Her-story
Posted by: kaite stover
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from book group members and facilitators is, “Can you suggest some good nonfiction for our discussions?” Invariably, this question is followed up with the caveat, “no biographies or memoirs, please.”
This query used to send me into a quandary and I’d need a couple of days to pull together a short list of nonfiction that would fit the needs of the reading group.
My job just got easier, and so will any facilitator’s, with the recent publication of Women’s Nonfiction. In the interest of full disclosure, the author, Jessica Zellers, is one of my favorite library pals. However, I really had no idea what she’d been doing with this book for the last 18 months. She’d talk about it every now and then, we’d commiserate about our heavy workloads, but it wasn’t until I received a copy of this book, that I understood how much work had gone into what will become a very valuable readers’ advisory and book group tool.
It would be difficult to find a reader and/or librarian who can’t identify women’s fiction, but women’s nonfiction is a mystery. Once the biographies and memoirs are removed from the category, what’s left?
Turns out, over 600 titles worth of great material; much of which is suitable for reading groups. The book is divided into sections addressing Life Stories, Personal Growth, History, Health & Wellness, Women at Work and Broads Abroad (well, not that last one. But I don’t put it past Jessica to have tried it).
Each entry comes with an annotation that summarizes the story, evaluates the writing, lists subjects, and offers companion reading. I’m looking forward to using America’s Women by Gail Collins and Not My Mother’s Sister by Astrid Henry. Both offer thoughtful commentary on women’s place in American history and will give readers much to ponder and discuss.
At the end of each chapter are Fiction Read-Alikes providing good jumping off points for the book group that wants to ease into a topic before tackling a nonfiction narrative.
Like Rebecca Vnuk’s book on Women’s Fiction Authors, this book fills a need for book groups and facilitators and readers will discover many new and discussable titles certain to provide great conversation.
