Nonfiction November: 5 Great Picks

In the reading world, November is known as #NonfictionNovember, and book lovers focus on mixing in nonfiction titles with the rest of their reading. I am highlighting five fabulous narrative nonfiction books for you to read and participate in celebrating some true tales before the month ends:

Bad City: Peril and Power in the City of Angels by Paul Pringle – Bad City is a riveting and horrifying look at the way USC’s administration prioritized the school’s reputation over its students and the surrounding community. In 2016, an LA Times reporter received a tip about a woman who overdosed at a local hotel and the role that Dr. Carmen Puliafito, the dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine, played in the overdose. Not aware yet of the can of worms he would ultimately open, Paul Pringle began looking into the event. By the time he was finished several years later, he had exposed corruption at the highest levels at USC and at the LA Times. The dean not only did meth and other drugs regularly himself (and was so sure he would not be punished he videoed and photographed himself doing so), but he befriended women in their 20s and provided them drugs and money. Repeated complaints to USC’s Provost C.L. Max Nikias yielded not even one response except to the editor of the LA Times who then scolded the reporters. Subsequently, Paul and his group learned about a male gynecologist who worked at the student clinic and had been molesting students for decades with no punishment. The reporters then proved that the administration was aware of this behavior as well. After the stories ran, the group ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize for bringing the second story to light. While it is a tough read at times, Bad City vividly demonstrates the continued importance of investigative journalism.

Blood & Ink by Joe Pompeo – Blood & Ink chronicles the killing of Reverend Edward Hall, whose congregation at St. John the Evangelist was filled with the city’s wealthy citizens, and Eleanor Mills, a member of the church and choir where Hall preached; both individuals were married to other people. The two bodies were discovered on the morning of Saturday, September 16, 1922, on the edge of town, arranged together as if sleeping on the ground under a crabapple tree. From the start, local officials mangled the investigation. By the afternoon of the couple’s discovery, thousands of people turned out to see the bodies, trampling over grass and the crime scene to view the couple while no one attempted to preserve the crime scene. New York City newspapers caught wind of the story and started covering it in what would eventually lead to a three-way fight to sensationalize the case and ultimately to the birth of tabloid journalism. Pompeo weaves in how the advent of this tabloid phenomenon began and how this particular murder contributed so heavily with its splashy headlines and sensational photos relating to the crime. Blood & Ink explores our fascination with true crime and tabloid journalism and how the two are closely interconnected.

Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show by Tommy Tomlinson – Dogland is enthralling and entertaining as well as thought-provoking and educational. As a longtime dog lover, I was fascinated by some of the questions Tomlinson raises. Are show dogs happy? And what about pet dogs – are they happy? These questions sent the author on a three-year quest to better understand the dog show world and its inhabitants and to gain insight into the relationship between humans and dogs. The result is this delightful book. Dogland mainly follows a champion show dog named Striker as he competes at the Westminster Dog Show in New York, but the author includes how dog shows began, who participates and why, how the relationship between humans and dogs has evolved, and how to evaluate the happiness of dogs. This book will appeal to those who adore their dog(s) and will make a great gift for dog lovers or anyone who likes absorbing nonfiction.

During the Covid lockdown in the English countryside, Chloe Dalton stumbles across a baby hare and brings it home. As she learns to take care of it, what results is an unlikely relationship between her and the hare, which changes the way Dalton views the world. (Photo: Cindy Burnett)

Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton – During the Covid lockdown in the English countryside, Dalton stumbles across a leveret (a baby hare) and brings it home. As she learns to feed it and take care of it with little guidance because raising a hare is quite rare, what results is an unlikely relationship between her and the hare, a development that completely changes the way Dalton views the world. This book contains so many beautiful passages that I stopped to absorb and reflect on and helped me evaluate how I move about in the world. I loved Raising Hare from beginning to end. This book is good for readers who enjoy a strong sense of place as well as for fans of stories about nature, animals, and making connections.

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery – This short, delightful book by National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery delves into the lives of chickens, particularly her flock of hens she dubbed the Ladies. Adding to her collection of books about the octopus, the hummingbird, and the hawk, What the Chicken Knows highlights the things that make these birds so remarkable: some of them like to be held and cuddled; chickens have different levels of intelligence and distinctive personality characteristics; they have individual voices so that no chicken sounds the same as any another chicken; and they communicate with at least 24 distinct calls including numerous calls signaling distress or an emergency. While Montgomery is familiar with these details about chickens, she realized over time that most other humans are not; instead, they know surprising little about this very common bird, so she sets out to change that with humorous anecdotes and her engaging narrative style. This charming book will make a great gift at the holidays or as a hostess gift and will appeal to animal lovers as well.

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.