My library book pile is getting a little too tall, so it's a good thing I came home this week with only three new library books. The bad thing is all three have lines of people waiting for them, so I won't be able to renew any of the titles. I'll have to decide which one to read in the next three weeks and get in line again for the others. I'm such a slow nonfiction reader, no matter how interesting I find the topic, it's not worth trying to read more than one of them. As is always the case with library books--they all came in at the same time! All would work well as possible reads for the Women Unbound challenge, though I had requested them long before I decided to join the challenge. Now which to choose:
Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Words, Linda Gordon -- Lange is famous for her photographs of migrant workers, particularly "Migrant Mother". Aside from being a portrait of a fascinating and talented woman, Gordon writes also of Depression Era America, a subject I have wanted to explore more. The book is really gorgeous by the way--it has glossy inserts of her photos as well as photos interspersed throughout the text. Maybe this one should go on my holiday wish list?!
The Journal of Helene Berr, translated by David Bellos -- I heard about this book some time ago, but only very recently found it on the new library list that I check weekly in my library's online catalog. It's the journal Berr kept from April 1942 to February 1944 of her life in Nazi-occupied Paris. I love diaries, although these sorts are often heart-wrenching.
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, Harriet Reisen -- This seems like a timely read as PBS will be airing a documentary on American Masters about Louisa May (though I can't quite figure out when it's scheduled to air locally--maybe over my break from work!). I've been watching for this one to come out and am leaning heavily towards reading it, though the others sound good, too.
So now I'll go do what I always do with library books. Snuggle up on the sofa and leaf through them and see which one really grabs me! I have a feeling you may be seeing just a few posts on my nonfiction reads in the next week or so.