Subtitled: a Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Nonfiction by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
Nonfiction by Virginia Roberts Giuffre
Oh my goodness. This was wrenching and way, WAY too sad. I couldn't finish listening.
Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Thursday, April 16, 2026
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
Nonfiction by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman
This hyperbolically named book by the married actor/comedians is pretty funny, but not hysterically so.
It was a bit too long and repetitive; if you like these people already you'll probably like it. If you don't know who they are you will be bored.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
The Wondering Years
Nonfiction by Knox McCoy
This was a fun and funny memoir about the author's life and faith journey.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
The Undoing Project
Subtitled: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
Nonfiction by Daniel Lewis
Nonfiction by Daniel Lewis
The titular Friendship that Changed Our Minds was between two Israeli psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in the middle of the twentieth century. While these men were pretty interesting and their work very interesting, this book itself was not all that interesting.
Although the author gave a lot of information about both men (and a lot of extraneous information, including irrelevant things about his previous successful book Moneyball ), the book didn't read like a story about people. I don't like stories that aren't about people.
I think I would have done better just to read their psychology papers.
Monday, January 5, 2026
Milo’s Story
Nonfiction by Louise Allen
This is the eleventh book in Louise Allen's "Thrown Away Children Series," which I had almost given up on after the terrible ending of the last book (see below). That's the problem with nonfiction, though. Real life doesn't offer tidily happy endings.
This book was better, in that it didn't end absolutely horribly, and that it was interesting. I did really enjoy reading Milo's story. That said, I do feel like the author takes a lot of liberties with the category of nonfiction, almost veering into "based on a true story" novelization rather often. Still, that makes it more fun to read, so I shouldn't complain. More troubling is the lecture mode she slips into too often.
So I liked the book but didn't love it.
I also read recently by this author: Willow's Story
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Misfit
Subtitled: Growing Up Awkward in the 80's
Nonfiction by Gary Gulman
Nonfiction by Gary Gulman
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This was a fun memoir about a comedian reminiscing about his childhood while recovering from a a major depression.
One thing I really liked about it was how the author recounted exact details of the circumstances and set-up for great punchlines he made over twenty-five years ago. I'm glad to not be the only one who does that!
Friday, September 5, 2025
The House of My Mother
Nonfiction by Shari Franke
Family vlogger Ruby Franke was big news a couple of years ago when she and her best friend Jodi Hildebrand were convicted of neglecting and abusing Ruby's four minor children. No charges were brought up concerning the two oldest kids, Shari and Chad, because the two of them had already left home.
In this story Shari tells her own story of how Ruby's abuse of her children started long before she met up with Jodi, and how the support and validation Jodi gave her escalated everything exponentially.
This was an honest memoir and very interesting, but it was also extremely sad.
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Small Fry
Nonfiction by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Lisa is the daughter of Steve Jobs and his high school girlfriend Chrisann Brennan, but she was raised in her early years exclusively by her mother. Steve Jobs refused to acknowledge paternity, until the state of California sued him for back child support (to reimburse them for the food stamps and welfare Chrisann had been forced to apply for in order to support his daughter.)
Even after DNA test had proven that he was indeed Lisa's father, Steve continued to deny her for many years. He gave her little scraps of attention as she longed for his approval. At the same time, her mother loved her, but was emotionally unstable and chronically poor.
This was a very interesting memoir; it gives the reader a clear picture of Lisa and her parents. I didn't love it, since everyone was kind of unpleasant...
Monday, August 18, 2025
The Choice: Embrace the Possible
Nonfiction by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
In 1942 Dr. Eger was a Jewish teenager in a town on the border of Czechoslovakia and Austria. Her father was a talented tailor and her mother and two sisters were accomplished musicians. Then suddenly the Nazis were in power and the family was shipped to Auschwitz. In 1980 Dr. Eger is a respected psychologist in El Paso, Texas. This book is about what happened to her in between.
It's a very moving story and also she has practical advice about overcoming trauma.
Friday, August 1, 2025
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Furious Hours
Subtitled: Murder, Fraud and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Nonfiction by Casey Cep
Nonfiction by Casey Cep
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird and nothing else (I don't count Go Set A Watchman as a separate novel from Mockingbird), was apparently working on a novel called "The Reverend" before her death, based on an early seventies murder trial. This author researched both Ms. Lee and the Reverend's trial for this book.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Silent Sisters
Nonfiction by Ellen Hunter Ulken
This book briefly profiles the short lives of six twentieth century female singers, all of whom died before reaching age 35. Five of the women were known to me.
It was a good overview and it's interesting to see the similarities and differences in the women's lives.
Friday, March 21, 2025
Why Karen Carpenter Matters
Nonfiction by Karen Tongsen
I got this book (along with several others about the late singer Karen Carpenter) because I'm kind of researching the Carpenters for a possible musical revue performance. I read a biography of her years ago before I started logging my books --I think it was Little Girl Blue by Randy Schmidt-- and I wanted a little refresher course.
This book was a bit colored by the author's own take. The author herself was named after the singer, and her home country of the Philippines apparently has a special affinity for Karen Carpenter. It was a pretty good short read.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
The Rules do not Apply
Nonfiction by Ariel Levy
At one point in this story, the author attends a small party where a new acquaintance asks, "Are you the Ariel that all the bad things happened to?" Unfortunately, she has to say yes to that question.
Ariel begins this book at a low point: her spouse has left her, her baby died, and she has to leave her beloved home. Then she goes back in time, and she tries to explain to the reader how she started out to be "the kind of woman who is free to do as she chooses." She ended up finding out how many things that she decidedly did not choose happened anyway, and that sometimes the rules do indeed apply, whether you want them to or not.
This was a really interesting memoir, honest and touching and very readable.
Monday, March 10, 2025
The Night the Lights Went Out
Nonfiction by Drew Magary
The author suffered an unexplained brain hemorrhage in December of 2018 and came very close to death. He tells the story of his struggle to recover in this book.
It was very interesting and quite funny in parts. I really appreciated the honesty.
I also read by this author: The Hike
Sunday, January 19, 2025
This is How Your Marriage Ends
Nonfiction by Matthew Fray
This book is about the author's real marriage and how it ended, or at least that's what I thought. That's what I was interested in reading, in any case. I hoped for more of a memoir than an instructional manual.
Actually it was more about marriage in genera and how to connect better with one's spouse, like a regular sort of self-help book. He was quite scant on the personal details, unless it was about his pseudonymous clients. Ah, well! What's a voyeur to do?
This was a pretty good book with some sound advice though.
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Willow’s Story
Nonfiction by Louise Allen
Foster carer Louise Allen takes in a thirteen-year-old girl called Willow in this story. Willow has been in the sole care of her mentally-challenged father for most of her life, and something is going wrong. It's up to Louise to figure out what exactly has happened, and how to help Willow.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!)
But then it turns out that Louise will not be permitted to help, and instead she has to watch Child Services screw the child up further.
This book was terribly upsetting, and it makes it so much worse to know it's true. I may not be able to read any more of Louise's books; they are getting progressively more depressing...
I also read recently by this author: Marilyn's Story
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Monday, November 4, 2024
Helpless
Nonfiction by Cathy Glass
This is the 32nd book I've read by this author. In this story, Cathy has sort-of retired from fostering to be a family support worker, spending her time trying to help an at-risk family keep their children OUT of foster care. Cathy devotes herself to single mother Janie and her three children (aged 7, 5, and 3), but it's an uphill battle.
The story was well-told, but kind of depressing. People's problems are so much bigger than social work agencies can handle.
I also read by this author: Unsafe
Friday, October 4, 2024
Marilyn’s Story
Nonfiction by Louise Allen
Twelve-year-old Marilyn comes to foster carer Louise looking uncannily like the American film star she was named for. It's a little disturbing when a child so young looks like an adult woman in red lipstick, but it gets worse. Louise asks for help from the state but gets more trouble instead.
This was an interesting story but also kind of upsetting.
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