Amazing Nonfiction Books from Indie Presses That Belong On Your Fall TBR

I held my breath through long chunks of this extraordinary book. Beaton’s memoir about the time she spent working in the Alberta oil sands is more than a memoir. It’s a testament to the worst and best of humanity, a witness to complexity, and a stunning portrait of a wildly beautiful and wildly dangerous place. With compassion and nuance, Beaton writes about the tangled intersections of climatic destruction, labor exploitation, sexual and gendered violence, loneliness, toxic masculinity, and economic desperation. It is gorgeous and funny and heartbreaking and honest.

Aguon is an Indigenous climate activist and human rights lawyer from Guam, and it’s clear he poured his whole heart into this slim book. It’s full of essays, poems, speeches, memories, and more. And while a lot of what he writes about his grim — the U.S. colonization of Guam and its continued military presence there, climate change, and the loss of precious natural habitat — Aguon’s sense of hope, fierce determination, and love for his people and culture permeates every page.

I gasped out loud when I saw that Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha had a new book coming out. Care Work changed the way I think about disability, justice, and community; it’s a book I return to again and again and will probably never stop learning from. In their new book, they ponder a future in which most people become disabled — and why that might be the future we need. They explore how disability justice and the wisdom of disability communities are some of the most powerful tools we have for combating climate change, fascism, and future pandemics. I can’t wait for the hard, glorious lessons I know are in this book.

Whenever a beloved poet writes a book about poetry, I take it for the gift it is. In this blend of memoir and meditation, former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo writes about her own poetic journey. She shares moving reflections about her life as a poet, the process behind her work, what keeps her writing, and power poetry has to impact all of our lives.

Art and science definitely mix — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Andrea Chapela is a chemist and an author; in her latest essay collection, she writes about light, mirrors, and glass, exploring both their scientific and literary properties. She uses scientific concepts to illuminate thorny ideas about identity, storytelling, and perception. Many of the essays are experimental in form, so get ready for a challenging, thought-provoking tumble into the mysteries of the human heart and the physical world.

I’m not sure if there’s ever been an anthology like this before — and it’s about time. It collects the work of 18 queer Arab writers from around the world. The contributors represent a wide range of genders, sexualities, and cultures. Some essays touch on challenges and heartbreak, while others focus on celebration. Together, they paint a wonderfully complicated portrait of the diversity of LGBTQ+ Arab experiences.

If you’re the kind of reader who enjoys genre-blending nonfiction, this is a book to look out for. In the 19th century, a group of Mennonites established a small Christian village in the middle of Muslim-dominated Central Asia. In the 21st century, author Sofia Samatar, the daughter of a Swiss Mennonite and a Somali Muslim, decides to retrace their steps. In this book — part memoir, part history, and part travelogue — she recounts her journey through Uzbekistan and her search not only for a piece of nearly-forgotten history, but for the stories that have shaped her life and identity.

I am drawn to cold and desolate places, so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to have it. Danish writer Dorthe Nors explores the history, culture, geography, and art of the place she loves most, the North Sea coast. She spends a year traveling the coast, from the northernmost tip of Denmark to the Frisian Islands. In these essays, she reflects on the human and non-human landscapes she encounters, her family’s connection to the region, and the impact the North Sea coast has had on her own life.

As a birder myself, I cannot resist a bird book. This collection of essays sounds absolutely gorgeous. Kumar grew up in northern India, surrounded by nature, but found herself cut off from the natural world after moving to the U.S. as a teenager. In this book, she recounts her journey back into relationship with the non-human world via her encounters with birds across the western U.S. In a blend of nature writing and memoir, Kumar reflects on climate change, habit destruction, beauty, and the importance of staying open to wonder.