We’re on Day 3 of a 7-day non-fiction stretch! Yesterday was "WHAT?" Monday was "WHO?" Today is "WHEN?" which means it’s your turn to rave about your favorite non-fiction books about history. OR about the subject of time, I suppose. (Though I might call that "WHAT?" or "HOW?" or "HUNH?" because it’s such a mind-bending concept. Read Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman if you know not of what I speak.)
Let me briefly remind you that tomorrow is WHERE? and Friday is HOW? and Saturday is WHATEVER! (meaning any non-fiction, period) and Sunday is HOLE DAY, when we fill the non-fiction holes of the publishing world.
For those of you wondering where "WHY?" is in all this, the honest to goodness truth is that I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION when I laid out the plan for the week and wrote the week’s first post!! (Picture me smacking my own forehead. HARD.) But, we can pretend that the reason "WHY?" doesn’t appear here is because EVERY book should speak to that question or at least leave readers asking it. Right? Doesn’t that make sense? Therefore EVERY book belongs in the "WHY?" category — even those that leave us wondering WHY they were published in the first place!
Now back to "WHEN?". Once again I could list some ridiculous number of favorite books but I will instead list TWO and let the rest of you list as many as your little non-fiction-loving hearts desire!
First I choose… a NEW favorite.
‘Twas the Day Before Christmas : The Story of Clement Clarke Moore’s Beloved Poem by Delana Bettoli, illustrated by Brenda Seabrooke (Dutton, September 2008)
I was unexpectedly charmed by this new holiday-themed non-fiction book, which turns out to contain a captivating story depicting, of all things, THE WRITING PROCESS! (Huzzah!) In this story we learn what prompted Clement Clark Moore to write his classic Christmas poem, and watch as the ordinary bits and pieces of his day become key words and images in the final product. Seabrooke’s bright, folksy illustrations beautifully evoke the world of Manhattan Island in 1822.
Next I choose… a newISH favorite.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Hyperion, January 2008)
We knew the man could paint like nobody’s business, but isn’t it humbling to observe that Kadir Nelson can also write with such precison? I love the engaging tone of this book, the interesting facts in this book, the very human way it expresses the voices and thoughts and beliefs of a chapter in history and an empire in American sports. And then there are the paintings. OH, the paintings. I would have bought this book for those alone. But how nice that all the non-illustrated pages in this book are more than worth having too!
And now it’s your turn! So far this week there have been relatively few folks chiming in with suggestions, but let me just say that those of you who have been commenting have been supplying some truly great suggestions. I hope those of you NOT commenting have at least been taking notes!
An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer and Cathie Felstead. It could fit several of the question words, but I think it fits “when” best. It takes a cause-and-effect look at the growth of an island and the chain reaction really drives the book along with the short, tight verse. Beautiful collage illustrations, lovely to read aloud AND informative- I love this book. I don’t know if my other pick qualifies? It’s a memoir- Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka. Hilarious look at his years growing up in a big family of boys. You will find yourself wanting to read passages to everyone you know! I did anyway-ha! Funny, funny stuff with lots of great insight into growing up, families and what life is all about.
GIANTS IN THE LAND, by Diana Applebaum, is an amazing look at the once-enormous white pines of New England and the roles they played in both the colonization of North America and in the defeat of the British Army. Truly, a wonderful book, and a look at how a natural resource can play a distinctive part in world affairs.
The first book on my When? list would have been WE ARE THE SHIP, by Kadir Nelson … but you beat me to it, Alison. Here are some other favorites… AN AMERICAN PLAGUE, by Jim Murphy; TEAM MOON, by Catherine Thimmesh; WALT WHITMAN, by Barbara Kerley and Brian Selznick; THE LIBRARIAN OF BASRA, by Jeanette Winter; SECRETS OF A CIVIL WAR SUBMARINE, by Sally M. Walker. Happy (nonfiction) reading, all!
I second all of these great suggestions so far and have to add that I laughed my a** off reading Knucklehead and am so happy to see it mentioned it here! (Thank you, Boni!) It’s truly one of the most entertaining non-fiction books I’ve read. As is the quite-similar-but-for-an-older-audience King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher.
Alison- Have you read How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen too? If you loved Knucklehead, it’s a MUST read. I’ll check out the Crutcher book 🙂
THE BOYS’ WAR by Jim Murphy. Notable for its history and for a glimpse of what passed for boyhood in the mid 19th Century.
My all-time favorite is one of Jim Murphy’s lesser-known but most fascinating titles – ACROSS AMERICA ON AN EMIGRANT TRAIN. Also a ‘who’ book because it’s based on the diaries of Robert Louis Stevenson about his journey to visit his lady-love in California, but he paints a very realistic picture of our country in 1879. The hazards of air travel today pale by comparison to the hazards of rail travel in the 19th century. A great read.
Sorry I’m late here, I’m out of town and can’t get all the titles right–but I’m a fan of Jim Murphy’s book about the Chicago fire, was it called The Great Fire. I’ll suggest Middle Passage again by Tom Feelings, Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren, and the new book that is something like What was King George’s Problem is pretty delightful. As always my fellow nonfiction bloggers at I.N.K. have some great books that fall into this category.
Mine would be “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman, set in a future without humans and showing what’s left and how the world will go on. It’s fascinating!