Non-fiction 10 or so

[Bekah]

At 9:27 AM -0500 9/18/04, Mark A. Douglas wrote:
>
>If a non-fiction list is appointed to be done (by whomever has say 
>in such appointments), I'm going to need some narrower parameters. 
>Maybe even some definitions.  Is _Maus_ non-fiction or fiction? 
>What about Shakespeare?  And the ancient religious/mythology tracts? 
>Would _The Universe of the Silver Surfer_ be considered a work of 
>non-fiction?   
>


Non-fiction can be difficult to define and select. I'm the moderator 
of a nonfiction reading group over at Yahoo. We've been reading 2 
books a month together for about 5 years. We've read over 100 books 
including everything from The Education of Henry Adams to Stephen 
Hawking and from Charlie Wilson's War to "True Crime"  (the genre) 
and "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman."  (You could join the group 
at: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/All_Nonfiction/> and look in the 
"files" section (menu at left) to check out the books we've read if 
you're interested. Or you could just join, but this will *not*  be a 
shameless plug... I hope.)(g)

It's hard to select books that are interesting and informative or 
enlightening in some way and yet be good discussion material. We 
tried the "classics" for awhile but with non-fiction not many "meet 
the test of time" (as in the literary world) and stay relevant. Some 
of the "greats" are pretty specific to a particular academic field or 
philosophy/religion. and these get dated and then historical (Keynes 
and Marx and West and Adams). Random House made up a list in 2000. 
(They also have the readers' list.)(sigh). 
<http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnonfiction.html> 
(That list has become dated in the 4+ years since its release.)

Actually, we have read several of the books on the Modern Library 
list: THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS by Henry Adams, SPEAK, MEMORY by 
Vladimir Nabokov, THE GUNS OF AUGUST by Barbara Tuchman , THE 
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALICE B. TOKLAS by Gertrude Stein,  THE SOULS OF 
BLACK FOLK by W.E.B. Du Bois, HOMAGE TO CATALONIA by George Orwell, 
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X, THE GREAT 
WAR AND MODERN MEMORY by Paul Fussell, PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK by 
Annie Dillard, and OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS by Anne Lamott.    (To the 
Finland Station did not even make their list!!! A grave oversight, 
imo.)

We don't read Shakespeare and probably wouldn't read "Zen and the 
Art..." over there (although I see your point). We have read a bit of 
literary criticism and we read Norman Mailer's basically non-fiction 
The Executioner's Song. There's been no need for a "strict rule" 
about the parameters (generally available non-fiction seems adequate 
so far) because I'm sure there would be some exception (lol) and 
because the members themselves nominate and vote so the group is in 
charge of what goes on the schedule. (although I veto actual fiction)

Anyway, we usually tend to go with more current releases and add a 
"classic" once in a great while, when we get the notion. Speak, 
Memory was read in May. We read 4 "classics" last year. I quite 
enjoyed The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas but was not so hot on 
Pilgrim's Creek.

Well, I got long-winded again, sorry. Just my o's and experience with 
nonfiction reading.
Bekah
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