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Beiträge, die mit NonFiction getaggt sind


A Very Short History of the Israel–Palestine Conflict by Ilan Pappe, 2024

An indispensable guide to understanding the Israel–Palestine conflict, and how we might yet still find a way out of it.

@bookstodon
@palestine
#books
#nonfiction
#history
#Palestine
#Israel
#IlanPappe
The devastation of 7 October 2023 and the horrors that followed astounded the world. But the Israel–Palestine conflict didn't start on 7 October. It didn't start in 1967 either, when Israel occupied the West Bank, or in 1948 when the state of Israel was declared. It started in 1882, when the first Zionist settlers arrived in what was then Ottoman Palestine. Ilan Pappe untangles the history of two peoples, now sharing one land. Going back to the founding fathers of Zionism, Pappe expertly takes us through the twists and turns of international policy towards Israel–Palestine, Palestinian resistance to occupation, and the changes taking place in Israel itself.


And finally
12. Farkasvölgy

(The last category in the challenge is always randomly selected for everyone)

I read a collection of primary sources about the history of Budapest's XII. district. It started at the Ottoman Wars, and went all the way to the Communist Era, with court records, newspaper articles, personal diaries, letters, and other interesting contemporary sources. Great local history publication.

https://www.antikvarium.hu/konyv/hegyvideki-olvasokonyv-655153-0

#books #bookstodon #Hungarian #nonfiction


11. Hoaxes and secrets

Sultan of Zanzibar: The Bizarre World and Spectacular Hoaxes of Horace de Vere Cole (Martyn Downer)

Known mostly for the infamus Dreadnaught Hoax (feat. Virginia Woolf) Horace Cole was a fascinating figure in the early 20th century. A real life trickster as well as a tragic figure whose world changed drastically due to historic events. Downer does a great job with this biography, giving a realistic picture of him.

https://www.amazon.com/Sultan-Zanzibar-Bizarre-Spectacular-Hoaxes/dp/0948238461

#books #bookstodon #nonfiction


10. Addiction

Repülős Gizi, a tolvajok királynője (Bodnár Gizella)
[Flying Gizi, Queen of Thieves]

The autobiography of the famous Hungarian thief Bodnár Gizella (Flying Gizi). An honest and fascinating read about addiction, living through the entire 20th century as a woman, struggles, poverty, and life in prison. Being a talented thief is the least memorable thing about this woman's story.

https://www.libri.hu/konyv/Repulos-Gizi-A-tolvajok-kiralynoje-16.html

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon #Hungarian #crime #biography


9. Famous women

The search for Omm Sety (Jonathan Cott)

The fascinating biography of a woman who was declared dead at age 3, and came back to life remembering her previous life in Ancient Egypt. She dedicated her entire life to studying Egypt, moved there, helped archaeologists, and remembered a lot of things that later were discovered to be true...

https://www.amazon.com/Search-Omm-Sety-Jonathan-Cott/dp/0446390402

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon #history #Egypt #women


8. Mental health

Medical Muses: Hysteria in Nineteenth-Century Paris (Asti Hustvedt)

The book explores the heyday of the study of "hysteria", through the lives of three women who were exhibitied in Paris as model hysterics. Sometimes very dark and sometimes amusing, the author goes beyond trying to diagnose them, focusing on the cultural context of "hysteria".

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Muses-Hysteria-Nineteenth-Century-Paris/dp/0393025608

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon #MentalHealth #history


7. Movies, cartoons, television

Are You Not Entertained?: Mapping the Gladiator Across Visual Media (Lindsay Steenberg)

Really fun read with all the gladiator stuff coming out this year. The author explores the gladiator as an archetype, and the arena fight as a trope, across various movies and TV shows (even outside historical movies, e.g. Hunger Games, Gamer, Fight Club etc). Lots of good insight into gender, nostalgia etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Are-You-Not-Entertained-Gladiator/dp/1350120073

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon #gladiator


6. Human relationships

The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier (April White)

In the late 19th century, traveling to Sioux Falls was the easiest way to get a divorce - after only 90 days of residency. So the city's largest hotel turned into a "divorce colony" of women (and some men) waiting for their freedom. The book is an awesome read, full of personal stories.

https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Colony-Revolutionized-Marriage-American/dp/0306827662

#books #bookstodon #nonfiction #divorce #AmReading


5. Crime and criminology

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession (Allison Hoover Bartlett)

The story of a man who used credit card scams to buy extremely expensive rare books and hoard them. The author explores the world of rare book collecting, buyers and sellers and scammers alike. 📚

https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Books-Much/dp/1594484813

#bookstodon #books #nonfiction #AmReading


4. Russia

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them (Elif Batuman)

Shorter essays about people who engage with Russian literature, including the author herself. Stories like organizing a Russian literature conference in California, or her summer study in Uzbekistan, or the history of the Ice Palace. Interesting read, although I didn't always like the author's personal attitude.

https://www.amazon.com/Possessed-Adventures-Russian-Books-People/dp/0374532184

#books #bookstodon #nonfiction #Russia #literature


3. History outside Europe

Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future (Ian Johnson)

Highly recommended read. The author traces the work of underground historians, archivists, and documentary filmmakers in China who try to keep records of history that has been erased or changed by the party. They often literally risk their life and freedom to do it.

https://www.amazon.com/Sparks-Chinas-Underground-Historians-Battle/dp/0197575501

#history #China #nonfiction #bookstodon #books


2. Language, linguistics

The Invention of Clouds: How an Amateur Meteorologist Forged the Language of the Skies (Richard Hamblyn)

The story of how cloud types were named by Luke Howard at the turn of the 19th century. The book gives great historical context starting from the 1600s, about the birth of meteorology and the difficulties of cloud classification. I finally learned how the categories work.

https://www.amazon.com/Invention-Clouds-Amateur-Meteorologist-Language/dp/0312420013

#cloud #language #linguistics #nonfiction #history #books #bookstodon


1. Gastronomy

The Land Where Lemons Grow (Helena Attlee)

The author travels across Italy, exploring the history of various citrus fruits. I never knew citrus could be such a fascinating topic, but the book was an amazing read. From the connections of lemons to the Sicilian mafia, through the orange-throwing carnival of Ivrea, all the way to Renaissance hybrid citrus collections. 🍋 🍊

(Sorry for the Amazon links)
https://www.amazon.com/Land-Where-Lemons-Grow-Citrus/dp/0241952573

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon #AmReading #food #Italy


I finished this year's Polymath Reading Challenge early!
It was exciting as usual, and led me to some great #nonfiction books. So, I'm going to share my reading list. No one asked, but here it is.

Thread. 📚

#AmReading #Books #bookstodon #ReadingChallenge #science #history


People I would like to read biographies about and no one has written them yet:

Willy Clarkson
Bunny Roger
Ynés Mexia
Dr. Anandabai Joshee, Dr. Kei Okami & Dr. Tabat M. Islambooly

#books #biography #history #nonfiction


#WomensNonfiction 18.
The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier - by April White

This book needs to be a high budget HBO show.

At the end of the 19th century, Sioux Falls was known for its lax divorce laws: if someone resided there for 90 days, they could file for divorce. The town's main hotel fast became a "divorce colony" of desperate women (and some men) and their own private dramas.

#nonfiction #books #bookstodon


#WomensNonfiction 16.
Dorothy Parker: What fresh hell is this? - by Marion Meade

I really enjoyed the collection of Dorothy Parker's short stories, so I decided to read her biography. It was fascinating and often amusing, although in a slightly different way than I'd expected.
Dear Dorothy was a hot mess. In all the best and worst ways possible.

#WomensHistoryMonth #books #bookstodon #nonfiction
Black and white photo of Dorothy Parker. She is smiling and leaning on a balustrade, wearing a light coat, and a hat at a jaunty angle.


#WomensNonfiction 15.
The fossil hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World - by Shelley Emling

This is a biography of pioneering paleontologist and fossil hunter Mary Anning, who is credited with discovering the first complete ichthyosaur and plesiosaur skeletons. Her discoveries contributed a lot to the science of paleontology - and her life was fascinating in all kinds of ways.

#WomensHistoryMonth #nonfiction #books #bookstodon
A painting of Mary Anning, dressed in a warm green coat and wearing a straw hat, carrying her fossil gathering tools. Next to her is a drawing of a plesiosaur skeleton.


#WomensNonfiction 14.
Wonderful ​Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands - by Mary Seacole

Mary Seacole was a Jamaican woman, trained in medicine by her doctor mother. She wanted to join Florence Nightingale in nursing soldiers during the Crimean War, but she was not accepted. So instead, she traveled to the front on her own and put up an inn where she made food and sold drinks, and regularly walked to the trenches to tend to the wounded.

#WomensHistoryMonth #books #bookstodon #nonfiction
Sepia portrait photo of Mrs Seacole, wearing a 19th century dress with lace collar and bead necklace, her hair pinned up.


#WomensNonfiction 13.
The lady and the octopus: How Jeanne Villepreux-Power Invented Aquariums and Revolutionized Marine Biology - by Dana Staaf

A colorful, fascinating book about the French scientist (1794–1871) who invented aquariums. We learn about her experiments in Italy, her inventions to make observations easier, and ther theories about the age-old mystery of the paper nautilus and its self-grown shell.

#WomensHistoryMonth #nonfiction #books #bookstodon
Black and white photograph of Jeanne Villepreux-Power dressed in a wide skirt and a lace shawl wrapped over her shoulders. She is leaning on a decorative column, looking at an elaborate cup. She is young and elegant, with her hair pulled back in a net.


#WomensNonfiction 12.
The ​Memoirs of Madame Vigée Lebrun

Le Brun (1755–1842) was a painter whose works still hang in galleries around the world, including the British National Gallery & the Louvre. She was the portrait painter of Marie Antoinette before she fled to Italy and then to Russia from the Revolution, leaving an abusive husband behind.

Her memoirs are entertaining and witty, showing a glimpse at the life of a remarkable woman.

#WomensHistoryMonth #nonfiction #books #bookstodon
Vigée Le Brun's self portrait painting. She is facing the viewer, wearing a straw hat decorated with flowers and a feather. Her dress is pink with white ruffles, and there is a dark shawl wrapped around her arms. She is holding a handful of brushes and a painting palette.


#WomensNonfiction 11.
The lady and the sharks - by Eugenie Clark

A fun memoir by the famous ichthyologist Eugenie Clark, best known for her work with sharks. I loved reading her memories of establishing a research center, designing experiments to test shark intelligence, and diving in all kinds of places (including sink holes). Also, the details of raising children as a marine scientist.

#WomensHistoryMonth #books #bookstodon #nonfiction
Black and white photo of a young Eugenie in diving gear, chest-deep in water and holding a glass jar with some small striped fish in it.


#WomensNonfiction 3.
Ada ​Blackjack: A true story of survival in the Arctic - by Jennifer Niven

Ada was an Iñupiaq woman who joined an arctic expedition in the 1920s. The expedition got stranded on Wrangel Island, and slowly all the (somewhat foolishy unprepared) explorers died or disappeared, leaving Ada to fend for herself for almost two years. She survived, and the book uses her diary among other sources to tell her story.

#WomensHistoryMonth #Indigenous #books #bookstodon #nonfiction
Black and white photo of Ada, a young Iñupiaq woman dressed in a traditional outfit with a fur hood.


I am compiling lists for next year's #nonfiction and #poetry reads. This is my happy place. Making TBR lists.

#TBR #books #bookstodon


All in all, I love this reading challenge, and I did not regret picking up any of these books. I loved the topics and the places they took me. 📚

You can do your own version of this challenge if you like nonfiction :) Have fun!

#nonfiction #ReadingChallenge #books #bookstodon


#TravelMail

One of my favorite literary genres is the travel journal or travel memoir. I love reading 19th and early 20th century travel writing. I would also love to subscribe to receive parts of this in the mail; one letter a week (?) from various eras and places in history, recounting travel adventures.

(I mean excerpts from real sources, not fiction.)

Bonus for including sources from a diverse range of travelers.

#Travel #TravelWriting #histodons #history #nonfiction

🧵 4/6