Okay, maybe ‘multitude’ is a bit of an overstatement, but this month I listened to three non-fiction audiobooks out of a total of six, so… That’s a multitude to me!
Most of the audiobooks I listened to this month were via my library app, BorrowBox. I did listen to one gifted via Libro.fm, and if you haven’t already switched to them for your audiobooks, then consider doing so. They’ve kindly given me an affiliate code, so if you use the code ABREADS at checkout or follow my link, US and Canada folk can get two audiobooks for the price of one with the first month of your subscription!
Please note this post contains affiliate links to Blackwell’s. I earn a small commission on any purchase you make through them at no extra cost to you. Titles marked with an * were gifted as part of Libro.fm’s ALC programme. This has not affected my opinion in any way.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the audiobooks I listened to this month!
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by the author
I put this book off for far too long, but I finally got the push I needed after listening to The Stacks podcast on Breathe by Imani Perry. The two books go together very well, one a letter from a mother to her sons and this one a letter from a father to his son.
This book has been hailed as essential reading by so many people, including Toni Morrison, and I understood why immediately. Between the World and Me is filled with emotion as Coates explains what it was like growing up in a Black body in the US. One of the most hard-hitting parts is when Coates wonders how much more he might have accomplished by now, had so much of his time and energy as a young boy not been expended on protecting his body. If he had been afforded the same privileges and freedom as the little white boys he saw on the television.
Intensely personal, this is one of the non-fiction audiobooks which ought to be on your priority listening list.
Prefer a physical copy? Buy Between the World and Me at Blackwell’s
If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura, tr. Eric Selland
Narrated by Brian Nishii
Took a wee break from the non-fiction audiobooks for a while with this short and sweet story which might reaffirm some of your hope in the world.
The main character of this tale is about to die. But when the devil shows up in his apartment, promising him extra days of life in exchange for making something disappear from the world, he decides to take the offer. However, he soon realises that even the most irrelevant-seeming object can play an essential role in the world.
I think this is a great choice for someone who needs a gentle reminder of the little pleasures in life. My life already revolves around ‘the small stuff’, so I don’t think I got as much out of the moral of the story as someone else might. The narrator also sometimes verged on caricatures for certain characters, and over-the-top narration doesn’t really work for me.
However, I did enjoy the reminder to stop taking things for granted. Plus, we get to meet Cabbage, a delightful kitty with a British accent.
Prefer a physical copy? Buy If Cats Disappeared from the World at Blackwell’s
The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan
Narrated by the author
After being somewhat disappointed by The Gracekeepers a few years ago, I was delighted with The Gloaming. A beautiful tale with the sea at its heart, this is a must-read if you’re in the mood for something mysterious, magical, and emotional.
Told in short, non-linear chapters, The Gloaming is set on a mysterious island. Once the islanders reach the end of their lives, they make the walk up to the cliff, where they freeze into statue sentinels forever. Mara is a young woman who can’t imagine life off the island – until she meets Pearl.
The plot is quite thin, but that doesn’t matter when the atmosphere is glorious and there’s a precious f/f relationship at the centre. Seriously, Logan paints such beautiful pictures with words. The crumbling house the family live in. The abandoned library bus filled with adventures. Pearl’s cosy hillside house. The eerie landscape peppered with stone sentinels. It’s all so magical and ethereal.
If you love the sea then you have to read this one. Let the magic of the island wash over you.
Prefer a physical copy? Buy The Gloaming at Blackwell’s
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Narrated by the author
Back on the non-fiction audiobooks, this book is one woman’s account of growing up Black, Christian and middle-class in racialised America. I had never read anything from a Christian perspective, so I found this an illuminating read.
I particularly appreciated the sections on Brown’s working life within predominantly white Christian organisations. Her parents named her Austin so that prospective employers might think she’s a white man. The struggles Brown has had asserting herself as the authority in a professional setting proves that her parents knew what she might face.
Brown dissects the diversity mission statements issued by so many companies. She likens them to sprinkling a few BIPOC employees ‘like sprinkles over a vanilla cake’. Such tactics will never orchestrate real change, as change comes from the top. These positions of money and influence are still not held by BIPOC employees, and so the change never progresses past ‘dialogue’. Meanwhile, companies expect BIPOC employees to shoulder the brunt of social justice lessons, not to mention white guilt.
An eye-opening memoir from a neew perspective for me, with a really powerful ending.
Prefer a physical copy? Buy I’m Still Here at Blackwell’s
Wandering in Strange Lands: A Daughter of the Great Migration Reclaims her Roots* by Morgan Jerkins
Narrated by the author
Morgan Jerkins packs so much into this 300-page book! It’s so rich and filled with interesting, little-talked-about history that I devoured this 10-hour audiobook in three days over a weekend.
Jerkins traces the history of the Great Migration, while also delving into her own family’s history along the way. She visits places where her family has roots and ties, including Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma and California. She brings to light so many themes, including food, the relationship between Black people and water (namely the trauma stemming from the Middle Passage), root magic, land theft, the historic and modern-day relationship between Native Americans and Black People, and much more.
While I do think the parts in Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana were stronger than the other locations, the whole book is strong. I just think Jerkins needed more space to expand more on the later sections. Honestly, I could have read 500 pages of this book!
I highly recommend this one for a blend of personal and general history. You’ll learn things your average history lesson would never teach you. I also recommend listening to Morgan Jerkins in conversation with Traci at The Stacks!
Prefer a physical copy? Buy Wandering in Strange Lands at Blackwell’s
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
Narrated by Priya Ayyar
I jumped the gun on posting my audiobook wrap up, clearly underestimating how addictive The Henna Wars would be! I couldn’t stop listening to this adorable rom-com, which tackles more serious themes of homophobia, racism, cultural appropriation and religious identity within its pages.
This book is a whopping 400 pages, which I initially thought was a lot for a young adult rom-com. But the pages (or minutes) flew by! I loved the banter between the main character Nishat and her little sister Priti especially. Jaigirdar writes the relationship between sisters so warmly – from love to hate and back to love again within a few hours.
I had a few little writing niggles (Nishat mentions her heart beating a mile a minute at least seven times), but overall I loved everything about this book. The sweet yet messy romance. The delicate handling of important themes in a young adult setting. The growth of the characters. Everything comes together perfectly.
I’m going to need a Netflix movie adaptation of The Henna Wars like yesterday. Thanks to Jaime at @absorbedinpages for putting this one on my radar!
That’s it for this month!
Hopefully you can pick up one or two or even three of these non-fiction audiobooks, or read them in print, whichever you prefer! I’m coming to really love listening to non-fiction books, they’re much more accessible than I originally thought via audio.
I do like the idea of listening to nonfiction, but I just wish there was an easier way to bookmark parts, haha. For example, sometimes I end up flailing around as I’m washing up, trying to dry my hands and then figure out what time stamp I wanted to note. ?
Lovely to read your thoughts on all of these, Abbie!