I look forward to writing this post every year, but I also love reading the pairings that other bloggers come up with! I think it is so interesting how there can be parallels between nonfiction and fiction books and I think that any of these book pairings would make for compelling readalikes and would be perfect for book clubs!
The Girl Who Smiled Beads is one of the most powerful memoirs I have ever read. Clemantine Wamariya is so raw and honest about the refugee experience and you can feel her anger and heartache. I appreciated that she does not sugarcoat anything for the reader and there is something about it that feels so visceral. Exit West and The Boat People are two of my favourite novels that focus on the experiences of refugees. Exit West has a magical realism element that is powerful, and The Boat People is based on a true story that happened here and Canada and no one talks about.
Lab Girl is part memoir and part nature/science nonfiction. It was interesting to read from the perspective of a female scientist and everything she learned. Transcendent Kingdom follows similar themes, as the main character is a woman who is a fifth-year neuroscience candidate at Standford University. If you loved the natural elements of Lab Girl, you have to give The Language of Flowers a try. The main character has a special connection to slowers and we learn a lot about florals and their meanings through her.
Catch and Kill is one of my favourite nonfiction books and it focuses on the #metoo movement and the exposing of Harvey Weinstein. Women Talking and My Dark Vanessa both center around #metoo and women coming to terms with what happened to them. Women Talking is based on a true story that focuses on a group of Mennonite women who are realizing that the men in their community are drugging and assaulting them. We follow the discussion that these women have as they decide their next move. My Dark Vanessa is an uncomfortable read. It follows a woman who is coming to terms with the fact that the relationship she has with a teacher when she was a child was inappropriate and nonconsensual.
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I love this concept đŸ™‚ My Dark Vanessa was such a great, important read and this comparison has convinced me to add Catch and Kill to my TBR!
I think it would be an interesting read if you enjoyed My Dark Vanessa for sure!
I really want to read Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow is such a good journalist.
He really is! I admire him so much for how he relentlessly pursued this story.
Great pairings! I love that you matched up two fiction with each nonfiction.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I still haven’t gotten to The Girl Who Smiled Beads or Lab Girl and I have no idea how I’ve managed to let those two go for so long! Fantastic pairings!
Really interesting post, thank you.