Week 4 (November 20-24) Worldview Shapers
with Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction
It's the fourth week of Non-Fiction November (see here). Our topic is "Worldview Shapers".
Here is the Official Schedule.
Week 4 (November 20-24) Worldview Shapers:
One of the greatest things about reading nonfiction is learning all
kinds of things about our world which you never would have known without
it. There’s the intriguing, the beautiful, the appalling, and the
profound. What nonfiction book or books have impacted the way you see
the world in a powerful way? Is there one book that made you rethink
everything? Do you think there is a book that should be required reading
for everyone? (Rebekah @ She Seeks Nonfiction)
We had this subject last year and I chose
Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich "The Communist Manifesto" (GE: Das kommunistische Manifest) - 1848 (see here)
I read non-fiction books all the time in order to get to understand the world better.
Is there one book that made you rethink everything?
I wouldn't exactly say it made me rethink everything, but this year I was especially impressed by:
Keefe, Patrick Radden "Say Nothing. A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland" - 2018
The author describes both sides in the Irish Civil War (also called "The Troubles") and makes us understand why these conflicts going on everywhere in the world always take so long, often cannot be changed at all (see Israel/Palestine).
Do you think there is a book that should be required reading for everyone?
There are a lot of books that should be read by everyone. In general, it would be good if people read more non-fiction and got more information from real experts rather than from those individuals who just plaster their uninformed opinions all over the internet.
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For my lists on Nonfiction November check here.
Nonfiction isn't necessarily any more factual than social media posts, but it does have to try harder to get out there! (You can find no shortage of books 'debunking' evolution, for instance, or arguing for the existence of ghosts or Roswell aliens, etc.) I just posted my response to the last two prompts.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you can easily find the non-fiction books that really are fiction. And if you read more than one book on a topic, you can find the difference quickly.
DeleteI don't understand the last sentence. I only receive one response. Or do you mean this is valid for the last two posts I had on non-fiction?
Thanks anyway for coming by, Stephen.
Good choice. I have had this one on my TBR since it was published, trying to get it for Irish Lit Month. Never comes in at the right time.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, Lisa. You should absolutely try to read this soon. It is such a great novel and so important for Irish history. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteThis definitely looks like a challenging topic. How brave of you to tackle it! Thanks for sharing it, Marianne.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. I like challenging topics. And this one is so close to us. We've lived in Britain, we have British friends, we have Irish friends, our son studied in Belfast. I just had to read it.
DeleteGreat choice, this has been on my TBR for a while.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend it, Shelleyrae. It's a great book about the subject with so much information.
DeleteGood choices. The problem with my nonfiction reading is that I mainly read history. Of course, one can definitely learn from history (although some say we don't), but I guess you have to read more present history, or other more present day subjects, to learn new things. I might have to enlarge my subjects on nonfiction.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Lisbeth. History is important. And we can learn a lot from it. Present political situations show that we don't, unfortunately. Look around , when I see the results of elections everywhere (right now: Argentina, The Netherlands), I can only shudder . What is the world coming to?
DeleteI agree that people should read more nonfiction just so that they have a better understanding of the world, and of people and history. but no one seems to have time for that these days...they're too busy keeping up with all their social media accounts.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more the interest, Lark. Because they find the time for everything else. Of course, you can get information on the internet but in social media, there are too many idiots around who proclaim they have the only solution.
DeleteI read Say Nothing a few years ago as a book pairing with the fiction novel Milkman by Anna Burns. Fantastic books, they really opened my eyes to what's happened in Ireland.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Care. I hadn't heard about Milkman, so will order it with my next book order. Sounds totally interesting. And yes, even this one really tells us a lot about the situation in Northern Ireland and how difficult it is to find a solution.
DeleteI absolutely want to read this one. I read God and the Gun years ago and I have always wanted to read more. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Molly. That also sounds like an interesting one. Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print and is only available at horrendous prices. But I have put it on my wishlist, I might find it somewhere one day.
DeleteAnd this is definitely a great read for anyone interested in the topic.