Week 8: Nonfiction

Assignment 1: Reading Articles

I liked the Borderlands article about good non-fiction crossover genres. I believe these are still good non-fiction crossover genres today, but I think there is a new genre of narrative non-fiction cropping up in the 600's where all the cookbooks are: food memoirs and writing. Food writing seems to be increasingly popular as celebrity chefs are writing memoirs about what a large impact food has had on their lives (I'm thinking of Cat Cora, Marcus Samuelson, and Simon Majumdar). There are also a number of memoirs that include recipes within the writing (such as Scott Jurek's Eat and Run). Books about food don't just have to be cookbooks anymore! There's plenty of narrative writing out there, too! I also liked the Libraries Unlimited article which talked about why people read non-fiction. For me particularly, I actually prefer non-fiction to fiction a lot of the time. I read non-fiction to learn about new things or find new ways to improve myself.

Assignment 2: E-Learning SLRC Video

I liked having a description for narrative non-fiction that wasn't just "reads like fiction". There are specific elements such as character development, suspense, and engaging writing style. These are all good appeal factors that I can use to talk up narrative nonfiction to customers. Sometimes when people hear "non-fiction" they think "non-entertaining". Of course, we know this isn't true!

Assignment 3: Four Narrative Non-Fiction Genres

-Memoirs (Usually biography, but this one is in the 900's, travel--Wild, by Cheryl Strayed)
-Contemporary Social Issues (300's, but this one is in the 800's, literature--You Don't Have to Like Me, by Alida Nugent)
-Food (600's but this is in the 700's, sports and hobbies--Eat and Run, by Scott Jurek)
-Medical (600's--The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks)

Assignment 4: Book Talks

You Don't Have to Like Me: This is a great recently published feminist book by a young author named Alida Nugent. She speaks about feminism candidly as she talks about how being a girl has affected her life in ways that she would not have expected. This is a great book for a new generation of teens and young adults with concerns about social justice issues. Her informal writing and laugh-out-loud funny anecdotes appeal to millenials who can easily pick up this book and say "I've been there."

Eat and Run: This is a book about extremes and it's great for anyone who enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with sports or survival stories. Scott Jurek is an ultra-marathon runner, meaning he runs races that are 100 miles long. Not only that, he excels at them and has won many of the few ultra-marathon races even held. Not only that, he pushes his body to this level of extreme physical exertion all while consuming a strictly vegan diet. This book isn't just for people who love sports or running. It's for anyone who enjoys seeing the test of human will. It's inspiring and exhilarating all at once.