For Real

This week Alice and Kim talk books that explore unsolved historical mysteries and share new nonfiction about Black rebellion, nostalgic essays about travel, and more.

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Nonfiction in the News

Barack & Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Adapting Heather McGhee’s ‘The Sum of Us’ As Spotify Podcast Series [Deadline]

Greta Lee To Star In, Write & EP Series Adaptation Of Cathy Park Hong’s Book ‘Minor Feelings’ With A24 [Yahoo]

Film of Michael Lewis’ ‘The Premonition’ in Works [Kirkus]

New Nonfiction

The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion by Aminatta Forna

Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison’s American Utopia by Thomas Hager

Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America by Gigi Georges

America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s by Elizabeth Hinton

Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice by Yusef Salaam

Tastes Like War by Grace Cho

History’s Mysteries

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar

Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s “Girl Stunt Reporters” by Kim Todd

Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew by Brian Hicks

The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking by Brendan I. Koerner

Reading Now

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration, and Life on Earth by Kate Greene

All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Three Martini Afternoons at the Ritz: The Rebellion of Sylvia Plath & Anne Sexton by Gail Crowther

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YA Memoirs May 11, 2021

Show notes

This week Alice and Kim talk YA memoirs for your reading ease.

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Nonfiction in the News

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay Writing a Personal Essay-Themed Book: ‘Ya’ll Know I Won’t Hold Back’ [People]

New Nonfiction

You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience edited by Tarana Burke, Brené Brown

Why Peacocks? An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World’s Most Magnificent Bird by Sean Flynn

African Europeans: An Untold History by Olivette Otele

Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet from Itself by Chloe Angyal

Quick Mentions

There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis, edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis

Yay for YA Memoirs!

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral, and Getting It Done by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser

Obsessed: A Memoir of My Life with OCD by Allison Britz

Reading Now

KIM: A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears) by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

ALICE: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

CONCLUSION

You can find us on SOCIAL MEDIA – @itsalicetime and @kimthedork. Amazing Audio Editing for this episode was done by Jen Zink. RATE AND REVIEW on Apple Podcasts so people can find us more easily, and follow us so you can get our new episodes the minute they come out.

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Science, Nature, and the Land Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

This week Alice and Kim talk about an upcoming Mary Roach book, great new memoirs, and books about nature and the land.

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Nonfiction in the News

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

New Nonfiction

The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest by Mark Synnott

The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt by Audrey Clare Farley

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

We Are Bridges: A Memoir by Cassandra Lane

I Am a Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro

Marie Claire: “Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Nyamayaro on Building Compassion and Gender Equity”

The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915 by Joe Grinspan

Science, Nature, and the Land

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben

As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman

Reading Now

Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water by Kazim Ali

City of Light, City of Poison by Holly Tucker

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Religious Memoirs Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

This week Alice and Kim talk Islam, Christianity, and Scientology memoirs.

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Follow Up

April 24: Readathon and Independent Bookstore Day

Nonfiction in the News

Amanda Seyfried to Play Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu Series ‘The Dropout’ [Variety]

Simon & Schuster Acquires Mike Pence’s Autobiography [Publishers Weekly]

Why Would Anyone Pay Andrew Cuomo $4 Million for a Book? [New Republic]

New Nonfiction

My Broken Language: A Memoir by Quiara Alegría Hudes

Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet by Chelsea Wald

Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less by Leidy Klotz

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo

Quick Mentions

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden O’Keefe

Children Under Fire: An American Crisis by John Woodrow Cox

Religious Memoirs

God Land: A Story of Faith, Loss, and Renewal in Middle America by Lyz Lenz

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper

I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brohi

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill

Reading Now

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

CONCLUSION

You can find us on SOCIAL MEDIA – @itsalicetime and @kimthedork. Amazing Audio Editing for this episode was done by Jen Zink.

RATE AND REVIEW on Apple Podcasts so people can find us more easily, and subscribe so you can get our new episodes the minute they come out.

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Great Books by #AAPI Writers Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

This week Alice and Kim fangirl over Phoebe Robinson and share some favorite stories from American authors of East Asian descent.

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For more nonfiction recommendations, sign up for our True Story newsletter, edited by Alice Burton.

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Nonfiction in the News

Entertainment Weekly: “Phoebe Robinson’s next book is coming this fall — here are all the details”

New Nonfiction

North by Shakespeare: A Rogue Scholar’s Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard’s Work by Michael Blanding

Horizontal Vertigo: A City Called Mexico by Juan Villoro

The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir by Sherry Turkle

When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Books by East Asian Writers

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao

The Souls of Yellow Folk: Essays by Wesley Yang

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

Time: “My White Adoptive Parents Struggled to See Me as Korean. Would They Have Understood My Anger at the Rise in Anti-Asian Violence?”

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong

The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee

Reading Now

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker

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Musician Nonfiction Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

This week Alice and Kim talk about music nonfiction, including behind-the scenes narratives, memoirs, and guides.

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For more nonfiction recommendations, sign up for our True Story newsletter, edited by Alice Burton.

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Follow Up

Alice read Hidden Valley Road!

Kim read Two Truths and a Lie!

Kim guested on Get Booked.

Nonfiction in the News

Kate McKinnon Exits ‘The Dropout’ Hulu Limited Series about Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes [Deadline]

New Nonfiction

Follow the Flock : How Sheep Shaped Human Civilization by Sally Coulthard

Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

Already Toast : Caregiving and Burnout in America by Kate Washington

Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alex McGinnis

Music and Musicians

News: Paul McCartney’s upcoming memoir [Billboard]

More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys with Michelle Burford

Opera for Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Molto Agitato: The Mayhem Behind the Music at the Metropolitan Opera by Johanna Fiedler

My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love by Dessa

Me & Patsy Kickin’ Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline by Loretta Lynn

Reading Now

KIM: The Fixed Stars by Molly Wizenberg

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir by Sara Seager

ALICE: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

CONCLUSION

You can find us on social media – @itsalicetime and @kimthedork. Amazing Audio Editing for this episode was done by Dan Baker. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so people can find us more easily, and subscribe so you can get our new episodes the minute they come out.

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Celebrating International Women's Day Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

This week, Kim and Alice revisit a favorite holiday, International Women’s Day, with true stories about women around the world. Plus, new nonfiction about medical history, flight attendants, and more.

Subscribe to For Real using RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.

For more nonfiction recommendations, sign up for our True Story newsletter, edited by Alice Burton.

This post contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Book Riot may earn a commission.

Nonfiction in the News

‘Nomadland’: How to Watch Grances McDormand and Chloé Zhao’s New Film on Hulu for Free [Rolling Stone]

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey Share Their Most ‘Personal’ Stories Yet in New Book Office BFFs [People]

New Nonfiction

Confident Women: Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion by Tori Telfer

Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher: A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul by Brandy Schillace

Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cook

But You’re Still So Young: How Thirtysomethings Are Redefining Adulthood by Kayleen Schaefer

Quick Mentions