Women's Nonfiction: Feisty Womyn Forever.

I recently got my copy of Jessica Zellers's new nonfiction reading guide, titled Women's Nonfiction: A Guide to Reading Interests, and it's spectacular.

Now, you should know, I am the new series editor of the Libraries Unlimited Real Stories series, of which this book is a part (although Robert Burgin edited this volume, and did a fantastic job of it to boot--thanks ever so, Robert, for leaving such big shoes for me to fill), and I LOVE nonfiction reading guides, so I am probably not ever going to give one of these books a bad review. But I think my appreciation for this volume (and Rick Roche's guide to biographies, Real Lives Revealed) goes beyond mere interest as the series editor. Even if they sometimes have small problems in execution (and all of these types of books do, mine included) I simply love that they are available. They not only make it possible to find great books to read, but I think they make it clear that knowing something about books and authors is a valuable and hard-earned skill. In a world that is increasingly fragmented and which moves too fast and in which people speak endlessly of boring things called "apps," I think it's refreshing to find, gathered in one handy collection, lists of books that are similar in both subject and style.

But I digress. Perhaps the most valuable thing Zellers does is explain what Women's Nonfiction is: "a reading interest comprising titles that speak to women's experiences." Her chapters, therefore, include titles that speak to women's experiences in several genres and formats: Biographies and Memoirs (Life Stories); Personal Growth titles; Health, Wellness, and Beauty; Women's History; Adventure and Travel; Feminism and Activism; Women at Work; and Women and Society. Looking for a book similar to Sue Monk Kidd's The Dance of the Dissident Daughter?* Zellers suggests titles like Judith Duerk's Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself; and also suggests other memoirs like Deborah Kanafani's Unveiled: A Woman's Journey through Politics, Love, and Obedience.

What I particularly love about this volume is Zellers's writing style; she's witty.** Consider this, from the introduction:

"I dimly recall from my tenth-grade English class that Hercules had to perform twelve impossible labors. If memory serves, one of those twelve labors was to cull through all of the titles that are, or might be, Women's Nonfiction."

Her book annotations are all like that too; of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, her description opens with "It began simply enough, with Eve Ensler chatting with her friends about sex."

What we have here, then, is that rarest of things: a reference book that's fun to read. I highly recommend it--and this, coming from someone who has never met a "goddess narrative" she enjoyed (or would read all the way through, for that matter), should be taken as the highest praise indeed.

*I won't be, as Kidd is not for me, but there's plenty of other books suggested here that I might try.

**I am trying to be the bigger person here and not admit how jealous I am of her ability to turn a phrase.

Comments

[Care]

I think I will print this off and show to my local librarian. :)

[Citizen Reader]

Oh, Care, please do. I'm not saying these are really books that individuals should buy, but to have such resources available at the library for staff and dedicated readers is really important. Thank you!

[lesbrarian]

No, no, Care, these are really books that individuals SHOULD buy, is what CR meant to say.

--lesbrari-- er, I mean, "Anonymous"

[Citizen Reader]

See, Lesbrarian? There you go being all witty again. It's official. I am not the bigger person, and I'm jealous.

[Rachael]

Har har har. I like the idea of a real reference book that's readable. That last one I came across was "Beyond Heaving Bosoms" and it's more of a pseudo-reference book.

OOOOH, CR, if you're still looking for a diverting read, pick that up. I don't even read romance novels (well, not since I was 13 and trying to figure out who did what to whom--yeah, *that* helped a lot when the time came!) and I howled every 10-15 pages.

[lesbrarian]

Citizen Reader: Thanks for the lovely review! This is even better than my own mother's assessment. ("Not stilted," she called it.)

[lesbrarian]

Rachael: get your hands on "Read On: Fantasy Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste." It's written by Neil Hollands, a buddy of mine, and it is HYSTERICAL. It does not matter whether you read fantasy or not. Also, at $30, it's really cheap compared to my book (not that this is any excuse not to buy it. Christmas is coming, you know.)

[Rachael]

I like fantasy a fair amount, even if I always manage to forget that fact. I'll add it to my "to buy" list. Thanks!

[Citizen Reader]

Rachael,
Yup, life's too short for unreadable reference books, although they seem to have the market cornered.

Lesbrarian,
You're welcome. Congratulations on writing such a great book. Hey, I think your mother's right on with her "not stilted" review, and she's a lot more succinct than I managed to be. Ah, mothers. My mom is still trying to wrap her head around the idea that people actually go up to librarians and ask them questions rather than finding their own answers---she told me that after she saw me once at work. What she thought I was doing all day as a "librarian," I'm not quite sure, but it was vair vair amusing all the same.

And: what are you doing encouraging people to spend $30 on books that aren't ours?!?!? :) Tell Neil he owes you a cut of his fantasy book action. (Although I've seen his book and have to agree with your assessment.)

[LynneW]

This librarian appreciates the heads-up and just finished filling out an order card. Thanks! Oh, and please find us more reference books that are fun to read?

[Citizen Reader]

That's great, Lynne--thank you! I will most definitely keep my eye out for more fun reference reads. I appreciate them too.

[lesbrarian]

Thanks, Lynne! You'd like Neil's book, too-- and on the subject of Fantasy, the Dictionary of Imaginary Places is great fun. Plus I really like the Encyclopedia of Hell.

[kittent]

I'm looking forward to hitting this series (especially this volume...) even though I'm not acquisitions nor collection development and my guess is that non of the suggestions would be appropriate for the Agricultural, Environmental and Consumer Sciences Library in the first place.

[kittent]

Totally bummed. It's not available as an ebook.

[lesbrarian]

Dear kittent:

I looked up "farming" in the index and found this:

"Women of the Harvest: Inspiring Stories of Contemporary Farmers."

See? You need this book. :-)

[Citizen Reader]

Kittent,
Please do let me know what you think of the series; we're quite proud of it, especially since it seemed to take so long to figure out that readers' guides for nonfiction, as well as for fiction, might be a good thing.

I can't help but put in a plug for my books in answer to your question, titled The Real Story (a guide to nonfiction) and The Inside Scoop (about investigative journalism and writing). I tried to put a lot of books about food, agriculture, agribusiness, and even applied and agricultural sciences in both of them, as those are particular areas of interest of mine.

And wow, ebooks, I hadn't thought of that. Thank you for the suggestion, I have to talk to the publisher about that...

Lesbrarian,
Hey, I want to read that "Women of the Harvest" book. Good reminder.

[LynneW]

Thanks for recommending Neil Hollands's "Read On: Fantasy Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste." I've ordered a copy for the library and plan to make this one, and Jessica's, circulating for now. That gets them a front-row spot and some publicity in our New Non-Fiction, and if in a year or so they don't circulate I'll move them to Reference so they're always on hand.