I have always heard that truth is stranger than fiction, and many times this old adage rings true. Some memoirs are so fascinating that they read like a great novel. Books based on true crime are an extremely popular genre. The Manson and Bundy names strike a chord in most adults’ head. A nonfiction selection that held my attention was The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller. Journalist Thomas Fuller follows the football team from the California School for the Deaf during their undefeated 2021-2022 season. The all-deaf team, led by deaf coach and former athlete Keith Adams, went from the underdogs to undefeated champions. I found myself cheering for this team as I read the book even with knowing the outcome!
This riveting exposé details how a small team of auditors and investigators, led by the youngest State Auditor in the country, uncovered a brazen scheme where the powerful stole millions in welfare funds from the poor in a sprawling conspiracy that stretched from Mississippi to Malibu. Well-connected donors, highly placed officials, and popular public figures diverted tens of millions of dollars from the federal government’s TANF (temporary assistance for needy families) program until a Republican auditor, his small team of dedicated investigators, and a Democratic prosecutor joined forces to hold them accountable in the face of intense obstruction and harassment. Peopled with unforgettable characters, perpetrators, the impoverished citizens for whom the money was intended, the investigators, the prosecutors, and the reporters who held them to account, Mississippi Swindle by Shad White is a political and true crime drama that highlights larger crises while appealing to a broad nationwide audience.
In Not Too Late, Gwendolyn Bounds explores how tackling something new and hard upended her expectations for middle age while also helping her reconcile regrets of her youth. Her story takes us from playgrounds and gyms, where Bounds relearns childhood movements (swinging from monkey bars, climbing a rope); to far-flung Spartan Race courses, where she strives to master running in difficult terrain and to conquer challenges such as scaling tall walls, crawling under barbed wire, and carrying heavy loads of rocks up mountains. Bounds’ journey offers inspiration and a road map for anyone craving more out of life. Ultimately, one message prevails: When unleashing our full potential, age can be a secret weapon.
Within a decade, nearly half of all American farmland will change hands as an older farming generation steps aside. In their place, a groundswell of new growers will face numerous challenges as they embrace regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to growing food that restores the soil and biodiversity. Journalist Jennifer Grayson embedded herself in a groundbreaking farmer-training program, and then embarked on this investigative journey. The diverse array of farmers and food activists whom she profiles here are working toward better, more sustainable foodways for all. From a one-acre market garden in Oregon to activists reviving food sovereignty in South Carolina, A
Call to Farms tells the captivating story of these new agrarians finding hope and purpose in reconnecting to the land and striving to improve the future of American food.