Non-fiction favorites

I admit, I read more fiction than non-fiction in my spare time. I sometimes find some non-fiction books so dense that I am only able to swallow them in small bites. Fortunately, some truly talented non-fiction authors write books that read like fiction - the story flows without getting bogged down by technicalities. I gobble such books down with greedy relish. Here are two non-fiction books I devoured in big, yummy bites.

Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
by James McBride

This touching book tells the story of two lives. In alternating chapters James tells both the story of his life growing up half African American and half Jew with eleven brothers and sisters in the Brooklyn projects and the story of his mother, the daughter of a rabbi, who runs away from home, marries a African American minister, raises 12 amazing children, and helps found a church. His mother's views on color and life are an inspiration to all. James is an amazing writer whose book is both heart-warming and inspiring. I recommend it to everyone.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

You can tell Jeannette wrote for a newspaper, because she knows how to grab your attention right from the beginning. In the first two pages, she's on her way to attend a Park Avenue party. Her cab stops at a red light, and she looks out the window and spies her mother digging through a dumpster in a nearby alley. You then find that her mother lives the life of a vagrant by choice.

Jeannette goes on to tell the story of her life growing up in an eccentric family who live a nomadic existence, doing the "skidaddle" whenever either bill collectors get too close or her parents feel too hemmed in. Her parents are smart and unconventional. They are also selfish and abusive in their neglect. Yet, Walls writes her memoir with love in every sentence. Her life growing up may not have been traditional, but it did make her the strong, intelligent, and creative person she is today. This story is at times funny, unnerving, touching, and poignant. Truly an addictive read.