Favorite Nonfiction for 2022
When it comes to nonfiction, my interests range widely. Perhaps because of the pandemic, this year’s best has some serious subjects, but each contributed to my understanding of life, how precious it is, and sometimes how elusive a good life can be. Of course I have included food, dogs, tennis, and thoughts on the over-privileged. I hope you’ll find something that interests you, too.
Bloom, Amy, In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss (2022). A tough book to read but very informative. When Bloom’s beloved husband began to show signs of dementia, they made all the usual denials and excuses for memory problems, but he ultimately received a diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer’s. Brian knew right away that he wanted to choose how and when he’d die and a long and harrowing search began to find a way for him to do that. It turns out that in the US the requirements to have an assisted suicide are so restrictive that they were not an option. Finally Amy’s intensive research brought them to Switzerland’s Dignitas and a price tag of $10,000. Even that highly professional and ethical organization’s acceptance process was grueling, but Brian was determined and Amy felt committed to his choice, his right to make that decision. This is a good resource book although it is a story not only of deep love but of irreplaceable loss and grief. http://www.amybloom.com/
Blum, Jenna, Woodrow on the Bench: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog (2021). For readers who believe in the sensitivity and conscious awareness of animals, this story is so lovely about the relationship between the author and her wonderful black lab. Big dogs don’t have long lives and Woodrow lived to be 15 people-years old, which would be about 89 in dog years. Some of us could mark the times of our lives in relation to the dogs that pass through them, the comfort and joy they’ve brought us, sometimes the only stability and unconditional love that stays the course. I loved this story. https://www.jennablum.com/
Ehrenreich, Barbara, Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer (2018). Not an encouraging read when it comes to how much benefit we may get from our excessive amounts of time devoted to physical fitness. We think we can control what our bodies do in this way but it turns out that our bodies’ components at the cellular level may have “minds” of their own. While efforts to be strong and healthy are worthwhile in terms of the quality of whatever years we have, they are far from the big determinant of how long we will live. The bottom line here, according to Ehrenreich’s research, is moderation and learning to enjoy whatever days we have. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/books/review-natural-causes-barbara-ehrenreich.html
Farrell, Justin, Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West (2020). Farrell does a deep dive into the effects and psyches of ultra-wealthy residents in Jackson, WY. Turns out that in spite of the philanthropy many of them do, there are many downstream negatives when the majority of a town are so much wealthier than all those who supply the town’s services. Reminds me of Boulder. Fascinating insights. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/justin-farrell/billionaire-wilderness/
Jones, Judith, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food (2007). Loved this book! Judith Jones led an remarkable life as a top-tier editor for Knopf. She was in demand with both literary writers and chefs. She had a special interest in cooking and food and in bringing the cooking contributions of all cultures to American cooks and she became a huge influence in doing so. She worked closely with Julia Childs, James Beard, and other famous chefs, plus many lesser known cooks with a variety of cultural backgrounds—and she loved to be in the kitchen preparing foods and trying new combinations herself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Jones
Verghese, Abraham, The Tennis Partner: A Doctor’s Story of Friendship and Loss (1998). As a huge fan of Dr. Verghese’s novel Cutting for Stone, I was interested in knowing more about the author and his life when I discovered he’d written a couple of nonfiction books about some of his life experiences, including this one. Weaving in his life-long passion for tennis, which led to his friendship with a medical student (who had been on the pro circuit for a short while) was a clever hook on which to hang a serious book. He becomes deeply enmeshed in his new friend’s life and challenges and the friendship provides the framework for Verghese to tell his readers much about his own journey. The sections on his talent for hands-on diagnosis are fascinating, as are the sections that reveal the medical and emotional difficulties of dealing with those with addiction diseases. This is not a light-hearted book, but it holds revelations for those open to them. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/30/reviews/980830.30knappt.html