As a literary journalism student, I read a lot of books. Thus, I don’t particularly believe in the idea of a reading list. I do, however, believe in recommending some of my favorites. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite books that I’ve read this quarter.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
The Warmth of Other Suns is a nonfiction book by Isabel Wilkerson detailing the lives of three people who migrated from the Jim Crow South during the Great Black Migration. The story follows Ida B Wells, George Starling, and Dr. Joseph Pershing Foster. They migrate to Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, respectively. Filled with intense moments and gripping prose, Isabel Wilkerson invites you into this world to share in these people’s pain, joy, and experiences as they seek a better life.
Blind Eye by James Stewart
I read this one for a literary journalism class and fell in love with it almost instantly. Covering the life and killings of Dr. Michael Swango, James Stewart paints a scathing and disturbing investigative profile of a man accused of 60 poisonings. Going beyond the surface, James Stewart tracks Swango’s every move from his hometown in Quincy, Illinois to Zimbabwe. While parts of it can feel frustrating, as it was written before Swango’s capture, it’s a deeply compelling read full of twists, turns, and cliffhangers.
We The Animals by Justin Torres
A bildungsroman coming-of-age story about three Puerto Rican and white brothers, Manny, Joel, and an unnamed narrator in the ’80s, We The Animals by Justin Torres intertwines love, violence, and family in a series of episodic chapters that follow the boys as they grow up. Torres seamlessly uses prose, pacing, and dialogue to make you feel like you’re in the scene and doesn’t flinch from the visceral, uncomfortable, or real.Â
When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz
I’ve always been a fan of Natalie Diaz’s work, but I’ve never read the full collection of When My Brother Was an Aztec until now. Touching on the themes of colonization, reservation life, folktales, and Diaz’s family (particularly her brother), When My Brother Was an Aztec is a master class in mood, tone, and form in poetry. In particular, my favorite poem in the collection is A Brother Named Gethsemane which is one of many about Diaz’s brother and his struggle with addiction.
While being assigned certain books in my classes has its pros and cons, I think being exposed to a wide variety of pieces has ultimately been fun and has also inspired my own writing throughout the quarter. I can only hope that when I graduate, I have enough time to read books in this way in my daily life, as I’m always interested in what authors have to say, both in a nonfiction and fiction context.