of his.
Sort of on the border of serious and fun: if you don’t know Sarah Vowell’s historical books (The Wordy Shipmates, Unfamiliar Fishes, Assassination Vacation, etc.), you should: I find them compulsively readable and tons of fun.
And as far as fun non-fiction, definitely check out David Rakoff’s work: he’s an essayist in the vein of David Sedaris, but I find his humor a little sharper and more incisive. I recommend his stuff a lot (start with Don’t Get Too Comfortable) and everyone I’ve ever recommended him to has raved about him.
I second the hair pins DK mentions above.
I have long,wavy hair that I must wear in a pony or bun at work. It’s part of our uniform policy, so I have no choice.
I was constantly re-doing it during my shift, as it would droop or just slide loose.
A friend suggested the spin clips and as I looked at them, I thought: “No way”, but they stay tight, in place, for my 12 hour shift. I think there are longer and shorter ones, so look for the longest ones you can get.
Books:
I’m not the letter writer, but this list inspired me to hop over to the library and pick a few things up. I started with Laskin’s “The Children’s Blizzard” because it’s cold and snowy here, and am more than halfway through already. Very compelling.
If the above is something you like, a book about a late-1800s midwestern US disaster I couldn’t put down is “Under the Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894”. This was a massive, deadly wildfire that created its own weather and killed nearly a third of a small town’s population.
Adding “Your Inner Fish” by Neil Shubin to the list of recommendations, especially if you have any interest in paleontology or evolution. A well-written, accessible account of how evolutionary twists and turns have left the human body with less-than-perfect anatomical holdovers from our ancestors.
The Big Short- Another Michael Lewis book (Moneyball was his other big one- also great). Its about the whole sub-prime fiasco and the dudes that saw it coming. This one is way better than Too Big to Fail. Waaaaaaaay better.
Anything by Malcolm Gladwell. Seriously, he just plain makes anything interesting. He’s mostly about sociology, but that a generalization.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman- He ‘won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his seminal work in psychology that challenged the rational model of judgment and decision making.’ It’s basically about how you think and why. I’ve got the audiobook for drives and the beginning is a bit dry but it’s very accessible.
This is a golden age for nonfiction readers! Many commenters have covered titles and authors that I recommend. To Kurlansky and Bryson I would add Tracy Kidder (may be a bit old for Kindle, but House; and Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief, from which the film Adaptation was … adapted. Enjoy!
Sophie: For informative/sciencey books, I recommend some Steven Pinker. He’s written several on language, which are all great. His “How the Mind Works” is a bit more dense (and long), so that one may not fit your needs as well. I haven’t read his latest one on aggression in human history.
I have long, thick, slippery hair that resists staying up. I have had good luck with bungee hair elastics (http://tinyurl.com/6oqp5om) for ponytails and messy buns. I must be doing the spin pins wrong because I cannot get them to work for me. Will check out those Flexi-8 ones though, they look promising (too bad they don’t make plainer versions).
Books – totally agree that Mary Roach is a fun read. Sophie’s Choice might also like Tina Fey’s book Bossypants. Also The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman.
Two author recommendations:
1. ErIk Larson — a particular favorite is Devil in the White City, the story of the 1893 World’s Fair and so much more. But, Isaac’s Storm is terrific as well. His books are beautifully researched and so readable.
2. A. J. Jacobs — both A Year of Living Biblically and The Guinea Pig Diaries were wonderful. Light and fun and funny.
I love these book suggestion questions; I have made quite a list of things to look for at the library.
I have 2 suggestions, which are essentially books of book lists; they should give you lots of ideas for future books to read, as well as being good reads themselves.
What is Stephen Harper Reading by Yann Martel–‘Life of Pi’ author sends a book to the Canadian PM every 2 weeks (too bad he doesn’t seem to want to write back).
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby–magazine articles he wrote about the books he bought and the books he read in a given month and his thoughts on them.
Kelsey: I wish I had had enough room to recommend Krakauer as well. I’m just finishing up “Where Men Win Glory,” his book about Pat Tillman and it is awesome.
You guys are too amazing. I wish I had asked this book question myself ages ago. I hate when I run out of things to read.
My suggestions are:
The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing by Bruce Perry
How the Mind Works by Stevn Pinker. Though anything by him is great. He does a lot of research into just what is going on inside the brain.
A Guinea Pig’s History of Biology by Dr. Jim Endersby. “a quirky, enlightening, and thoroughly engaging perspective on the history of heredity and genetics”
You know, it sounds like maybe we could set up a TN lending library, if people were into that. It could be especially helpful for Read-Alongs. Or maybe it’s possible for us to have our own little fiefdom on Book Crossings or something? If anyone has any thoughts on these things, please share them.
My first thought is YES.
My second thought is YES!
Any further thoughts will be tempered by others’ thoughts and the practicalities of such a thing but YES! will definitely be in there!
Rich People Things by Chris Lehmann
On History: Tariq Ali and Oliver Stone in Conversation
The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World
I’ll second (or third, or fourth) the suggestions for Mary Roach’s books. Also seconding the suggestion for The Emperor of All Maladies. I’m nearing the end of that one right now, and it’s fascinating and not too dense for those of us without a science background.
I’ve been on a science kick lately, so I would also recommend The Disappearing Spoon, by Sam Kean. It’s about the development of the Periodic Table. I actually missed my stop on the subway once because of this book.
I would also recommend The Hare With Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal. It’s a memoir of his family and a particular art collection, which was basically the only thing that his family owned that survived the Nazi occupation of Vienna.
Let’s try this again.
Non-fiction: ‘Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway’”
Novel: ‘Big Trouble’“
I recommend everything by David McCullough – it’s history that is complex and nuanced, but also very readable and compelling. They are serious, and you will learn a lot, but you can also just enjoy the writing. The man knows how to turn a phrase.
Another history recommendation: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. It doesn’t seem like salt would be a very compelling driver for a book, but after hearing the author interviewed, I picked up the book and could hardly put it down.
Ad Nauseam (Carrie McLaren & Jason Torchinsky, Eds.: A fascinating book about the psychology of advertising.
The Burning (Tim Madigan): A very well written account of the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921, an event so horrific and shameful that it has been virtually covered up. It is referred to as Tulsa’s dirty little secret and is still not taught in public schools. The only time in US history military aircraft was employed to execute citizens solely becauseof their skin colour. Everyone should read this book!
Egalia’s Daughters (Gerd Brantenberg): This one is fictions, but merits a place on the non-fiction list for it’s social commentary on gender roles. It is a satire of the sexes in which gender roles are completely reversed. Both hilarious and sad, it is extremely well done!
Books! I recommend any of Sarah Vowell’s books. They are non-fiction books about US history, so you’ll learn something, but she is HILARIOUS so you’ll enjoy it. My husband heard me laughing out loud, asked what I was reading about, and I said, “The Lincoln assassination” and how often does that happen?
I also recently read “Turn Right at Macchu Pichu” which was fascinating and light.
Nonfiction reads: I definitely chime in on recommending Mary Roach. Now for 3 authors not previously mentioned: Gretel Erlich (especially “A Match to the Heart” about her experience as a lightning strike survivor); Calvin Trillin’s nonfiction work (for me, his hysterically funny “food” books; but “Killings” is equally page-turning); and Stephen Budiansky, who like Roach and Trillin, writes beautifully explanatory books on a variety of topics including animal science (try “Covenant of the Wild: Why Animals Choose Domesticity” on the genetic concept of feral versus domestic, or “If a Lion Could Talk” a critical examination of animal communication studies, including sign-language use by apes). Sadly, most of these great reads are not available on Kindle (but are available from used bookstore sites0.
Glad someone else is enjoying “The Children’s Blizzard”. Like most non-fiction books I’ve bought over the years, I started reading it at Borders (RIP), and knew I was going to buy it after I finished my coffee an hour later and I hadn’t even glanced at the other books in my little pile of “might buy this” yet.
Non-fiction reads:
if you can find them … these all stuck with me after years.
As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl by John Colapinto – true story of a boy, one of twins, an accident (you need to not be too squeamish through that part), a psychiatrist, and the decision to raise this boy as a girl as a result. Human drama and psychology on a gut-wrenching scale.
The Plutonium Files: America’s Secret Medical Experiments in the Cold War by Eileen Welsome – a detailed account of how the US was figuring out the impact of nuclear power, in a horrible way with consequences.
Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho by Jon Katz – this is a product of its time, but if you were interested in the early power of the “social network” before it was called that, told through the point of view of one set of relationships, it is a great book. He is best known now for his dog books, which I haven’t read.
Just three? Pout.
I am going to use one of my three to second (or third) “Guns, Germs and Steel”. One of the best non fiction books I’ve ever read.
The Stacey Schiff biography of Cleopatra (“Cleopatra, a Life)” is also an excellent read. Very, very well researched.
Anything by Barbara Tuchman, but “The Guns of August” is the most famous, or you can go for her medieval history. Again, very well written, very well researched.
I’m going to keep lurking here to get more suggestions…