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great non-fiction books (according to me)
31
items These are some of my favourite non-fiction reads that span history, essays, food, and art.
If you read anything off this list, let it be this one. An intelligent and pressing collection of essays that look at racism, anti-woke rhetoric, and the forfeit of privacy through the lens of contract law.
The Miracle of the Black Leg: Notes on Race, Human Bodies, and the Spirit of the Law, Patricia J. Williams
ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME!
They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, Hanif Abdurraqib
Certified genius.
A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance, Hanif Abdurraqib
I have never cried so hard at anything basketball related in my life.
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension, Hanif Abdurraqib
For anyone who didn't necessarily mind being alone before, but is now older and realizing they are lonely and feel like they can't recover from it.
The Loneliness Files, Athena Dixon
An engrossing book about one of history's most prolific–and still active–art thiefs. Reading it feels like watching or listening to a true crime podcast!
The Art Thief, Michael Finkel
A searing examination on how notions of good taste aim to uphold capitalism.
Bad Taste: Or the Politics of Ugliness, Nathalie Olah
Simply sublime. One of the best books I've ever read.
Making Love with the Land, Joshua Whitehead
I don't know how a person can write like this. It changed my DNA.
A History of My Brief Body, Billy-Ray Belcourt
A gripping, smart book about the act of cooking and cooking as translation.
Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen, Rebecca May Johnson
A fascinating look at Chinese Canadian cuisine from coast-to-coast.
Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada's Chinese Restaurants, Ann Hui
A collection of tender essays centred around a year living abroad.
Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai, Nina Mingya Powles
This is an eye-opening read on how pervasive anti-Black racism exists in food and the culture of eating.
Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America, Psyche A. Williams-Forson
A brilliant read that “explores the fragile alliance between Black voters and the Democratic party.” Perhaps one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read.
Black Skinhead: Reflections on Blackness and Our Political Future, Brandi Collins-Dexter
Simply brilliant.
Recognizing the Stranger: On Palestine and Narrative, Isabella Hammad
I think John Green has contributed to raising a generation of tender hearted adults–this is a graduation for the fans of his YA novels. Simply divine, introspective, and tear jerking.
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green
This book is crucial to building the capacity to identify how governments use tools outside military force to influence peoples' perceptions of countries. For those who live to tell people the art they consume IS political. I will warn you it is a pr...
Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics, Joseph S. Nye
A collection that spans essays, prose, graphic novel, and interviews that centre on Black punks from history to the present.
Black Punk Now, edited by James Spooner and Chris L. Terry
A very accessible text for arts workers and art lovers alike. Read this and let it alter your foundations.
Decolonize Museums, Shimrit Lee
A must-read for anyone who lived and ROCKED OUT (lol) during the height of the mainstream emo era. Comprised of interviews with many key players during that time.
Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008, Chris Payne
Heart wrenching for anyone who has ties to Hong Kong.
The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir, Karen Cheung
Americans–read this one sooner rather than later.
Unassimilable: An Asian Diasporic Manifesto for the Twenty-First Century, Bianca Mabute-Louie
A contemplative series of essays that look at clubs as safe havens for queer communities of colour, and questions the role of BIPOC people working in the arts and whether true change can ever happen when the colonial hierarchy feels so permanent.
Dancing on My Own: Essays on Art, Collectivity, and Joy, Simon Wu
A foundational read for anyone and everyone. Want to be more media literate? Want the basics on how to identify problematic representation? Start here.
Orientalism, Edward Said
Interesting insight into the life of guitarist and co-founder of Fall Out Boy. Trohman brings behind the scenes recounts of some of your best teenage memories.
None of This Rocks: A Memoir, Joe Trohman
This is actually a book about Benedict Cumberbatch. It also examines parasocial relationships and how they give way to community, and asks why we are less lenient on women for being fans.
This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch: The Joy of Loving Something--Anything--Like Your Life Depends On It, Tabitha Carvan
So deeply relatable. This is for anyone who feels like they're too much sometimes.
Little Weirds, Jenny Slate
This is a coffee table book, but a must read for any emo fans. Filled with beautiful photography, short writings on many key bands, and beautiful essay interludes from the musicians of your youth.
Negatives: A Photographic Archive of Emo (1996-2006)
One of my top reads of 2024. A superb collection of essays that highlight diverse eateries in London that serve community.
London Feeds Itself, edited by Jonathan Nunn
One of the best memoirs I've ever read–the hype is real.
In the Dream House: A Memoir, Carmen Maria Machado
A fabulous collection of introspective food essays.
In The Kitchen: Essays on food and life