Task 12: Read a work of investigative nonfiction by an author of color

[Rachel]

I just finished Yellow Bird (it's great!), but the author is white (she addresses her race in the book).

[Stef]

what about

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh? it's been on my TBR forever ! Looks like it would be a good fit

[Gloria]

Would either of these books by Isabel Wilkerson count?: Caste or Warmth of Other Suns

[Brook]

I'm struggling to find a clear definition of what counts as investigative nonfiction, but I'm thinking the historical research and oral history involved in Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime should qualify. Could alternatively count as a #4 (LGBTQ history book) or #15 (memoir by Latinx author).

[Bonnie G.]

Rachel wrote: "I'm struggling to find a clear definition of what counts as investigative nonfiction, but I'm thinking the historical research and oral history involved in [book:Cruising: An Intimate History of a ..."

https://book-genres.com/investigative...

[Rachel]

Does anyone have any suggestions for books about pyramid schemes/network marketing/multi-level marketing, or similar topics? I find those stories really interesting, but can't find anything by an author of colour.

[Sheri]

Gloria wrote: "Would either of these books by Isabel Wilkerson count?: Caste or Warmth of Other Suns"
I'd like to know too.

[Brook]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I'm struggling to find a clear definition of what counts as investigative nonfiction, but I'm thinking the historical research and oral history involved in [book:Cruising: An Intimat..."

I saw that, but all of the examples on their list are very forensic/crime-related--which doesn't seem in line with the BookRiot suggestions. With the addition of Sway it was unclear to me whether any psychology, history, or science book that involves a lot of research would qualify.

[Courtney]

I'm thinking of reading Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance or Who Killed Berta Caceres?: Dams, Death Squads, and an Indigenous Defender's Battle for the Planet, but would appreciate any other suggestions related to environmental activism/racism/justice!

[Stef]

I'm thinking of reading {"the address book too....
does anyone think this would work for this prompt ??

[Jenny]

Does anyone know if Judy Pasternak, the author of Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed is an author of color?

[Natasha]

I am trying to do the bonus task - any suggestions for a LGBTQ author?

[Caleb]

Sheri wrote: "Would Caste by Isabel Wilkerson not work?"

I'm looking at The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by the same author.

[Sherri]

I used Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.

[Sheri]

I am using Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents too.

[Gw]

I chose THOSE WHO WANDER..by Vivian Ho...I guess I may be all alone in the fact that I hardly ever read non-fiction..just a few here n there. Just the list was challenging. 🤦🏽‍♀️

[Kelsey]

Jane wrote: "Would you all consider The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness or [book:Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans fr..."

I was planning on Medical Apartheid for this task too...been on my list for a while and I'm due for a read for work. Definitely seems to count to me!

[Jane]

Would The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together work? I thought of this category when I heard her interview on Trevor Noah's show. Not sure if it's investigative, but she researched the economies and found people to interview about the theory. One could say she investigated the results of her research on the people? HELP! Thanks.

[Meghan]

I highly recommend Memorial Drive. True crime meets autobiography, deals with trauma and grieving her mother, who was killed by her abusive stepfather when she was young.

[Meghan]

Oh, I want to do One Person, No Vote, the young adult adaptation (school librarian here). It's all about voter suppression, in the past and now, by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden

[Erika]

Meghan wrote: "Oh, I want to do One Person, No Vote, the young adult adaptation (school librarian here). It's all about voter suppression, in the past and now, by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden"

I almost read that book for Task 2, until the book I did read stared out at me from the book section at Target lol.

[Tammy]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned Grand Theft Horse, by G. Neri. It's graphic nonfiction described by Library Journal as a "gripping seven-part exposé that lifts the veil on corruption in the horse racing industry and introduces one of the sport's pioneers".

[Bonnie G.]

Ess wrote: "Natasha wrote: "I am trying to do the bonus task - any suggestions for a LGBTQ author?"

I'm reading The Undocumented Americans. It's part investigative nonfiction / part memoir. I ..."

I am not sure where I will end up slotting it, but I think it works for this, a memoir by a Latinx author, and IMHO a book with a hideous cover.

[Kelly]

I went with Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson as it details the history of enprisonment in the U.S.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037)]

I am going to read this
Those Who Wander: America’s Lost Street Kids by Vivian Ho

from this list
https://bookriot.com/read-harder-2021...

[Dawn]

Eric wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic has been on my TBR for a while. Looking forward to reading it for this prompt."

I was going to use this one, b..."

I was hoping to use it, especially because it is one of the few that are available at my library. This article says he is Mexican American, so maybe it's OK? https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/h...

[Maria]

I just read Southern Horrors by Ida B. Wells-Barnett. it was a quick ebook I got on Libby. A compilation of her reporting on lynching in the south.

[[deleted user]]

There's a new release (6/1/21) titled The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation's Neglect of a Deadly Disease. It works well for this challenge.

[Erin]

I just finished Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen and I'm wondering if it would fit this prompt. It's not investigating government corruption or politics or whatever, but I saw Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias on the BR recommendation list and it seems like a similar kind of investigative book?

[Cato]

Erin wrote: "I just finished Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen and I'm wondering if it would fit this prompt. It's not investigating gover..."

I plan to read Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex, too. I came here, because I was wondering if it would fit the task. Now I see, that you have the exact same question. Did you make a decision on whether to count the book or not?

[Bonnie G.]

I read Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer's Insights into North Korea's Enigmatic Young Dictator which was very good. Actually its my 4th for this category and I also recommend

Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet 5-star
The Undocumented Americans 3-stars
A Knock at Midnight 5-star

Becoming Kim Jung Un also works as a book about a non-western world leader (which is where I am actually counting it) for double dippers.

[Mandie]

Rouven wrote: "Erin wrote: "I just finished Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen and I'm wondering if it would fit this prompt. It's not invest..."

Just googling a bit about this book, I don't think it fits the prompt as it's not really investigating anything and falls more into psychology and sociology.

[Regan]

Megan wrote: "Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed"

I thought of reading this one too, unfortunately when I started reading it I realized it doesn't count. While it's about people of color, the author identifies herself as white. It is very good so far though, and I would still recommend reading it.

[Alex]

Gloria wrote: "Would either of these books by Isabel Wilkerson count?: Caste or Warmth of Other Suns"

I'm also wondering about Warmth of Other Suns. Looks like a few of us are; I'm hoping Book Riot can weigh in?

[Cassidy]

Disposable City: Miami's Future on the Shores of Climate Catastrophe

I just finished this book and loved it. It would totally fit this prompt. One of the things I loved was the baseline was climate change is real and system racism plays a role in how Miami tackles climate change.

[Tammy]

It just occured to me that Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain should count. It "investigates the complex interrelationship between black communities and America's largest, most popular fast food chain."

[Karen]

Tammy wrote: "It just occured to me that Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, by Marcia Chatelain should count. It "investigates the complex interrelationship between black communities ..."

Yes, thanks for pointing that out - Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America looks good - 2021 Pulitzer Prize for History and good reviews. I also had an older title, On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family by Lisa See down for this task.

[Elizabeth]

Thanks to those who mentioned Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present; it was not on my radar and should have been. I just finished reading it and was blown away. Highly recommended for this prompt or in general.

[Cato]

Mandie wrote (referring to Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex): "Just googling a bit about this book, I don't think it fits the prompt as it's not really investigating anything and falls more into psychology and sociology. "

I just started reading the book and I do think it fits the task. Here is a quote from the book (page 6, paperback edition):

"Let's take for example, the question of how much sexual desire a person is supposed to have. How much is too little? When is too little unhealthy? How might one's answer, or the answers that are assumed, change depending on gender identity, race, or disability? What does the amount of desire we experience mean about our politics, our personalities, and our prospects for relationships? What should it mean?
These are broad questions of human experience. The answers look different from the ace perspective - and this book tries to match one with the other. To do so, I interviewed nearly a hundred aces, both over the phone and in person. I asked questions about attraction and identity and love. The answers they provided were rarely simple, as my own experiences have not been simple, as no one's ever are."

This sounds investigative to me. I will count the book.

[L Y N N]

Tanvi wrote: "Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime"

I just read this. I admit to laughing at how gullible these KKK members were, especially the leader at the time! Definitely an interesting read.

[Azuki]

Hi I just read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, and wonder if it will count for this prompt? There are interviews and science research and all that, but it's more science and nature rather than political or social,

[Chrissy]

Azuki wrote: "Hi I just read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, and wonder if it will count for this prompt? There are interviews and scien..."

That is one of my all-time favorites, but I don’t think I’d consider it investigative journalism personally, more like memoir crossed with nature writing.

[Octavia]

I read Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington for this, and if I could give it more than five stars I would. An absolutely necessary read, extraordinarily well-researched, but the subject matter is enormously and hideously disturbing.

[Brittany]

I'm currently working my way through The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro for this prompt. I absolutely love true crime, but am also learning a ton about India and its caste system and the distribution of wealth. I wouldn't have come across this without this prompt and I am glad I did.

[Tiffany]

I read that book just a few months ago. It was so good and heartbreaking.

[Amanda]

As this is not a strong genre of mine, can anyone recommend a shorter adult book (100-150 pages) or a kids book that might work for this category? Bonus points if it can work for either 4 or 18 as I only have two weeks to read it!

[Meredith]

Amanda wrote: "As this is not a strong genre of mine, can anyone recommend a shorter adult book (100-150 pages) or a kids book that might work for this category? Bonus points if it can work for either 4 or 18 as ..."

If you're still looking, you could go with one of Ida B. Wells short exposes on lynchings that were quite radical in her time: The Red Record or Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases. They're both short (though not easy reads!) and both available through Project Gutenberg.

There's a good kids' book for Task 4, I think: Two Grooms on a Cake: The Story of America's First Gay Wedding

Good luck!! :)

[Amanda]

Meredith wrote: "Amanda wrote: "As this is not a strong genre of mine, can anyone recommend a shorter adult book (100-150 pages) or a kids book that might work for this category? Bonus points if it can work for eit..."

Thank you so much for the suggestions!!

[Chelsea]

Amanda wrote: "Meredith wrote: "Amanda wrote: "As this is not a strong genre of mine, can anyone recommend a shorter adult book (100-150 pages) or a kids book that might work for this category? Bonus points if it..."

One more to add to your list that might work well! I'm reading The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, which is 180 pages through the epilogue (with additional resources taking up the remaining pages of the book.) It would work in this category, though more as an investigative memoir. (Moore interviews another man of the same name who also grew up in and around Baltimore, as well as countless family, friends, and affiliated parties in order to write about the diverging paths their two Wes Moore lives took. One, the author, became a Rhodes Scholar, and the other is spending his remaining days in jail after committing an armed robbery that ended in the killing of a police officer and father of five. It's an accounting of urban youth and the choices and consequences they face.

[Emily]

Amanda wrote: "As this is not a strong genre of mine, can anyone recommend a shorter adult book (100-150 pages) or a kids book that might work for this category? Bonus points if it can work for either 4 or 18 as ..."

I'm currently reading The Devil's Highway: A True Story. It's 239 pages but reads quickly and is excellent so far!