I haven't read anything in a long time and I feel my brain turning into mush. I need to read something before I turn into a 'flowers for algernon' victim

What are the best non-fiction books that are out now?

I'm looking for books that deal with autobiographies, science, philosophy, history/archeology, socioeconomics and social work.

thank you. kindly!

heybaby said:

Funny, just posted a recommandation on a book, check it out

Suzieq76 said:

I will. thanks

heybaby said:

Join the P&R Book Club ( sticky in P&R )

Order: Sex with the Queen.


It's a historical book, but with a flare for drama. My sister read it in 2 days, glued to the book---and she NEVER reads anything in 2 days.

I really enjoyed reading 6 million little pieces by James Frey, I know that there was a lot of controversy in the U.S about this book. The writer claimed in the first place that the entire book was a memoir but it was claimed untrue after weeks of investigation, some facts were based on fiction. Some readers felt betrayed but I did not, because I enjoyed the story whether it is based on true facts or fiction.
The story plot is tough and raw but I could not put the book down.
More info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...tle_Pieces

Read anything by Paulo Coelho, his most famous book is the Alchemist but he has many others:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...ulo_Coelho

I will add others later, enjoy

Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the, workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles -- the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality -- were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance. Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.

READ THEM!!

Anything by Oliver Sacks

With over 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this radical treatise on public education has been a New Society Publishers' bestseller for 10 years! Thirty years in New York City's public schools led John Gatto to the sad conclusion that compulsory schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders like cogs in an industrial machine. This second edition describes the wide-spread impact of the book and Gatto's "guerrilla teaching."John Gatto has been a teacher for 30 years and is a recipient of the New York State Teacher of the Year award. His other titles include "A Different Kind of Teacher" (Berkeley Hills Books, 2001) and "The Underground History of American Education" (Oxford Village Press, 2000).

An extraordinary book that will dramatically change the way you experience life.
Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefied -- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are more mysterious -- and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom.
In this elegant and compelling work, James Carse explores what these games mean, and what they can mean to you. He offers stunning new insights into the nature of property and power, of culture and community, of sexuality and self-discovery, opening the door to a world of infinite delight and possibility.
"An extraordinary little book . . . a wise and intimate companion, an elegant reminder of the real."
-- Brain/Mind Bulletin

Black Boy by Richard Wright - it;s old but classic

anything writtne by Eric Jerome Dickey

Here's what we're reading for a class I'm taking, and I recommend them all:



Now in its fourth edition, Natives and Strangers explores various aspects of minority group history, describing the impact America has had on minority peoples and cultures--and vice versa--and providing some understanding of the different conditions, conflicts, and contradictions that members of American minority groups experienced. Beginning with the American Indian migration throughout the United States, the book discusses the variety of Indian cultures that Europeans encountered, incorporating the most recent literature on the subject. As in earlier editions, the fourth edition integrates the experiences of racial, religious, and national minorities, explaining how their histories intertwined with the emergence of modern America. It also explores the far-reaching implications of recent immigration laws, presenting the controversy over multiculturalism in terms of understanding American history. The authors conclude with reflections on where the nation stands today as an ethnically and racially diverse society. For the fourth edition, Dinnerstein, Nichols, and Reimers have made extensive revisions. While the previous editions used economic development to organize and tell the history of America's multicultural society, this text focuses much more on ethnic groups themselves, the roles the groups played in American social developments, and the impact of economic changes on ethnicity. In addition, the authors include more information on the post-1960 period, particularly in regard to immigration and American Indians. They have expanded the discussion of the meaning of such terms as "white" and "people of color" and have updated all content--especially information on gender, Indian-white contact, and cultural history--by incorporating new findings from recent scholarship. This new edition contains extensive statistics culled from the recently available 2000 U.S. Census report; it features an explanation of what these latest figures indicate about America's ethnic makeup and revised tables and graphs that reflect this new data. Natives and Strangers, 4/e, is ideal for undergraduate courses covering immigration, American social history, and American ethnic groups.





This is the dramatic, exciting, authoritative story of the experiences of African Americans from the time they left Africa to their continued struggle for equality at the end of the twentieth century.

Since its original publication in 1947, From Slavery to Freedom has stood as the definitive his-tory of African Americans. Coauthors John Hope Franklin and Alfred A. Moss, Jr., give us a vividly detailed account of the journey of African Americans from their origins in the civilizations of Africa, through their years of slavery in the New World, to the successful struggle for freedom and its aftermath in the West Indies, Latin America, and the United States.




Gonzales, a history professor at Diablo State College, anticipates controversy over his new survey of Mexican American history. Over the past generation, that history has to a large extent been told from the perspective of the Chicano movement, with an emphasis on victimization and resistance. Gonzales aims for greater "objectivity," e.g., he believes that the "Indian and the Spanish are equally important in explaining the rise of Mexican culture," and he seeks to balance accomplishments and oppression. One consequence of this approach is that Gonzales gives more credit to the more conservative groups within the Mexican American community than some activist-scholars would. The other primary purpose of Gonzales' overview is to take advantage of significant new scholarship on a variety of subjects over the past two decades; he incorporates that material gracefully in his narrative of more than two centuries of Mexican American history. Appropriate for libraries serving Chicanos and where interest in ethnic studies is strong. Mary Carroll --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.





This text presents a carefully selected group of readings—on topics such as European encounters and contemporary Native American activism—that allow students to evaluate primary sources, test the interpretations of distinguished historians, and draw their own conclusions.



Chinese immigrants to the U.S. in the 19th century were transformed into outsiders by racism and economic exploitation. This pattern, Takaki shows, would be imposed on other Asian immigrant groups. Filipinos, condescended to as "little brown brothers" by whites in the Philippines, became targets of violent white backlash once they emigrated to the U.S.; Indians were feared and persecuted as labor competition; Japanese-Americans withdrew into self-contained communities. Takaki, descended from a Japanese-American family who labored on Hawaiian plantations, and now an ethnic studies professor at UC Berkeley, has written a vibrant, rich history that gives back a voice to countless "invisible Americans." His broad, multi-ethnic survey is peopled with real individuals, allowing us to experience their loneliness, separation from families, struggles for survival. Later chapters cover the internment of Japanese-Americans during WW II and the post-1965 "second wave" of Asian immigrants that included Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians. Photos.

I've got about a million more, but have to get ready. I'll come back later if you'd still like suggestions.

Just finished this



good story, gives insight to where he really comes from and highlights his struggle with identity.

been compared to this


which I really enjoyed

along that same vein is


the story of Rebecca Walker, I found it especially interesting that when Alice was working on getting the Color Purple Movie done rebecca says she was in crisis and there was a very signigicant date that came up in the book that resonated with me because i remember where I was and what I was doing on that particular day.
[Edited 2/28/08 7:07am]

SWAY by zachary lazar is a really interesting read. it's not strictly non-fiction, but it's kind of historical fiction. it's a novel about the connection between the rolling stones, the filmmaker kenneth anger, and bobby beausoleil from the manson family. i thought it was a really engaging and kinda creepy read - not as sensationalist as the description might imply at all.

after i finished the novel, i wanted to know the real deal so i picked up a copy of ANGER, a biography of kenneth anger by bill landis. the man had a very colorful life, to put it mildly. as an artist, you might be interested with his work (i think you can youtube some of his short films), but just in terms of reading about someone with an insanely interesting life, his biography is a good read.

DexMSR said:

I am going to have to check that out.

1sexymf said:

couple it with this one and see how you eyes will open!!

DexMSR said:

I will be making a trip to Borders today.

1sexymf said:

Beware! Both of my local Borders stores shelve NO W.E.B. DuBois literature. Not one book!

Another boycotted chain. I keep a list in my car.

INSATIABLE said:

It's probably the demograph...My Borders is very well stocked with all his literature and then some!

Boycott nonetheless!! but you'd do much better writing a letter to the manager, district mgr and then regional manager.....works for me...and they respect that shit!!
[Edited 2/28/08 7:58am]

This was an interesting read. It's all about applying and analysing statistical data to reveal some shocking truths about current Western society.

DexMSR said:

Definitely. A majority of the shoppers in the stores up here don't know DuBois, let alone purchase his books.


Sent a note online for the hell of it. Received a coupon and charts explaining demographics and marketing. The rest of the story's better, but I'm on pressed time.

JDInteractive said:

Oh, I read The History of Tractors in Ukrainian last year after you. Twas very cute.

I really dig All of these These are exactly the type of books I'm into. Insatiable and Dex some of the books you posted I know about but never read. Yeah I need to get on my shit!

INSATIABLE said:

It's quite amusing and reminded me of a Mike Leigh film. Sonia was hilarious!