I’m realizing that non-fic doesn’t respond to the whole “review mixed with amateur literary analysis” thing that I like to do, because that’s just not how most of it is meant to be read. So, rather than drag myself through the attempt, I’m going to approach non-fiction commentary a little differently:

The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory by J.M. Adovasio, Olga Soffer, and Jake Page : Yet another example of the most important phrase when re-learning history as an adult – “It’s a lot more complicated than that.” The book opens with examples of narratives and scenes we’ve all been exposed to on the idea of prehistoric human life, and then goes on the show how current research indicates they’re all completely and totally wrong. I particularly liked the fact that when the authors had a point on which they could not come to an agreement, they set aside an entire chapter explaining the evidence each found compelling, without resorting to nastiness or name calling – proving that sensible scientists, not just shrieking loonies, can write popular level texts.

True Witness: Cops, Courts, Science, and the Battle Against Misidentification by James M. Doyle : This has every element of a good social issue book for general audiences: clear writing style, a history of the problem, the major concepts in play, and concrete steps for improvement, all bookended with a human interest element. Said human interest is the story of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton, who recently published their own book on the case, so libraries can offer this title some renewed popularity as a tie-in.

Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution by Ruth Scurr : I feel a certain obligation to read the history of France (as the home of my beloved second language), but I probably shouldn’t have begun with such a complex period. The text is by turns blood-soaked and austere, and the shifting alliances among the enormous cast of characters were difficult to follow. I get the impression that the author has written the most accessible work possible without making it inaccurate (“It’s a lot more complicated than that” strikes again), but even then this one was a pretty steep road to climb.

Guyland: the Perilous World Where Boys Become Men by Michael Kimmel : This one is part of “naming the problem” genre of non-fic: gathering vague impression into a cohsive social issue and coining a term for it. While there aren’t terribly many solutions offered, the sense of “thank goodness I’m not the only one noticing this weird trend” is worth the read. Compare and contrast with Female Chauvanist Pigs by Ariel Levy for the naming of a similar and overlapping problem.