Thoughts From A Lefty

Before I jump into a discussion about my favorite books, I wanted to share my favorite genres of books so you can get an idea about what I’ll be posting. When I was younger, I loved fiction books. I couldn’t get enough of the Pretty Little Liars series, the Twilight Saga series (I think I even had a “Team Edward” shirt), the Clique series, and the Hunger Games series. All of these books and more that I read when I was younger still take up an entire bookshelf in my house.

A few years ago, my genre preference shifted to nonfiction. I remember getting a book recommendation from a friend in college and I absolutely loved it (the book was Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink). My genre preference got more specific after I finished it – I began to look for books to read that were similar to this topic and writing style. Fink is a journalist, and her book was a great example of investigative journalism. I can’t exactly remember what led me to The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, but once I started reading it I knew I needed to find similar books. I posted a photo of it on Instagram and that’s when Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City was recommended to me. Other books similar to these that I love include What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, The Other Side of the River, and Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. I’m currently reading Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding, and Ending U.S. Poverty. To me, all of these have the same style of writing as Fink’s and they cover actual events that have happened or are still happening. I’ve grown to be obsessed with these types of books.

Side note: are you really reading if you don’t document it on Instagram?

A quick search of Evicted or Color of Law on Bookreads shows all the genres that readers think these books fall under: Nonfiction, Sociology, Politics, Social Justice/Social Movements, and Race. I love being able to learn so many things from different areas of study (for example, politics, law, and social justice) just by reading one book. More on why I love these books coming soon!

All the books I want to read this year are the same style – based on true events, people’s stories and experiences, and history. I know I said my favorite genre is nonfiction, but I don’t think these books can be defined to just one genre because they are full of so much interdisciplinary information. So while I did say earlier that my favorite genre was nonfiction, I don’t think the books can be classified as just that.

Although I’ve briefly touched on books I read last year, I’ll be posting more about them shortly, along with books I’ll be reading this year.

Stay tuned!