Seattle Staff Faves 2023: Nonfiction
Every year we ask our staff across the library system for their favorite books published in the current year. Enjoy this variety of nonfiction staff favorites, with annotations by staff members or as noted. (Created November 2023)
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What You Don't Know Will Make A Whole New World
"I expected this book to say much more about Dorothy Lazard's career as a beloved Oakland Public Library worker and public historian. Instead, she focused on her formative years as a young Black child, navigating seismic cultural shifts, politicization, and intergenerational family trauma. I was grateful to have recently read TORN APART by Dorothy Roberts, and to understand a little more of what Lazard survived. These stories of her resilience, learning, and growth were beautifully told." (Bean)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Raw Dog
"Comedian Jamie Loftus, of Bechdel Cast and being the funniest person on earth (in my opinion) fame, has published her first book. I preordered this book and when I went to the bookstore to pick it up, the cashier asked me, "is this really about hot dogs?" Yes, it is!" (Eliza E.)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Allergic
"A holistic study of how allergies continue to bewilder medical science. … the author’s examination of the science of immunology from a social and cultural perspective will give readers plenty of relevant, thought-provoking information. An exhaustive and accessible report." (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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High Bias
"Music journalist Masters unspools an affectionate ode to the cassette tape and how it revolutionized the music industry by freeing artists and fans to "create, invent, individualize" and distribute sound in innovative ways. This charming history is sure to please anyone nostalgic for the mixtapes of yesteryear." (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Tenderheart
[A] loving homage to her father, a Chinese immigrant in Australia, told in 150 flavorful, vegetarian recipes. (publisher description)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Plant Love Kitchen
"Easy to follow recipes with information and data included about benefits of a vegetarian focused diet and lifestyle." (Marion)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Starstruck
"An Egyptian American astrophysicist describes a turbulent life." (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Simple Weave
"Includes how to make your own small and portable loom and covers the author's journey in textiles and woodworking." (Marion)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Saving Time
"Odell follows up "How to Do Nothing" with an electric call to reject the quantitative view of time in favor of a more expansive, less linear understanding that fosters interpersonal connection and social and ecological justice." (Publishers Weekly)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Lichen Museum
The Lichen Museum explores how the physiological characteristics of lichens provide a valuable template for reimagining human relations in an age of ecological and social precarity. (publisher description)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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