Top 10 Books of 2020 - Nonfiction

Current Read: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Current Listen: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1) by Jessica Townsend

Hey all! Took a second with school starting back up again, but I'm back with my Top 10 Nonfiction Reads of 2020. Non-fiction has become a bigger part of my reading life, mostly reading related to social justice issues with the occasional memoir or "weird history" sort of book. Looking back at this list, I read some DAMN GOOD non-fiction this year. Enjoy this list, and click on the titles for a link to purchase from bookshop.org! (Elon Musk doesn't need your book money.)

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

  

What is it: I avoided this book for MOST of last year and only picked up when it kept getting incredible reviews from some of my most trusted reader friends. People kept describing it as "former Christian mommy blogger falls in love with a woman" which just made me...confused. But this is a book that is about womanhood and trusting yourself and living authentically and doing hard things. It is a book that I will read many, many times.

When did it come out: 2020

How did I read it: Book of the Month

Why you should read it: Here is just one of MANY passages that spoke to me: “We weren’t born distrusting and fearing ourselves. That was part of our taming. We were taught to believe that who we are in our natural state is bad and dangerous. They convinced us to be afraid of ourselves. So we do not honor our own bodies, curiosity, hunger, judgment, experience, or ambition. Instead, we lock away our true selves. Women who are best at this disappearing act earn the highest praise: She is so selfless. Can you imagine? The epitome of womanhood is to lose one’s self completely. That is the end goal of every patriarchal culture. Because a very effective way to control women is to convince women to control themselves.”

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

 

What is it: This incredibly compelling, well-researched book reframes American society through the lens of a caste system. She supports her argument with comparisons to India and to Nazi Germany, and she applies the argument thoroughly to every facet of American society.

When did it come out: 2020

How did I read it: Audible. Highly recommend the narrator, Robin Miles.

Why you should read it: My initial reaction to this book was "paradigm shifting." Every American should read this. It will make you rethink American history. The Nazis literally looked at how America treated BIPOC when they were determining how to treat Jews and undesirables. 

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall 

 

What is it: This is an outstanding essay collection that argues (very effectively) that mainstream feminism as a whole is ignoring basic needs for survival, like safe neighborhoods and healthy food, in favor of issues that concern the privileged. It was a great reminder for me as a feminist to consider the intersectional needs of women dealing with racism, transphobia, ableism, and classism.

When did it come out: 2020

How did I read it: Audible

Why you should read it: Sex workers, women of color, transwomen, women with disabilities, and women from any other marginalized group need to be a part of the conversation. Any remnant of "white feminism" needs to go in the garbage. As Kendall says, "No woman has to be respectable to be valuable.”

"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum

 

What is it: Dr. Tatum is a renowned scholar in the field of race psychology, and this is her seminal work on racial identity. She uses this psychological lens to discuss how racial identity develops (with chapters about childhood racial identity development that I found suuuuuuuuper helpful as a teacher) and why it is so important to openly discuss race. Side note - the 20th century edition of the book is a must, as it is revised to include a Trump-era perspective. 

When did it come out: 1997

How did I read it: I own a copy of the 20th anniversary edition.

Why you should read it: You should read this book because it contains one of the best descriptions of the struggle against racism that I have ever heard. "I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is equivalent to walking fast on the conveyor belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of White supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No overt effort is being made, but the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along to the same destination as those who are actively walking. Some of the bystanders may feel the motion of the conveyor belt, see the active racists ahead of them, and choose to turn around, unwilling to go in the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt—unless they are actively antiracist—they will find themselves carried along with the others."

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

 

What is it: A second essay collection from my queen, Lindy West. This collection is even better than Shrill, which I adored. She is primarily known for her feminist and pro-choice writing, but she branched out in this one with discussions of climate change and racial justice that were very well-written.

When did it come out: 2019

How did I read it: Audible (read by the author)

Why you should read it: Her essay about Adam Sandler movies is EVERYTHING.

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lourde 

 

What is it: This is a collection of essays, speeches, interviews, and poems written between 1976-1984. I thought it was a great starting place for familiarizing myself with one of the pillars of Black Feminism.

When did it come out: 1984

How did I read it: I own this one.

Why you should read it: Any feminist or anti-racist should read Audre Lorde. She is so piercing in her critiques, and her use of language is unparalleled. Her essay on turning silence into action is one that I reference and quote often.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

 

What is it: This is a memoir by Bryan Stephenson, the founder of Equal Justice Initiative, a group that, per their website, "is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society."

When did it come out: 2014

How did I read it: Audible (read by the author)

Why you should read it: I loved the movie, and the book does discuss Walter McMillian's case, but it speaks to so many issues not addressed in the film, such as children serving life sentences or the sexual abuse of women serving prison sentences.

Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland by Jonathan M. Metzl

 

What is it: This is a very well-researched study of the health impact of recent conservative policies on the white people in middle America who vehemently support those policies. The book is divided into three sections: Missouri and the impact of pro-gun laws, Tennessee and its resistance to the ACA, and Kansas and the unintended consequences of their steep cuts to schools and social services. Metzl shows the horrific aftermath of the attitude that W.E.B. DuBois referred to as the "wages of whiteness."

When did it come out: 2019

How did I read it: Audible

Why you should read it: The interviews in this book are so jarring. There are people in America who would rather die in pain than accept money from "Obamacare." Metzl uses data and research to argue that racial resentment and a need for white dominance are literally killing people. This is a must-read for anyone grappling with their own whiteness and what white culture looks like.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

 

What is it: This is an in-depth look at all the different ways that racism has been embedded into the housing policy in the United States. His whole premise is that the racism is not de facto (based on individual prejudice) but de jure, based in local, state, and federal law. This book made me want to research the history of Indianapolis, because all cities and towns were developed to reinforce the racial hierarchy.

When did it come out: 2017

How did I read it: Audible

Why you should read it: This one is a MUST for anyone learning about racism in the United States. There is so much more to housing-related racism than redlining (which is what I initially thought this book was about). This one really brings home how white supremacy was/is LITERALLY government-sponsored.

No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us by Rachel Louise Snyder

 

What is it: This is a very well-researched investigation into the domestic violence public health crisis in the United States. Snyder, whose name you may recognize if you listen to NPR, tells the stories of victims and victim advocates, both through individual stories and data analysis. She also visits abusers and abuse counseling programs and presents the stories of men attempting to actually address the toxic masculinity that causes them to abuse their partners. 

When did it come out: 2019

How did I read it: Audible

Why you should read it: Before I read this book, I fell into the traps that most people do when thinking about domestic violence. "This would never happen to me." "Why doesn't she just leave?" This book COMPLETELY shifted my thinking on the plight of domestic violence victims and the mindsets of abusers. Not only that, she presents the stories of programs that are using data to save lives. For such a bleak topic, the book offers a lot of hope. 

 

And that's it! It was hard to do these books justice with just a few sentences. Please let me know in the comments if you've read or plan to read any of these! And for now, that's all she read.